Alistair Lexden has been a member of the Lords all-party Select Committee on the Constitution since 2012. The Committee began a detailed inquiry into the office of Lord Chancellor in July; its conclusions were set out in a 51-page report which was published on December 11.
Combined with the post of Secretary of State for Justice since 2007, the scope and character of the work of the Lord Chancellor today are the focus of growing interest and controversy in legal and parliamentary circles. That focus was heightened following the appointment in 2012 of Chris Grayling, the first non-lawyer to become Lord Chancellor in modern times.
The report underlines the importance of the post in upholding the rule of law in Britain and suggests how that cardinal duty could be clarified and strengthened. Among other recommendations, the report proposes that the Lord Chancellor should be given the explicit task of acting as the overall guardian of our constitution as a whole.
To read the report, go to http://www.parliament.uk/hlconstitution