For the first time in history, a female Chief Justice swore in a female Lord Chancellor in a packed room in Court 4 of the Royal Courts of Justice this afternoon.
Shabana Mahmood MP took the oath on the Quran while Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill welcomed Mahmood, Attorney General Richard Hermer KC and Solicitor General Sarah Sackman MP into office.
Dame Sue Carr described Mahmood’s appointment as a “triple first”. She said: “I do not, of course, want to suggest that you are the first Lord Chancellor to have been inspired to go into law by watching John Thaw play Kavanagh QC. Your swearing-in is important for much more substantial reasons.”
“This is so not only because you are the first Lord Chancellor to be sworn in on the Quran, but also because today’s ceremony marks the first time that a female Chief Justice has sworn in a female Lord Chancellor. These two firsts illustrate how your office, our constitution in microcosm, continues to evolve and reflect the society it serves.”
She described Mahmood’s “astute advocacy that pays off” as well as his “deep knowledge of ethics, professional ethics” and his “commitment to helping others.”
She added: “I am confident that you will bring all three of these qualities to the service of justice, particularly in your efforts to secure funding for our courts and tribunals. I look forward to forging a stable and long-term partnership with you as Lord Chancellor, within constitutional limits, in the service of justice and the achievement of justice.”
Addressing the attorney general, Carr acknowledged the “mere youth” of the role compared to that of lord chancellor. “After all, it is only 563 years since that title was first used to designate the chief magistrate of the Crown,” she added.
“Hermer’s experience at the bar should equip him well” to carry out his “many duties both outside and in court,” she said.
The Chief Justice noted another “possible” first. “This is most likely the first time that both judicial officers have come from the same place. [Matrix] “The rooms,” she said.
Speaking of Sackman’s seminar at the LSE, entitled ‘Law and the City’ and which drew laughter from the audience, the chief justice said: ‘The title may be a tribute to a well-known American television series. If so, I wonder if there is any scope for inspiration from its sequel.’
“Why? Well, you were first elected to Parliament, as the Member of Parliament for Finchley and Golders Green, just over a week ago. And so you are here today to be sworn in as Solicitor General, your first ministerial role.”
Mahmood told the packed courtroom it was the “greatest honour” to be sworn in as Lord Chancellor. She said: “Once a little girl from Small Heath working behind the till in her parents’ corner shop [and] I never would have dared to dream that she would be sitting before you today and counted among the holders of this role.
Being the “first” was “a privilege but also a burden,” Mahmood said. She added: “Making mistakes is not an option, but getting things right can open doors. When I visited the Justice Ministry 10 days ago… I met my predecessors, the good, the bad and the ugly. They all looked the same and none of them looked like me.”
She told the assembled audience that she hoped her appointment would help show “a little girl in Small Heath, or wherever she may be, that even the oldest titles on earth are within the reach of all of us”.
Speeches were also heard from Hermer and Sackman as well as Law Society President Nick Emmerson and Bar President Sam Townend KC.
Photocall of the Lord Chancellor (left to right) RCJ tipstaff, Chief Justice, Lord Chancellor, Master of the Rolls
