Solicitor General for England and Wales

His Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, known informally as the Solicitor General, is one of the law officers of the Crown in the government of the United Kingdom. They are the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law. They exercise the powers of the Attorney General which are delegated to them under section 1 of the Law Officers Act 1997. Despite the title, the position is usually held by a barrister as opposed to a solicitor.

There is also a Solicitor General for Scotland, who is the deputy of the Lord Advocate. As well as the Sovereign's Solicitor General, the Prince of Wales and a Queen consort (when the Sovereign is male) are also entitled to have an Attorney and Solicitor General, though the present Prince of Wales has only an Attorney General and no Solicitor General.

The Solicitor General is addressed in court as "Mr Solicitor" or "Ms Solicitor". The Solicitor General is shadowed by the Shadow Solicitor General who sits on the Official Opposition frontbench.

The current holder of the position is Andy Slaughter.

Solicitors-General of England (and Wales), 1461–present

15th century incomplete Richard Fowler 1461–1470 Richard Page 1470-1483 Thomas Lynon 1483–1485 Andrew Dimmock 1485–1503

16th century

Thomas Lucas 1503–1507 John Ernley 1507–1514 John Port 1514–1521 Richard Lyster 1521–1525 Christopher Hales 1525–1531 Baldwin Mallet 1531–1533 Richard Rich 1533–1536 William Whorwood 1536–1540 Henry Bradshaw 1540–1545 Edward Griffin 1545–1552 John Gosnold 1552–1553 William Cordell 1553–1557 Richard Weston 1557–1559 William Rosewell 1559–1566 Richard Onslow 1566–1569 Sir Thomas Bromley 1569–1579 Sir John Popham 1579–1581 Sir Thomas Egerton 1581–1592 Sir Edward Coke 1592–1594 Thomas Fleming 1595–1604

17th century

Sir John Doderidge 1604–1607 Sir Francis Bacon 1607–1613 Henry Yelverton 1613–1617 Sir Thomas Coventry 1617–1621 Sir Robert Heath 1621–1625 Sir Richard Shelton 1625–1634 Sir Edward Littleton 1634–1640 Sir Edward Herbert 1640–1641 Oliver St John 1641–1643 (continued to 1648 under parliament) Sir Thomas Gardiner 1643–1645 Sir Geoffrey Palmer 1645–1649 Edmund Prideaux 1648–1649 John Cooke 1649–1650 Robert Reynolds 1650–1654 William Ellis 1654–1660 Sir Heneage Finch 1660–1670 Sir Edward Turnor 1670–1671 Sir Francis North 1671–1673 Sir William Jones 1673–1674 Sir Francis Winnington 1674–1679 Heneage Finch 1679–1686 Sir Thomas Powys 1686–1687 Sir William Williams 1687–1689 Sir George Treby 1689 Sir John Somers 1689–1692 Sir Thomas Trevor 1692–1695 Sir John Hawles 1695–1702

18th century

Sir Simon Harcourt 1702–1707 Sir James Montagu 1707–1708 Robert Eyre 1708–1710 Sir Robert Raymond 1710–1714 Nicholas Lechmere 1714–1715 John Fortescue Aland 1715–1717 Sir William Thomson 1717–1720 Sir Philip Yorke 1720–1724 Sir Clement Wearg 1724–1725 Charles Talbot 1726–1733 Sir Dudley Ryder 1733–1737 John Strange 1737–1742 William Murray 1742–1754 Sir Richard Lloyd 1754–1756 Charles Yorke 1756–1762 Sir Fletcher Norton 1762–1763 William de Grey 1763–1766 Edward Willes 1766–1768 John Dunning 1768–1770 Edward Thurlow 1770–1771 Alexander Wedderburn 1771–1778 James Wallace 1778–1780 James Mansfield 1780–1782 John Lee 1782 Richard Pepper Arden 1782–1783 John Lee 1783 James Mansfield 1783 Richard Pepper Arden 1783–1784 Archibald Macdonald 1784–1788 Sir John Scott 1788–1793 Sir John Mitford 1793–1799 William Grant 1799–1801

19th century

Spencer Perceval 1801–1802 Sir Thomas Manners-Sutton 1802–1805 Sir Vicary Gibbs 1805–1806 Sir Samuel Romilly 1806–1807 Sir Thomas Plumer 1807–1812 Sir William Garrow 1812–1813 Sir Robert Dallas 1813 Sir Samuel Shepherd 1813–1817 Sir Robert Gifford 1817–1819 Sir John Copley 1819–1824 Sir Charles Wetherell 1824–1826 Sir Nicholas Conyngham Tindal 1826–1829 Sir Edward Sugden 1829–1830 Sir William Horne 1830–1832 Sir John Campbell 1832–1834 Sir Charles Pepys 1834 Sir Robert Rolfe 1834 William Webb Follett 1834–1835 Robert Rolfe 1835–1839 Sir Thomas Wilde 1839–1841 Sir William Webb Follett 1841–1844 Sir Frederic Thesiger 1844–1845 Sir Fitzroy Kelly 1845–1846 John Jervis 1846 Sir David Dundas 1846–1848 Sir John Romilly 1848–1850 Sir Alexander Cockburn 1850–1851 Sir William Page Wood 1851–1852 Sir Fitzroy Kelly 1852 Sir Richard Bethell 1852–1856 James Stuart-Wortley 1856–1857 Sir Henry Singer Keating 1857–1858 Sir Hugh Cairns 1858–1859 Sir Henry Singer Keating 1859 Sir William Atherton 1859–1861 Sir Roundell Palmer 1861–1863 Sir Robert Collier 1863–1866 Sir William Bovill 1866 Sir John Burgess Karslake 1866–1867 Sir Charles Jasper Selwyn 1867–1868 Sir William Brett 1868 Sir Richard Baggallay 1868 Sir John Coleridge 1868–1871 Sir George Jessel 1871–1873 Sir Henry James 1873 Sir William Harcourt 1873–1874 Sir Richard Baggallay 1874 Sir John Holker 1874–1875 Sir Hardinge Giffard 1875–1880 Sir Farrer Herschell 1880–1885 Sir John Eldon Gorst 1885–1886 Sir Horace Davey 1886 Sir Edward Clarke 1886–1892 Sir John Rigby 1892–1894 Sir Robert Reid 1894 Sir Frank Lockwood 1894–1895 Sir Robert Finlay 1895–1900

20th century NamePortraitTerm of officePolitical partyPrime MinisterAttorney GeneralSir Edward Carson7 May 19004 December 1905Irish Unionist Alliance3rd Marquess of SalisburySir Robert FinlayArthur BalfourSir William Robson12 December 190528 January 1908LiberalSir Henry Campbell-BannermanSir John Lawson WaltonSir Samuel Evans28 January 19086 March 1910Sir William RobsonH. H. AsquithSir Rufus Isaacs6 March 19107 October 1910Sir John Simon7 October 191019 October 1913Sir Rufus IsaacsSir Stanley Buckmaster19 October 19138 November 1915Sir John SimonSir F. E. Smith2 June 19158 November 1915ConservativeSir Edward CarsonSir George Cave8 November 191510 December 1915Sir Frederick E. SmithSir Gordon Hewart10 December 191510 January 1919LiberalDavid Lloyd GeorgeSir Ernest Pollock10 January 19196 March 1922ConservativeSir Gordon HewartSir Leslie Scott6 March 192219 October 1922 Sir Ernest PollockSir Thomas Inskip31 October 192222 January 1924Bonar LawSir Douglas HoggStanley BaldwinSir Henry Slesser23 January 19243 November 1924LabourRamsay MacDonaldSir Patrick HastingsSir Thomas Inskip11 November 192428 March 1928ConservativeStanley BaldwinSir Douglas HoggSir Boyd Merriman28 March 19285 June 1929Sir Thomas InskipSir James B. Melville7 June 192922 October 1930LabourRamsay MacDonaldSir William JowittSir Stafford Cripps22 October 193024 August 1931Sir Thomas Inskip3 September 193126 January 1932ConservativeSir Boyd Merriman26 January 193229 September 1933Sir Thomas InskipSir Donald Somervell29 September 193319 March 1936Stanley BaldwinSir Terence O'Connor19 March 19367 May 1940Sir Donald SomervellNeville ChamberlainSir William Jowitt15 May 19404 March 1942LabourWinston ChurchillSir David Maxwell Fyfe4 March 194225 May 1945ConservativeSir Walter Monckton29 May 194526 July 1945Sir David Maxwell FyfeSir Frank Soskice4 August 194524 April 1951LabourClement AttleeSir Hartley ShawcrossSir Lynn Ungoed-Thomas24 April 195126 October 1951Sir Frank SoskiceSir Reginald Manningham-Buller3 November 19518 October 1954ConservativeWinston ChurchillSir Lionel HealdSir Harry Hylton-Foster18 October 195422 October 1959Sir Reginald Manningham-BullerWinston ChurchillAnthony EdenHarold MacmillanHarold MacmillanSir Jocelyn Simon22 October 19598 February 1962Sir John Hobson8 February 196219 July 1962Sir Peter Rawlinson19 July 196216 October 1964Harold MacmillanAlec Douglas-HomeSir John HobsonSir Dingle Foot18 October 196424 August 1967LabourHarold WilsonSir Elwyn JonesSir Arthur Irvine24 August 196719 June 1970Sir Geoffrey Howe23 June 19705 November 1972ConservativeEdward HeathSir Peter RawlinsonSir Michael Havers5 November 19724 March 1974Peter Archer7 March 19744 May 1979LabourHarold WilsonJames CallaghanSam SilkinSir Ian Percival5 May 197913 June 1983ConservativeMargaret ThatcherSir Michael HaversSir Patrick Mayhew13 June 198313 June 1987Sir Nicholas Lyell13 June 198715 April 1992Margaret ThatcherJohn MajorSir Patrick MayhewSir Derek Spencer 15 April 19922 May 1997John MajorSir Nicholas LyellLord Falconer of Thoroton 6 May 199728 July 1998LabourTony BlairJohn MorrisSir Ross Cranston 28 July 199811 June 2001Lord Williams of Mostyn

2001–present Colour key (for political parties):

NamePortraitTerm of officePolitical partyPrime MinisterAttorney GeneralHarriet Harman11 June 200110 May 2005LabourTony BlairLord GoldsmithMike O'Brien11 May 200529 June 2007Dame Vera Baird29 June 200711 May 2010Gordon BrownBaroness Scotland of AsthalSir Edward Garnier13 May 20104 September 2012 ConservativeDavid CameronDominic GrieveSir Oliver Heald4 September 201215 July 2014Sir Robert Buckland15 July 20149 May 2019Jeremy WrightTheresa MayGeoffrey CoxLucy Frazer9 May 201925 July 2019Sir Michael Ellis25 July 20192 March 2021Boris JohnsonGeoffrey CoxSuella BravermanLucy Frazer2 March 202110 September 2021Michael EllisSir Michael Ellis10 September 202116 September 2021Suella BravermanAlex Chalk16 September 20215 July 2022Edward Timpson7 July 20227 September 2022Michael Tomlinson7 September 20227 December 2023Liz TrussMichael EllisRishi SunakVictoria PrentisRobert Courts7 December 20235 July 2024 Sarah Sackman 9 July 2024 2 December 2024 Labour Keir StarmerLord HermerLucy Rigby2 December 20246 September 2025Ellie Reeves6 September 202520 July 2026Andy Slaughter21 July 2026IncumbentAndy BurnhamEllie Reeves

See also

Solicitor general Attorney General for England and Wales Law officers of the Crown

References