An often forthright critic of the government's justice policies is among the prime minister's latest ministerial appointments. Andy Slaughter MP, who has chaired the Commons justice select committee since 2024, was today named as solicitor general.
Slaughter will join attorney general Ellie Reeves in the Law Officers' Department, but will not attend Cabinet. The solicitor general's duties include supporting the attorney general in supervising the Crown Prosecution Service andf promoting the rule of law both at home and abroad.
Slaughter is a former practising barrister, called in 1993. He has sat as a West London MP since 2005, serving spells as shadow justice minister and shadow solicitor general under Ed Miliband and Keir Starmer respectively.
Under Slaughter's chairmanship the justice committee has critically scrutinised some of the government's flagship justice policies. In a blistering report earlier this month, the committee accused the lord chancellor of failing in his statutory duty on legal aid creating an ‘unacceptably high risk’ of miscarriages of justice. Last year Slaughter called on David Lammy to produce 'clear evidence' on why curbs on jury trials are necessary 'and why that does not offend our system of justice, of which we are all still very proud'.
An updated list of government appointments also reveals that Catherine McKinnell MP has been appointed minister of state in the Ministry of Justice. Before her election as a Newcastle upon Tyne MP in 2010 she practised as an employment solicitor. She is no longer on the roll.
Meanwhile Sarah Sackman KC MP will remain as minister of state at the MoJ, where she has overseen the government's efforts to reduce court backlogs and introduce new technology.
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