Solicitor General for England and Wales

Law officer in the UK government

His Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, known informally as the Solicitor General, is one of the law officers of the Crown in the government of the United Kingdom. They are the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law. They exercise the powers of the Attorney General which are delegated to them under section 1 of the Law Officers Act 1997. Despite the title, the position is usually held by a barrister as opposed to a solicitor.

There is also a Solicitor General for Scotland, who is the deputy of the Lord Advocate.^[3] As well as the Sovereign's Solicitor General, the Prince of Wales and a Queen consort (when the Sovereign is male) are also entitled to have an Attorney and Solicitor General, though the present Prince of Wales has only an Attorney General and no Solicitor General.

The Solicitor General is addressed in court as "Mr Solicitor" or "Ms Solicitor". The Solicitor General is shadowed by the Shadow Solicitor General who sits on the Official Opposition frontbench.

The current holder of the position, Sarah Sackman, was appointed by prime minister Keir Starmer following the victory of the Labour Party in the 2024 United Kingdom general election.

Solicitors-General of England (and Wales), 1461–present

15th century

incomplete

• Richard Fowler 1461–1470
• Richard Page 1470-1483
• Thomas Lynon 1483–1485
• Andrew Dimmock 1485–1503

16th century

• Thomas Lucas 1503–1507
• John Ernley 1507–1514
• John Port 1514–1521
• Richard Lyster 1521–1525
• Christopher Hales 1525–1531
• Baldwin Mallet 1531–1533
• Richard Rich 1533–1536
• William Whorwood 1536–1540
• Henry Bradshaw 1540–1545
• Edward Griffin 1545–1552
• John Gosnold 1552–1553
• William Cordell 1553–1557
• Richard Weston 1557–1559
• William Rosewell 1559–1566
• Richard Onslow 1566–1569
• Sir Thomas Bromley 1569–1579
• Sir John Popham 1579–1581
• Sir Thomas Egerton 1581–1592
• Sir Edward Coke 1592–1594
• Thomas Fleming 1595–1604

17th century

• Sir John Doderidge 1604–1607
• Sir Francis Bacon 1607–1613
• Henry Yelverton 1613–1617
• Sir Thomas Coventry 1617–1621
• Sir Robert Heath 1621–1625
• Sir Richard Shelton 1625–1634
• Sir Edward Littleton 1634–1640
• Sir Edward Herbert 1640–1641
• Oliver St John 1641–1643 (continued to 1648 under parliament)
• Sir Thomas Gardiner 1643–1645
• Sir Geoffrey Palmer 1645–1649
• Edmund Prideaux 1648–1649
• John Cooke 1649–1650
• Robert Reynolds 1650–1654
• William Ellis 1654–1660
• Sir Heneage Finch 1660–1670
• Sir Edward Turnor 1670–1671
• Sir Francis North 1671–1673
• Sir William Jones 1673–1674
• Sir Francis Winnington 1674–1679
• Heneage Finch 1679–1686
• Sir Thomas Powys 1686–1687
• Sir William Williams 1687–1689
• Sir George Treby 1689
• Sir John Somers 1689–1692
• Sir Thomas Trevor 1692–1695
• Sir John Hawles 1695–1702

18th century

• Sir Simon Harcourt 1702–1707
• Sir James Montagu 1707–1708
• Robert Eyre 1708–1710
• Sir Robert Raymond 1710–1714
• Nicholas Lechmere 1714–1715
• John Fortescue Aland 1715–1717
• Sir William Thomson 1717–1720
• Sir Philip Yorke 1720–1724
• Sir Clement Wearg 1724–1725
• Charles Talbot 1726–1733
• Sir Dudley Ryder 1733–1737
• John Strange 1737–1742
• William Murray 1742–1754
• Sir Richard Lloyd 1754–1756
• Charles Yorke 1756–1762
• Sir Fletcher Norton 1762–1763
• William de Grey 1763–1766
• Edward Willes 1766–1768
• John Dunning 1768–1770
• Edward Thurlow 1770–1771
• Alexander Wedderburn 1771–1778
• James Wallace 1778–1780
• James Mansfield 1780–1782
• John Lee 1782
• Richard Pepper Arden 1782–1783
• John Lee 1783
• James Mansfield 1783
• Richard Pepper Arden 1783–1784
• Archibald Macdonald 1784–1788
• Sir John Scott 1788–1793
• Sir John Mitford 1793–1799
• Sir William Grant 1799–1801

19th century

• Spencer Perceval 1801–1802
• Sir Thomas Manners-Sutton 1802–1805
• Sir Vicary Gibbs 1805–1806
• Sir Samuel Romilly 1806–1807
• Sir Thomas Plumer 1807–1812
• Sir William Garrow 1812–1813
• Sir Robert Dallas 1813
• Sir Samuel Shepherd 1813–1817
• Sir Robert Gifford 1817–1819
• Sir John Copley 1819–1824
• Sir Charles Wetherell 1824–1826
• Sir Nicholas Conyngham Tindal 1826–1829
• Sir Edward Sugden 1829–1830
• Sir William Horne 1830–1832
• Sir John Campbell 1832–1834
• Sir Charles Pepys 1834
• Sir Robert Rolfe 1834
• William Webb Follett 1834–1835
• Robert Rolfe 1835–1839
• Sir Thomas Wilde 1839–1841
• Sir William Webb Follett 1841–1844
• Sir Frederic Thesiger 1844–1845
• Sir Fitzroy Kelly 1845–1846
• John Jervis 1846
• Sir David Dundas 1846–1848
• Sir John Romilly 1848–1850
• Sir Alexander Cockburn 1850–1851
• Sir William Page Wood 1851–1852
• Sir Fitzroy Kelly 1852
• Sir Richard Bethell 1852–1856
• James Stuart-Wortley 1856–1857
• Sir Henry Singer Keating 1857–1858
• Sir Hugh Cairns 1858–1859
• Sir Henry Singer Keating 1859
• Sir William Atherton 1859–1861
• Sir Roundell Palmer 1861–1863
• Sir Robert Collier 1863–1866
• Sir William Bovill 1866
• Sir John Burgess Karslake 1866–1867
• Sir Charles Jasper Selwyn 1867–1868
• Sir William Brett 1868
• Sir Richard Baggallay 1868
• Sir John Coleridge 1868–1871
• Sir George Jessel 1871–1873
• Sir Henry James 1873
• Sir William Harcourt 1873–1874
• Sir Richard Baggallay 1874
• Sir John Holker 1874–1875
• Sir Hardinge Giffard 1875–1880
• Sir Farrer Herschell 1880–1885
• Sir John Eldon Gorst 1885–1886
• Sir Horace Davey 1886
• Sir Edward Clarke 1886–1892
• Sir John Rigby 1892–1894
• Sir Robert Reid 1894
• Sir Frank Lockwood 1894–1895
• Sir Robert Finlay 1895–1900

20th century

2001–present

Colour key (for political parties):
  Conservative  Labour

See also

• Solicitor general
• Attorney General for England and Wales
• Law officers of the Crown

References

1. "Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.
2. "Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
3. "Solicitor General - gov.scot". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
4. "Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
5. "Rt Hon Mike O'Brien". UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
6. "PCC appointed as victims' commissioner". 13 May 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
7. "Sir Edward Garnier QC – GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
8. "About Sir Oliver". Rt Hon Sir Oliver Heald QC MP. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
9. Bet, Martina (14 June 2019). "How John Bercow's 'Brexit betrayal is absurd contradiction of democracy' – David Starkey". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
10. "New Solicitor General appointed". GOV.UK. Retrieved 11 July 2019.