Alex Norris has become the first non-lawyer to be granted the post of Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice in a Labour government.
The MP for Nottingham North and Kimberley, who on Monday replaced David Lammy in Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government, is a former trade union official.
For the past year, he was previously Minister of State at the Home Office; and had served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government from Labour’s election win in 2024.
Chris Grayling was the first non-lawyer Secretary of State for Justice, under the Conservatives, serving from 2012 to 2015.
Norris’s predecessor, Lammy, had a traditional professional background for a justice secretary, having studied law at SOAS and Harvard and practiced as a barrister in both the US and UK.
The appointment has been welcomed by legal sector bodies, with the Law Society calling the move “a golden opportunity to resurrect our justice system”.
Law Society president Mark Evans said: “Our courts are under immense pressure, with backlogs delaying justice for communities. The new UK government must move quickly to set out a comprehensive, whole-system plan to implement Sir Brian Leveson’s recommendations. This should include sustained investment in people, infrastructure and technology.
“Any efforts to reduce court backlogs must not come at the expense of fundamental safeguards. Jury trials must be protected to ensure public confidence in our justice system.
“Legal aid has been underfunded for too long. Facing warnings from the Justice Select Committee of severe risks of miscarriages of justice, the government should urgently review the means test and regularly increase legal aid fees at least in line with inflation. This will ensure everyone can access the legal support they need. This is why we continue to campaign to level the playing field for families and wider communities.
“The legal sector is well placed to support growth across the country through the Industrial Strategy. We urge the new Lord Chancellor to use the sector as an engine of growth. He can do this by investing in skills and apprenticeships, boosting tech adoption and putting legal services at the heart of our trade strategy.
“We stand ready to work with the Lord Chancellor and wider government to deliver a justice system that is efficient, productive, resilient and accessible to all.”
CILEX chair Eileen Milner said: “CILEX welcomes Alex Norris as the new Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. The legal system continues to face considerable challenges and we are keen to work with him and his team to address them, as we have his predecessors.
“We look forward to working with him to remove barriers to access to justice, tackle court backlogs and improve levels of diversity in the judiciary and wider profession.
“We hope that under Mr Norris’s leadership the Ministry of Justice will begin the process of revisiting the Legal Services Act which is now almost 20 years old. The current regulatory framework no longer reflects the reality of how legal services are delivered and an industry-wide collaborative effort is needed to bring it into the modern age.”
What’s Norris’s background?
Norris, 42, is originally from Altrincham in Greater Manchester. He won a free place to study at the fee-paying independent Manchester Grammar School at age 11. He moved to Nottingham in 2003 to study politics at the University of Nottingham.
Prior to entering national politics, Norris was a councillor for Basford ward in Nottingham City Council for six years.
He was elected as the MP for Nottingham North and Kimberley (and its predecessor Nottingham North) in June 2017.
Before gaining his seat in Parliament, Norris worked at UNISON trade union as an area organiser.
What are his views?
Norris describes himself as a “Labour and Co-operative MP”. This is a term Burnham has also used about himself, and is taken to mean that he identifies as a socialist and is ‘soft left’ Labour.
Writing in a newsletter to his constituents in early July, Norris said: “Like me, Andy is also a Labour and Co-operative MP. I believe in co-operative values and that our country works best when power is shared and those who create wealth get their fair share in return.
“Whether that be co-operative shops owned by customers and giving back to the community, credit unions that allow communities to support one another financially or football supporters getting a say in how their club is run, co-operative values are a proud tradition in our country.
“Andy shares these values and has made solid commitments that he will do all he can to get power out of London and Westminster and into the hands of local people up and down the country so we can make the best decisions for our community.”
How has he voted?
Norris’s voting record shows he supported the assisted dying bill, voting to allow terminally ill people to be given assistance to end their life.
He has also voted for preventing sentencing guidelines requiring offender background reports based on race, religion, culture, or similar traits.
In general, he has voted for some kinds of offenders to receive the minimum detention requirements in order to reduce pressure on prison capacity.
Norris has consistently voted for scrapping the scheme that let people avoid prosecution for Troubles-related crimes in exchange for cooperating, and removing the ban on bringing Troubles-related claims in the civil courts.
He has also voted in favour of reducing the maximum amount an individual may be required to contribute to their social care costs.
