MP made justice secretary in Burnham's cabinet

The MP for Nottingham North and Kimberley, Alex Norris, has been promoted to the role of justice secretary and Lord Chancellor in Prime Minister Andy Burnham's cabinet.

Norris was a trade union organiser and Nottingham city councillor before first being elected to Parliament in 2017.

He has previously held two junior government jobs but this will be his first in cabinet.

He performed a number of shadow ministerial roles when Labour were in opposition before being appointed parliamentary under-secretary in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government after the 2024 general election.

He then became minister of state in the Home Office when Keir Starmer reshuffled his cabinet in 2025.

While in the Home Office, he was responsible for border security and asylum.

As justice secretary, his responsibilities will include courts, prisons, and probation services.

He will also inherit plans to curb access to jury trials, which cleared a first parliamentary hurdle in March.

Announced by his predecessor David Lammy last year, the proposals would replace juries in England and Wales with a single judge in cases, in which a convicted defendant would likely be jailed for up to three years.

The move is intended to end unprecedented delays and backlogs in courts, but some lawyers have argued there is no evidence it will work.

Born in Manchester, Norris describes himself as a keen runner and Manchester City supporter.

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