Under new lord chancellor and secretary of state for justice Michael Gove, the new team at the Ministry of Justice includes former City lawyer Dominic Raab.
Barrister Lord Faulks (Edward Faulks QC) remains in post as justice minister in the Lords and Shailesh Vara MP as parliamentary under secretary of state with a portfolio including courts, legal aid and regulation.
Mike Penning MP is minister of state, jointly at the home office, responsible for the criminal justice system.
Raab, who previously worked as an international lawyer at magic circle firm Linklaters, has been appointed as a parliamentary under secretary of state.
His responsibilities will include human rights and civil liberties, meaning he will help see through Conservative plans to replace the 1998 Human Rights Act and ‘break the formal link’ between British courts and the European Court of Human Rights. He will also be responsible for Europe and devolution.
Faulks will be taking the lead on human rights in the House of Lords, an area of contention after Labour and Lib Dem peers suggested they may block Tory pledges which go against the ‘will of the people’.
Junior ministers Caroline Dinenage’s responsibilities include family justice, and Andrew Selous takes on prisons and youth justice.
Jeremy Wright QC remains attorney general and Robert Buckland QC solicitor general.
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