Our thanks to Paul for this. Liz Truss was first elected to parliament just six years ago. In an article in The Times today, Charles Falconer (Lord Chancellor, 2003-7) wrote:
Liz Truss… has displayed no obvious signs of independence as a minister, backing Mrs May right from the off in the leadership election and so far shows every sign in her career of being more interested in promotion than the rule of law.
There is nothing wrong with ambition – but the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 said that the prime minister could only appoint someone who appears to be qualified by experience. The lord chancellor is the only job in cabinet where there are personal conditions, laid down by statute, which have to be satisfied by the holder.
There is no one who could possibly suggest that Ms Truss met the bar set by that law…
So the prime minister broke the law in appointing Ms Truss, but more importantly showed she did not regard protecting the rule of law as a priority at all in making her cabinet. There is, I’m sure, much that is good about the new prime minister. Her cavalier disregard for the law is not one of them.
