Lord High Chancellor of England

Lord Chancellor
Royal Arms as used by Her Majesty's Government
Incumbent David Gauke since 8 January 2018
Style	The Right Honourable
Appointer	Monarch of the United Kingdom on advice of the Prime Minister
Inaugural holder	The Lord Cowper
Formation	May 1707 of the Kingdom of Great Britain

The Lord Chancellor, formally the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest ranking among those Great Officers of State which are appointed regularly in the United Kingdom, outranking even the Prime Minister. The Lord Chancellor is outranked only by the Lord High Steward, another Great Officer of State, but appointed only for the day of coronations. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister. Prior to the Union there were separate Lord Chancellors for England and Wales, for Scotland, and for Ireland.

The Lord Chancellor is a member of the Cabinet and, by law, is responsible for the efficient functioning and independence of the courts. In 2007 there were a number of changes to the legal system and to the office of the Lord Chancellor. Formerly, the Lord Chancellor was also the presiding officer of the House of Lords, the head of the judiciary in England and Wales, and the presiding judge of the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice, but the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 transferred these roles to the Lord Speaker, the Lord Chief Justice, and the Chancellor of the High Court respectively. The current Lord Chancellor is David Gauke, who is also Secretary of State for Justice.