| United Kingdom Attorney General for England and Wales | |
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| Attorney General's Office | |
| Style | Attorney General (informal) The Right Honourable (within the UK and Commonwealth) |
| Member of |
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| Reports to | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Secretary of State for Justice |
| Nominator | Prime Minister |
| Appointer | The Monarch (on the advice of the Prime Minister) |
| Term length | At His Majesty's pleasure |
| Formation | 1277 |
| First holder | William de Boneville |
| Deputy | Solicitor General for England and Wales |
| Salary | £178,594 per annum (2022)[1] (including £84,144 MP salary)[2] |
| Website | www.gov.uk |
| This article is part of the series: Courts of England and Wales |
| Law of England and Wales |
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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.[3][4] The attorney general is the leader of the Attorney General's Office and currently attends (but is not a member of) the Cabinet.[5] 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.[6]
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.[7]
- ^ "Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Attorney General's Office". GOV.UK. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
jones47was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Ministers". GOV.UK. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ McCormick, Conor; Cowie, Graeme (28 May 2020). "The Law Officers: a Constitutional and Functional Overview". House of Commons Library. p. 3. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ "Work of the Attorney General evidence session". parliament.uk. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
The Justice Select Committee holds a one-off session on the work of the Attorney General on Tuesday 15 September.