Lord Chancellor

The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and in former times Chancellor of England, is one of the most senior and important functionaries in the government of the United Kingdom. He is a Great Officer of State, and is appointed by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister and is, by convention, always a peer, although there is no legal impediment to the appointment of a commoner. The Lord Chancellor's responsibilities are wide-ranging: they include presiding over the House of Lords; participating in the Cabinet; acting as the custodian of the Great Seal; and heading the judiciary. Concerns over these wide-ranging powers have led to Tony Blair's administration proposing the abolition of the office. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 will transfer many of the powers to others. Since 2003, Lord Falconer of Thoroton has served as Lord Chancellor and also Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs.

Precedence and privileges

The Lord High Chancellor outranks all other Great Officers of State, with the exception of the Lord High Steward, which office, as aforementioned, has generally been vacant since the 15th century. Under modern conventions, the office of Lord High Steward is only filled on the day of a new monarch's coronation; thus, at all other times, the Lord Chancellor remains the highest ranking Great Officer. The importance of the office is reflected by the Statute of Treasons 1351, which makes it high treason to slay the Lord Chancellor. A Lord High Treasurer would be entitled to the same protection—but the office is now held in commission—as would a judge whilst actually in court, determining a case.

Related Topics:
Great Officers of State - Lord High Steward - 15th century - Statute of Treasons 1351 - High treason - Lord High Treasurer

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The Lord Chancellor's position in the modern order of precedence is an extremely high one; generally, he is outranked only by the Royal Family and high ecclesiastics. In England, the Lord Chancellor precedes all non-royal individuals except Archbishop of Canterbury. In Scotland, he precedes all non-royal individuals except the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Although Lord Chancellor "of Great Britain", he maintains a position in the order of precedence in Northern Ireland; there, he outranks all non-royal individuals with the exception of the Anglican and Roman Catholic Archbishops of Armagh, the Anglican and Roman Catholic Archbishops of Dublin and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. Throughout the United Kingdom, the Lord Chancellor technically outranks the Prime Minister, although the latter generally possesses more power. The precedence of a Lord Keeper of the Great Seal is equivalent to that of a Lord Chancellor. The precedence of Lords Commissioners of the Great Seal is much lower (see United Kingdom order of precedence).

Related Topics:
Order of precedence - Royal Family - Archbishop of Canterbury - Lord High Commissioner - Church of Scotland - Archbishops of Armagh - Archbishops of Dublin - Presbyterian Church - United Kingdom order of precedence

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The Lord Chancellor is entitled to an annual emolument of £207,736 and to an annual pension of £103,868. Approximately fourteen per cent of the salary is paid by the House of Lords for the Lord Chancellor's services as Speaker; the remainder is paid from the Consolidated Fund. The Lord Chancellor's salary is higher than that of any other public official, including even the Prime Minister. Lord Falconer of Thoroton has chosen to claim only £98,899 of his salary—the same amount received by other Cabinet ministers in the House of Lords.

Related Topics:
Pension - Consolidated Fund

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