Ellie Reeves and Andy Slaughter sworn in as UK law officers

Ellie Reeves KC MP and Andy Slaughter MP have been sworn in as the United Kingdom’s Attorney General and Solicitor General respectively. The ceremony took place at the Royal Courts of Justice on Thursday, October 1, 2026, according to a statement from the UK Attorney General’s Office. The appointments were made in July.

Alex Norris MP was also sworn in as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. Reeves, who was appointed Attorney General on July 20, said tackling violence against women and girls would remain her top priority. She also said she wanted the legal profession to be open to people from all backgrounds.

She said she looked forward to working with Slaughter to uphold the rule of law and strengthen public confidence in the criminal justice system. Slaughter was appointed Solicitor General on July 21. He described the position as an important constitutional role linking law and government and said his previous work as chair of the Justice Select Committee had shown him the pressures facing the justice system.

The ceremony was attended by the Lady Chief Justice, Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill. The Attorney General is the UK Government’s chief legal adviser and attends Cabinet. The two Law Officers supervise departments including the Crown Prosecution Service, Serious Fraud Office, Government Legal Department and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.

They also perform public-interest functions, including referring sentences to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, taking legal action in contempt-of-court cases and consenting to the prosecution of certain offences.