Liz Truss has been appointed Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, becoming the third non-lawyer in a row to take up the post.
She replaces Michael Gove, whose short tenure in the role—he was appointed in May 2015—ended this week after a series of post-referendum political stabbings handed Theresa May the keys to 10 Downing Street. Gove, who reportedly enjoys difficult relations with May, returns to the back benches. Chris Grayling, Gove’s predecessor at the Ministry of Justice, campaigned for May’s premiership and is expected to be given a Cabinet role.
Truss has served as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since 2014. Prior to that she was a minister in the Education and Childcare department, and she has campaigned for more rigorous subjects to be taught in state schools, complaining that comprehensive pupils are mis-sold easy subjects so schools can boost their results.
She served on the Justice Select Committee between 2011 and 2012.
Truss attended state schools in Paisley and Leeds before studying PPE at Oxford University, where she was president of the OU Liberal Democrats. She worked as a commercial manager for Shell, as an economics director for Cable & Wireless, and qualified as a management accountant before winning the seat of South West Norfolk for the Conservatives in 2010.
She becomes the first woman Justice Secretary and therefore also the first woman Lord Chancellor. However, she has already broken records by becoming the youngest female cabinet minister in British history when she was appointed to lead Defra two years ago at the age of 38.
