The New Secretary of State
Alex Norris’ promotion to Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice was a somewhat unexpected choice by the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham.
Despite having a solid amount of shadow and junior ministerial experience under his belt, including most recently holding the position of Minister for Border Security and Asylum in the Home Office, this will be Norris’ first cabinet-level appointment. Notably, he will be the first non-lawyer to be appointed to the post of Lord Chancellor by a Labour Prime Minister.
While Norris was not a particularly high-profile MP or minister before this appointment, his background offers some clues as to why Burnham may have seen him as a strong fit for the role. Before entering Parliament, Norris built a career in local government and the trade union movement, and was elected as MP for Nottingham North and Kimberley at his first attempt in 2019. Born in Manchester, he also shares some political and personal affinities with Burnham. Like Burnham, he is associated with Labour’s soft left and backed Burnham in the party’s 2026 leadership contest.
As Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Norris will be responsible for overseeing the Ministry of Justice, supporting the administration of the courts and justice system, and helping to shape legal policy across England and Wales. He will also inherit controversial plans to curb access to jury trials announced by his predecessor David Lammy in 2025. His appointment comes at a time when the criminal justice system faces ongoing discussions around court reform, access to justice and the modernisation of legal services.
Norris doesn’t have much prior experience with the justice brief, with his most relevant parliamentary engagement being serving on the Public Bill Committee for the Criminal Justice Bill in 2023. Likewise, he seemingly has no prior experience working with Burnham, as he was elected to the Commons shortly after Burnham departed to the North to take on the mayoralty of Manchester. Norris was loyal to Starmer during the turbulent period before he decided to step down as Prime Minister, coming out in support of him on multiple occasions. Loyalty is definitely an admirable trait to have as a newly promoted Secretary of State; it will be interesting to watch how Norris’ allegiance to the new Prime Minister takes shape.
A new approach to Prisons?
The resignation of Lord Timpson as Minister for Prisons, Probation, and Reducing Reoffending was a surprise to many in the sector, especially given his long history as a prisons reformer prior to entering government. Lord Timpson was considered one of Starmer’s more innovative appointments and became the longest-serving minister in this role for 15 years. So, what could have prompted his decision to stand down?
Lord Timpson proved himself a competent minister, inheriting a prison system in dire straits, which he effectively stabilised and prevented from collapsing. While it is possible that he decided he had done as much as he could within his ministerial brief and wanted to return to heading up Timpsons, given the positive impact he had made in the previous two years, it is more likely that a shift in policy could be imminent.
The early release of eligible prisoners played a vital part in the Starmer Government’s ability to alleviate the capacity crisis in prisons, and looked set to remain a long-term element of the MoJ’s approach to managing prison capacity. However, the longevity of this approach could now be subject to change following Burnham’s succession as Prime Minister.
Under the Sentencing Act, a key piece of legislation which Lord Timpson oversaw during his time as minister, nearly 6,000 more people could be released early under the scheme when the legislation comes into force in September. This approach was not without controversy, as it became apparent groomers and rapists could be eligible for early release under existing plans.
Burnham has been urged by MPs to implement an alternative for child sex offenders, which he is reported to be considering, tightening the eligibility for the early prison releases to exclude those convicted of child sexual offences.
The scheme has sparked further backlash, following the potential for the early release of two perpetrators responsible for the killing of a police officer.
The Prime Minister has commented that he wants the early release scheme to be reviewed to make sure “everything has been looked at” before the policy goes ahead. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister further indicated that the plan to scrap some jury trials would also be under review.
Conclusion
Both the changes to jury trials and the early release scheme have proved unpopular with the public and received criticism from many Labour backbenchers.
While the measures were deemed necessary under the Starmer administration, it appears that Burnham could be choosing to take a different path to get the justice system back in good working order, despite the evidence that the measures to stabilise the capacity crisis were working.
While we await the appointment of the next prisons minister, it would appear that Burnham is willing to deviate from the policy agenda set by his predecessor.