Ellie Reeves explains what the Attorney General does

If you have ever wondered what the Attorney General actually does, Ellie Reeves’ swearing-in speech gives you a useful starting point. Delivered at the Royal Courts of Justice on 1 October 2026 and published by GOV.UK on 2 October 2026, the speech was not just ceremonial. It was also a public explanation of what this office is for, and who the justice system is supposed to serve. Reeves had already been Solicitor General before taking up the top law officer role on 20 July 2026. (gov.uk) That matters because the Attorney General is not simply another ministerial title. GOV.UK describes the post as the Government’s chief legal adviser, with oversight of bodies including the Crown Prosecution Service and Serious Fraud Office, as well as public-interest powers such as sentence referrals and contempt proceedings. **What this means:** when arguments about law, prosecution and government power spill into public life, this is one of the offices helping decide what happens next. (gov.uk)

Reeves opened by praising judges and promising to protect judicial independence. That can sound distant if you are not used to legal language, but it has a very practical meaning. If courts are to decide cases fairly, judges must be free to rule on the law rather than on what ministers, campaigners or headlines want that day. In the GOV.UK transcript, Reeves linked that independence directly to public confidence in the justice system. (gov.uk) For readers, this is a useful reminder that the rule of law is not just a phrase for formal occasions. It is the idea that the same rules should apply whether you are a minister, an employer or a person trying to get justice after being wronged. When politicians publicly defend judicial independence, they are saying courts should not be bent to fit party convenience. (gov.uk)

One of the strongest parts of the speech was personal. Reeves spoke about growing up in South East London, going to a local comprehensive, and not assuming the legal profession was built for people like her. She then traced a path from studying law at Oxford, to being called to the Bar in 2004, to spending more than a decade representing trade unions and workers, before later supporting women facing maternity and sex discrimination at work. (gov.uk) That section matters because it turns a grand office into something readers can test against their own lives. Who gets to become a lawyer? Who feels shut out before they even apply? Reeves’ answer was clear: the profession should be open to everyone, regardless of background. **What it means for you:** access is not only about grades or talent. It is also about whether institutions stop making themselves look like closed clubs. (gov.uk)

Reeves’ bigger point was that law does not sit in a textbook, sealed off from the world. In the published speech, she tied it to pay packets, livelihoods, safety and dignity at work, drawing on her years as an employment rights lawyer. That is the line many readers will recognise at once. The law appears when wages are withheld, when discrimination goes unchallenged, when someone is unsafe at work, or when a victim is left unsure what is happening in their case. (gov.uk) This is where the speech becomes more than a story about one politician’s career. It becomes a plain-English case for why legal institutions matter even if you never step inside a courtroom. The rule of law is not only about constitutional rows in Westminster. It is also about whether ordinary people can expect fair treatment, clear rights and a route to challenge abuse. (gov.uk)

The speech also set out a policy priority Reeves wants to be judged on: tackling violence against women and girls. She pointed to work from her time as Solicitor General, including help with the Government’s violence against women and girls strategy, £5 million for the CPS to improve support for domestic abuse victims in the Crown Court, and the early Victims’ Right to Review scheme. She also used the speech to highlight the national rollout of the Victim Transformation Programme. (gov.uk) A separate GOV.UK announcement published on 29 September 2026 gives the clearest picture of what that rollout means in practice. The Crown Prosecution Service said victim liaison officers would now be available nationwide for all domestic abuse victims, and explained that the Victim Transformation Programme, launched in 2022, is meant to improve communication with victims across England and Wales. **What this means:** support is not only about tougher punishments. It is also about whether victims are kept informed, listened to and treated with dignity from charge to trial. (gov.uk)

Another part of the speech needs careful reading. Reeves said she changed the Legal Risk Guidance because people want government to get things done quickly, and because she wants government lawyers to help ministers find creative, legally sound ways forward. An official Attorney General’s Office press release published on 8 September 2026 says the updated guidance is for government lawyers advising ministers on the lawfulness of policy and operational decisions, and that it applies equally to international law. (gov.uk) That may sound technical, but it raises a big civic question. Good government is not the same as fast government. The test is whether ministers are being helped to act within the law, not pushed past scrutiny. Readers can welcome practical legal advice while still asking hard questions about transparency, accountability and how legal risk is judged inside government. (gov.uk)

There was also a quieter message in the ceremony itself. Andy Slaughter was sworn in as Solicitor General alongside Reeves on 1 October 2026, and the two Law Officers are now presenting themselves as a team focused on the rule of law, public confidence and the strains facing the justice system. That matters because these offices sit in the space where law meets politics, and the choices made there can shape how the public experiences justice. (gov.uk) The speech ended with a promise to widen access to the legal profession. For The Common Room’s readers, that is probably the best way to read the whole piece. You do not need a law degree to understand why this matters. The law is not meant to belong only to judges, ministers and barristers in wigs. It belongs to the public as well, because it shapes the terms on which we work, seek safety, argue for fairness and ask the state to do better. (gov.uk)