UK PM Burnham appoints Ellie Reeves, sister of Rachel Reeves, as Attorney General

Photo by Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has appointed Ellie Reeves, the sister of former Chancellor Rachel Reeves, as the government's chief legal adviser.

Lord Richard Hermer KC, a close ally of Keir Starmer who played a pivotal role in shaping the legal and international stance of Starmer's government, was dismissed as attorney general and replaced by Reeves.

Background and Experience

Reeves is a trained lawyer, having worked as an employment rights lawyer before being elected to represent Lewisham West and East Dulwich in 2017.

While in opposition, she held the roles of shadow solicitor general and shadow minister for prisons and probation. Under Starmer, she served as both minister without portfolio and chair of the Labour Party, until she was appointed solicitor general for England and Wales.

New Responsibilities

She now takes on the most senior legal role in government, with overall responsibility including:

• The Government Legal Department
• The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
• The Serious Fraud Office (SFO)

Statement from Reeves

In a post on X, Reeves said: "Last night Andy Burnham offered me the job of Attorney General and I was delighted to accept. Thanks to all the people who have supported me along the way. Never stop following your dreams."

Manchester's Norris Takes Over Lord Chancellor

For the role of Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Burnham dismissed David Lammy and appointed fellow Manchester MP Alex Norris.

Before this, Norris had not served in any major Cabinet positions, but he had been minister for border security and asylum in the Home Office. He is also not a lawyer by trade.

His role is to lead the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the government department responsible for the justice system in England and Wales, which oversees:

• Administration of courts and tribunals
• Prisons
• Probation services
• The legal aid system

Challenges Ahead

Norris will have to take the reins on the criminal justice crisis, which includes:

• Severe backlogs
• Prison overcrowding
• Legal aid underfunding
• IT failures

Lammy faced backlash for his Courts and Tribunals Bill, which aims to tackle the crown court backlog by heavily restricting the right to elect for a jury trial in mid-tier criminal cases and increasing magistrates' sentencing powers.

Last week, the country's criminal barristers demanded an urgent guarantee from Burnham to save jury trials.