Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox official post Template:CourtsEnglandWales His Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales is the chief legal adviser to the sovereign and Government in affairs pertaining to England and Wales as well as the highest ranking amongst the law officers of the Crown.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="jones47" /> The attorney general is the leader of the Attorney General's Office and currently attends (but is not a member of) the Cabinet.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Unlike in other countries employing the common law legal system, the attorney general does not govern the administration of justice; that function is carried out by the secretary of state for justice and lord chancellor. The incumbent is also concurrently advocate general for Northern Ireland.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The position of attorney general has existed since at least 1243, when records show a professional attorney was hired to represent the King's interests in court. The position first took on a political role in 1461 when the holder of the office was summoned to the House of Lords to advise the Government there on legal matters. In 1673, the attorney general officially became the Crown's adviser and representative in legal matters, although still specialising in litigation rather than advice. The beginning of the 20th century saw a shift away from litigation and more towards legal advice. Today, prosecutions are carried out by the Crown Prosecution Service and most legal advice to government departments is provided by the Government Legal Department, both under the supervision of the attorney general.

Additional duties include superintending the Serious Fraud Office, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Service Prosecuting Authority, and other government lawyers with the authority to prosecute cases. The attorney general advises the government, individual government departments, and individual government ministers on legal matters, answering questions in Parliament and bringing "unduly lenient" sentences and points of law to the Court of Appeal of England and Wales. As per the Law Officers Act 1997, duties can be delegated to the Solicitor General, and any actions are treated as if they came from the attorney general.

The corresponding shadow minister is the Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales, and the work of the attorney general is also scrutinised by the Justice Select Committee.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

HistoryEdit

The origins of the office are unknown, but the earliest record of an "attorney of the crown" is from 1243, when a professional attorney named Laurence Del Brok was paid to prosecute cases for the king, who could not appear in courts where he had an interest.<ref name=jones43>Jones (1969) p. 43</ref> During the early days of the office the holder was largely concerned with representing the Crown in litigation, and held no political role or duties.<ref name=jones45>Jones (1969) p. 45</ref> Although a valuable position, the attorney general was expected to work incredibly hard; although Francis North (1637–1685) was earning £7,000 a year as attorney general he was pleased to give up the office and become Chief Justice of the Common Pleas because of the smaller workload, despite the heavily reduced pay.<ref name=jones45/> The office first took on a political element in 1461, when the holder was summoned by writ to the House of Lords to advise the government on legal matters. This was also the first time that the office was referred to as the office of the "Attorney General".<ref name=jones43/> The custom of summoning the attorney general to the Lords by writ when appointed continues unbroken to this day, although until the appointment of Lord Williams of Mostyn in 1999, no attorney general had sat in the Lords since 1700, and no attorney general had obeyed the writ since 1742.<ref name=jones44>Jones (1969) p. 44</ref>

During the 16th century, the attorney general was used to pass messages between the House of Lords and House of Commons, although he was viewed suspiciously by the Commons and seen as a tool of the Lords and the king.<ref name=jones44/> In 1673 the attorney general began to take up a seat in the House of Commons, and since then it has been convention to ensure that all attorneys general are members of the House of Commons or House of Lords, although there is no requirement that they be so.<ref>Cooley (1958) p. 307</ref> During the constitutional struggle centred on the Royal Declaration of Indulgence in 1672 and 1673 the attorney general officially became the Crown's representative in legal matters.

In 1890, the ability of an attorney general to continue practising privately was formally taken away, turning the office-holder into a dedicated representative of the government.<ref>Attorney General's Office (2007) p. 4</ref> Since the beginning of the twentieth century the role of the attorney general has moved away from representing the Crown and government directly in court, and it has become more of a political and ministerial post, with the attorney general serving as a legal adviser to both the government as a whole and individual government departments.<ref name=jones46>Jones (1969) p. 46</ref> Despite this change, until the passing of the Homicide Act 1957 the attorney general was bound to prosecute any and all poisoning cases.<ref name=jones48/>

However, in recent times the attorney general has exceptionally conducted litigation in person before the courts, for instance before the House of Lords in A and Others v Secretary of State for the Home Department,<ref>[2004] UKHL 56</ref> where the legality of the government's detention of terrorist suspects at Belmarsh was at issue.

Role and dutiesEdit

The attorney general is currently not a Cabinet minister, but is designated as also attending Cabinet.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The rule that no attorney general may be a cabinet minister is a political convention rather than a law, and for a short time the attorney general did sit in cabinet,<ref name=jones47>Template:Harvp</ref> starting with Sir Rufus Isaacs in 1912 and ending with Douglas Hogg in 1928.<ref>Template:Cite ODNB</ref> There is nothing that prohibits attorneys general from attending meetings of the Cabinet, and on occasion they have been asked to attend meetings to advise the government on the best course of action legally.<ref name=jones47/> Despite this it is considered preferable to exclude attorneys general from cabinet meetings so as to draw a distinct line between them and the political decisions on which they are giving legal advice.<ref name=jones47/> As a government minister, the attorney general is directly answerable to Parliament.<ref name="jones49">Jones (1969) p. 49</ref>

The attorney general is also the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its government, and has the primary role of advising the government on any legal repercussions of their actions, either orally at meetings or in writing. As well as the government as a whole, they also advise individual departments.<ref name=jones47/><ref name="What does the Attorney General Do">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Although the primary role is no longer one of litigation, the attorney general still represents the Crown and government in court in some select, particularly important cases, and chooses the Treasury Counsel who handle most government legal cases.<ref name=jones48>Jones (1969) p. 48</ref> By convention, they represent the government in every case in front of the International Court of Justice.<ref name=jones48/> The attorney general also superintends the Crown Prosecution Service and appoints its head, the Director of Public Prosecutions. Decisions to prosecute are taken by the Crown Prosecution Service other than in exceptional cases i.e. where the attorney general's consent is required by statute or in cases relating to national security.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> An example of a consent case is the Campbell Case, which led to the fall of the first Labour government in 1924.<ref name="jones50">Jones (1969) p. 50</ref>

The attorney general also superintends the Government Legal Department and the Serious Fraud Office.<ref name="What does the Attorney General Do"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The attorney general also has powers to bring "unduly lenient" sentences and points of law to the Court of Appeal, issue writs of nolle prosequi to cancel criminal prosecutions, supervise other prosecuting bodies (such as DEFRA) and advise individual ministers facing legal action as a result of their official actions.<ref name=lots>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They are responsible for making applications to the court restraining vexatious litigants, and may intervene in litigation to represent the interests of charity, or the public interest in certain family law cases.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They are also officially the leader of the Bar of England and Wales, although this is merely custom and has no duties or rights attached to it.<ref name=lots/> The attorney general's duties have long been considered strenuous, with Sir Patrick Hastings saying that "to be a law officer is to be in hell".<ref name=jones43/> Since the passing of the Law Officers Act 1997, any duties of the attorney general can be delegated to the Solicitor General for England and Wales, and their actions are treated as coming from the attorney general.<ref>Elliott (2008) p. 249</ref>

List of attorneys generalEdit

13th centuryEdit

14th centuryEdit

  • John de Cestria (1300–1301)<ref name= CH55/>
  • John de Mutford (1301–1308)<ref name= CH55/>
  • Matthew de Scacarrio (1308–1312)<ref name= CH59>Template:Cite book</ref>
  • John de Norton (1312–1315)<ref name= CH59/>
  • William de Langley (1315–1318)<ref name= CH59/>
  • Adam de Fyneham (1318–1320)<ref name= CH59/>
  • Galfridus de Scrope (1320–1322)<ref name= CH59/>
  • Galfridus de Fyngale (1322–1324)<ref name= CH59/>
  • Adam de Fyneham (1324–1327)<ref name= CH59/>
  • William of Merston (26 February 1327 – 1327)<ref name= CH59/>
  • Alexander de Hadenham and Adam de Fyneham (1327–1328)
  • Richard of Aldeburgh (1329–1334)
  • Simon of Trewythosa (c. 1334)
  • William of Hepton (1334–1338)
  • John of Lincoln (28 May 1338 – 4 August 1338)
  • John of Clone (4 August 1338 – 1338)
  • William of Merington (1338–1339)
  • John of Clone (1339–1342)
  • William of Thorpe (1342–1343)
  • John of Lincoln (1343–1343)
  • John of Clone (1343–1349)
  • Simon of Kegworth (1349–1353)
  • Henry of Greystok (1353–1356)
  • John of Gaunt (1356 – 4 May 1360)
  • Richard of Fryseby (4 May 1360 – 1362)
  • William (or possibly Robert) of Pleste (1362–1363)
  • William of Nessefield (1363 – 9 November 1366)
  • Thomas of Shardelow (9 November 1366 – 20 May 1367)
  • John of Ashwell (20 May 1367 – 1367)
  • Michael Skilling (1367–1378)
  • Thomas of Shardelow (1378–1381)
  • William Ellis (1381–1381)
  • Laurence Dru (1381–1384)
  • William of Horneby (1384–1386)
  • Edmund Brudnell (1386–1398)
  • Thomas Coveley (1398 – 30 September 1399)
  • William of Lodington (30 September 1399 – 1401)

15th centuryEdit

  • Thomas Coveley (1401 – 13 July 1407)
  • Thomas Dereham (13 July 1407 – 17 August 1407)
  • Roger Hunt (17 August 1407 – 1410)
  • Thomas Tickhill (1410 – 16 January 1414)
  • William Babington (16 January 1414 – 1420)
  • William Babthorpe (1420 – 28 October 1429)
  • John Vampage (28 October 1429 – 30 June 1452)
  • William of Nottingham (30 June 1452 – 12 August 1461)
  • John Herbert (12 August 1461 – 1461)
  • Henry Sothill (1461 – 16 June 1471)
  • William Hussey (16 June 1471 – 7 May 1481)
  • William Huddesfield (7 May 1481 – 28 May 1483)
  • Morgan Kidwelly (28 May 1483 – 20 September 1485)
  • William Hody (20 September 1485 – 3 November 1486)
  • James Hobart (3 November 1486 – April 1509)

16th centuryEdit

17th centuryEdit

18th centuryEdit

19th centuryEdit

Colour key (for political parties):
Template:Legend2 Template:Legend2

Attorney general Term of Office Political party Prime Minister
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Blank.png William Atherton 4 July 1861 2 October 1863 Liberal rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Palmerston
(II)
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Lord Selborne LC LS&PC.jpg Roundell Palmer 2 October 1863 26 June 1866 Liberal
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Russell
(II)
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Hugh Cairns, 1st Earl Cairns - 1860s.jpg Hugh Cairns 10 July 1866 29 October 1866 Conservative rowspan=3 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Derby-Disraeli
(III)
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Sir John Rolt 1866.jpg John Rolt 29 October 1866 18 July 1867 Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:John Burgess Karslake, Vanity Fair, 1873-02-22.jpg John Burgess Karslake 18 July 1867 1 December 1868 Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Robert Porrett Collier2.jpg Robert Collier 12 December 1868 10 November 1871 Liberal rowspan=3 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Gladstone
(I)
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Lord Coleridge LCJ by EU Eddis.JPG John Coleridge 10 November 1871 20 November 1873
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:BaronJames Bassano1882.jpg Henry James 20 November 1873 17 February 1874
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:John Burgess Karslake, Vanity Fair, 1873-02-22.jpg John Burgess Karslake 27 February 1874 20 April 1874 Conservative rowspan=3 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Disraeli
(II)
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Sirrichardbaggally.png Richard Baggallay 20 April 1874 25 November 1875
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:John Holker, Vanity Fair, 1878-02-09.jpg John Holker 25 November 1875 21 April 1880
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:BaronJames Bassano1882.jpg Henry James 3 May 1880 9 June 1885 Liberal style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Gladstone
(II)
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Portrait of Richard Webster, 1st Viscount Alverstone.jpg Richard Webster 27 June 1885 28 January 1886 Conservative style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Marquess of Salisbury
(I)
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Charles Arthur Russell, Baron Russell of Killowen by John Singer Sargent.jpg Charles Russell 9 February 1886 20 July 1886 Liberal style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Gladstone
(III)
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Portrait of Richard Webster, 1st Viscount Alverstone.jpg Richard Webster 5 August 1886 11 August 1892 Conservative style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Marquess of Salisbury
(II)
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Charles Arthur Russell, Baron Russell of Killowen by John Singer Sargent.jpg Charles Russell 20 August 1892 3 May 1894 Liberal rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Gladstone
( IV)
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Lord Justice Rigby.jpg John Rigby 3 May 1894 24 October 1894
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | 5th Earl of Rosebery
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Lord Loreburn GGBain.jpg Robert Reid 24 October 1894 21 June 1895
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Portrait of Richard Webster, 1st Viscount Alverstone.jpg Richard Webster 8 July 1895 7 May 1900 Conservative style="background-Color:Template:Party color" | Marquess of Salisbury
Template:Small

20th centuryEdit

Colour key (for political parties):

Template:Legend2
Template:Legend2
Template:Legend2
Template:Legend2
Template:Legend2
Template:Legend2

Attorney general Term of office Political party Prime Minister
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:1stViscountFinlay.jpg Robert Finlay 7 May 1900 4 December 1905 Liberal Unionist style="background-Color:Template:Party color" | Marquess of Salisbury
Template:Small
style="background-Color:Template:Party color" | Balfour
Template:Small
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:John Lawson Walton.jpg John Lawson Walton 12 December 1905 28 January 1908 Liberal rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Campbell-Bannerman
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:William Robson.jpg William Robson, Baron Robson 28 January 1908 7 October 1910
rowspan=5 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Asquith
Template:Small
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading in 1917.jpg Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading 7 October 1910 19 October 1913
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Viscount Simon.jpg John Simon 19 October 1913 25 May 1915
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Portrait of Edward Carson, Baron Carson.jpg Edward Carson 25 May 1915 19 October 1915 Irish Unionist Asquith
Template:Small
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:1stEarlOfBirkenhead.jpg F. E. Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead 3 November 1915 10 January 1919 Conservative
rowspan=3 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Lloyd George
Template:Small
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Gordon Hewart, 1st Viscount Hewart.jpg Gordon Hewart 10 January 1919 6 March 1922 Liberal
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:1stViscountHanworth - cropped.jpg Ernest Pollock 6 March 1922 19 October 1922 Conservative
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Hailsham1.JPG Douglas Hogg 24 October 1922 22 January 1924 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Law
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Baldwin
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Patrick Hastings QC.jpg Patrick Hastings 23 January 1924 3 November 1924 Labour style="background-color:Template:Party color" | MacDonald
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Hailsham1.JPG Douglas Hogg 6 November 1924 28 March 1928 Conservative rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Baldwin
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Thomas Inskip.jpg Thomas Inskip 28 March 1928 4 June 1929
rowspan=3 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:William Allen Jowitt c1945.jpg William Jowitt 7 June 1929 26 January 1932 Labour style="background-color:Template:Party color" | MacDonald
Template:Small
style="background-Color:Template:Party color" | MacDonald
Template:Small
rowspan=2 style="background-Color:Template:Party color" | MacDonald
Template:Small
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Thomas Inskip.jpg Thomas Inskip 26 January 1932 18 March 1936 Conservative
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Baldwin
Template:Small
rowspan=4 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Blank.png Donald Somervell 18 March 1936 25 May 1945
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Chamberlain
Template:Small
Chamberlain
Template:Small
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Churchill
Template:Small
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:David Maxwell Fyfe, Nuremberg, 1946 (Art. IWM ART LD 5863).jpg David Maxwell Fyfe
Template:Small
25 May 1945 26 July 1945 Churchill
Template:Small
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Hartley William Shawcross, Baron Shawcross (cropped).png Hartley Shawcross
Template:Small
4 August 1945 24 April 1951 Labour rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Attlee
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Blank.png Frank Soskice
Template:Small
24 April 1951 26 October 1951
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:LIONEL HEALD.jpg Lionel Heald
Template:Small
3 November 1951 18 October 1954 Conservative rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Churchill
rowspan=3 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Blank.png Reginald
Manningham-Buller

Template:Small
18 October 1954 16 July 1962
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Eden
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Macmillan
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Blank.png John Hobson
Template:Small
16 July 1962 16 October 1964
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Douglas-Home
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Elwyn Jones in Romania (cropped).jpg Elwyn Jones
Template:Small
18 October 1964 19 June 1970 Labour style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Wilson
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Blank.png Peter Rawlinson
Template:Small
23 June 1970 4 March 1974 Conservative style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Heath
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Blank.png Samuel Silkin
Template:Small
7 March 1974 4 May 1979 Labour style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Wilson
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Callaghan
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Blank.png Michael Havers
Template:Small
6 May 1979 13 June 1987 Conservative rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Thatcher
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Blank.png Patrick Mayhew
Template:Small
13 June 1987 10 April 1992
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Major
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Blank.png Nicholas Lyell
Template:Small
10 April 1992 2 May 1997
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Official portrait of Lord Morris of Aberavon crop 2.jpg John Morris
Template:Small
6 May 1997 29 July 1999 Labour rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Blair
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Blank.png Gareth Williams
Baron Williams of Mostyn
29 July 1999 11 June 2001

21st centuryEdit

Colour key (for political parties):

Template:Legend2
Template:Legend2

Attorney general Term of office Political party Prime Minister
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Peter Goldsmith Crop.jpg Peter Goldsmith
Baron Goldsmith
Template:Post-nominals
11 June 2001 27 June 2007 Labour style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Blair
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:PatriciaScotland2a.jpg Patricia Scotland
Baroness Scotland of Asthal
Template:Post-nominals
27 June 2007 11 May 2010 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Brown
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Official portrait of Mr Dominic Grieve crop 2.jpg Dominic Grieve
Template:Small
12 May 2010 15 July 2014 Conservative Cameron (coalition)
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Official portrait of Jeremy Wright MP crop 2, 2024.jpg Jeremy Wright
Template:Small
15 July 2014 9 July 2018 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Cameron
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | May
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Geoffrey Cox QC MP crop 2.jpg Geoffrey Cox
Template:Small
9 July 2018 13 February 2020
rowspan=4 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Johnson
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Official portrait of Suella Braverman MP crop 2, 2024.jpg Suella Braverman
Template:Small
13 February 2020 2 March 2021
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Michael Ellis MP crop 2.jpg Michael Ellis
Template:Small
2 March 2021 10 September 2021
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Official portrait of Suella Braverman MP crop 2, 2024.jpg Suella Braverman
Template:Small
10 September 2021 6 September 2022
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Michael Ellis MP crop 2.jpg Michael Ellis
Template:Small
6 September 2022 25 October 2022 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Truss
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Official portrait of Victoria Prentis MP crop 2.jpg Victoria Prentis
Template:Small
25 October 2022 5 July 2024 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Sunak
style="background-color:Template:Party color" | File:Richard Hermer Official Cabinet Portrait, July 2024 (cropped).jpg Richard Hermer
Baron Hermer

Template:Post-nominals
5 July 2024 Incumbent Labour style="background-color:Template:Party color" | Starmer

See alsoEdit

Template:Portal

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

Works citedEdit

External linksEdit

Template:Cabinet positions in the United Kingdom Template:Judiciary of England and Wales Template:Authority control