Chalk, MP for Cheltenham, was solicitor general for ten months under then prime minister Boris Johnson before resigning in July 2022. He was then a defence minister in Rishi Sunak’s government until succeeding Dominic Raab as justice secretary and Lord Chancellor last week.
Chalk, elected to Parliament in 2015, prosecuted and defended cases as a criminal barrister for 14 years.
He has previously spoken out in favour of legal aid, in an article for Conservative Home, calling for legal aid to be restored for early advice and citing as example that disrepair issues can lead to health problems, which the NHS must then pay for. Chalk has also said LASPO (the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012) cuts have gone further than intended in impacting access to justice.
Adam Tolley KC’s 47-page report into bullying allegations found Raab acted in an ‘intimidating’ manner, going beyond what was necessary for ‘critical feedback’.
Raab’s departure raises hopes the Bill of Rights—his pet project—may be abandoned.
Nick Vineall KC, chair of the Bar, urged Chalk to ‘prioritise measures to secure sustainable long-term funding and investment across the system that will improve access to justice.
‘We also hope to work with him to look again at legislative matters that could undermine the rule of law and the UK’s international reputation—from the Illegal Migration Bill and Bill of Rights to Retained EU Law.’
Law Society president Lubna Shuja said: ‘Alex Chalk KC is the tenth justice secretary to be appointed in ten years. He inherits an even worse justice crisis than any of his recent predecessors. The new justice secretary must get a grip on the crisis as a matter of urgency.’
