Charles Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton, PC, QC, is widely renowned and respected for his impressive political career and position as former Lord Chancellor. Initially a barrister by profession along with his friend and flatmate Tony Blair, Falconer was made a life peer Baron soon after Blair became PM, entering the cabinet as Solicitor General in 1997. Globally recognised for his position as Lord Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, Falconer was a key individual in the Cabinet Office during the leadership of Tony Blair, actively involved in the many challenges that faced the government.
Falconer’s legal career was as fruitful as his parliamentary career, having worked on many significant cases of the era before entering cabinet, such as the Maxwell frauds and the inquiry into the Gulf War. Falconer has assumed several roles of high responsibility, such as Housing, Planning and Regeneration Minister and Criminal Justice Minister. In 2007 he was appointed first Secretary of State for Justice, during which time he brought together the courts, prisons and justice policy for the first time. After his appointment as Lord Chancellor in 2003, Falconer worked with the Lord Chief Justice on establishing a new relationship between the judiciary and the executive which manifested in the Constitutional Reform Act of 2005.
Upon leaving the cabinet, Falconer has held many respected positions and worked on a range of global issues, engaging in highly important negotiations in the US and China. Proven to be a politician of high calibre and a man of quick wit, Falconer is known by colleagues and friends for his sharp sense of humour.
