Lord Chancellor

The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking after only the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister. Prior to the Union there were separate Lord Chancellors of England and Scotland.

The Lord Chancellor is a member of the Cabinet and, by law, is responsible for the efficient functioning and independence of the courts. Formerly he was also the presiding officer of the House of Lords, and the head of the judiciary in England and Wales, but the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 transferred these roles to the Lord Speaker and the Lord Chief Justice respectively. The current Lord Chancellor is Chris Grayling, who is also Secretary of State for Justice.

One of the Lord Chancellor's responsibilities is to act as the custodian of the Great Seal. A Lord Keeper of the Great Seal may be appointed instead of a Lord Chancellor. The two offices entail exactly the same duties; the only distinction is in the mode of appointment. Furthermore, the office of Lord Chancellor may be exercised by a committee of individuals known as "Lords Commissioners of the Great Seal", usually when there is a delay between an outgoing Chancellor and his replacement. The seal is then said to be "in commission". Since the 19th century, however, only Lord Chancellors have been appointed, the other offices having fallen into disuse.

United Kingdom
This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
the United Kingdom
Constitution
  • Constitution
  • Taxation
The Crown
  • Monarch
    • Queen Elizabeth II
  • Prince of Wales
    • Prince Charles
  • Royal Prerogative
  • Privy Council
  • Royal Family
Government
  • Prime Minister
    • David Cameron
  • Deputy Prime Minister
    • Nick Clegg
  • First Secretary of State
    • William Hague
  • 90th Cabinet
  • Her Majesty's Civil Service
  • Departments
  • Executive agencies
  • Public bodies
Legislature
  • State Opening of Parliament
  • Act of Parliament
  • Statutory Instruments
  • House of Lords
    • Lord Speaker
      • Baroness D'Souza
  • House of Commons
    • Speaker
      • The Rt Hon. John Bercow MP
  • Prime Minister's Questions
  • Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition
    • Leader
      • The Rt Hon. Ed Miliband MP
    • Shadow Cabinet
Judiciary
  • Supreme Court
    • President
      • Lord Neuberger
    • Deputy President
      • Lord Hope
  • Courts of the United Kingdom
  • Courts of England and Wales
  • Courts of Northern Ireland
  • Courts of Scotland
Devolution
  • Northern Ireland
    • Executive
    • Assembly
  • Scotland
    • Government
    • Parliament
  • Wales
    • Government
    • National Assembly
  • Reserved matters
Administrative geography
  • England
    • Subdivisions of England
    • Local government in England
  • Northern Ireland
    • Local government in Northern Ireland
  • Scotland
    • Subdivisions of Scotland
    • Local government in Scotland
  • Wales
    • Local government in Wales
Elections
  • Elections in the United Kingdom
  • Parliament constituencies
  • Political parties
  • Last election
  • Next election
Foreign policy
  • Foreign relations
  • UK and the UN
  • Politics of the European Union
  • Other countries
  • Atlas

Politics portal

Read more about Lord Chancellor:  History, The Office, Legislative Functions, Executive Functions, Former Judicial Functions, Ecclesiastical Functions, Other Functions, Precedence and Privileges, Reform, Fictional Depictions

Famous quotes containing the words lord and/or chancellor:

    Cole Thornton: Just a minute, son.
    Mississippi: I am not your son. My name is Alan Bourdillon Traherne.
    Cole: Lord almighty.
    Mississippi: Yeah, well, that’s why most people call me Mississippi. I was born on the river in a flatboat.
    Leigh Brackett (1915–1978)

    No woman in my time will be Prime Minister or Chancellor or Foreign Secretary—not the top jobs. Anyway I wouldn’t want to be Prime Minister. You have to give yourself 100%.
    Margaret Thatcher (b. 1925)