In her swearing-in speech, published by the Attorney General’s Office, Ellie Reeves set out an agenda built around constitutional assurance and practical delivery. The speech was framed less as a ceremonial address than as an early statement of operating priorities for the Attorney General’s role. The central themes were clear. Reeves placed judicial independence, public confidence in the justice system, support for victims and more effective legal decision-making across government at the front of the brief. She also presented her move from Solicitor General to Attorney General as a point of continuity rather than a change of direction.
A significant part of the speech was directed to the judiciary. Reeves told the court that judges uphold the rule of law with independence and integrity, often in difficult and sensitive cases, and said she would work to protect that independence. For policy readers, that is an important constitutional marker. The Attorney General sits at the meeting point between law and executive government, and public statements on judicial independence matter because they set the tone for how ministers describe the courts, litigation and the rule of law. Reeves also said she wanted to work with the Lady Chief Justice and judges across the courts to strengthen public confidence in the justice system.
Reeves used the speech to signal continuity in the senior legal team. She paid tribute to Richard Hermer, describing him as an important influence during her time as Solicitor General, and welcomed Andy Slaughter as the new Solicitor General, pointing to his parliamentary and criminal justice experience. She also spoke warmly about the new Lord Chancellor and indicated that close ministerial working would be necessary across the justice brief. That matters because the Attorney General’s Office does not act in isolation: progress on prosecution policy, court confidence and victim support depends on coordination between the Law Officers, the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office and operational agencies.
The speech also explained the professional background Reeves intends to bring into office. According to the Attorney General’s Office text, she described coming from a south-east London comprehensive, entering legal study without an established professional network around her, and then building a career at the Bar in employment rights work. She said that practice taught her that law is not an abstract discipline but something that directly affects pay, livelihoods, safety and dignity at work. That framing is important because it suggests an Attorney General who wants legal policy to be judged not only by doctrine and process, but also by whether it improves outcomes for people using public institutions.
On substantive policy, Reeves said that tackling violence against women and girls had been her top priority as Solicitor General. In the government speech, she pointed to work on the Government’s VAWG strategy, £5 million for the Crown Prosecution Service to improve support for domestic abuse victims in the Crown Court, and the early Victims’ Right to Review scheme. She also said that, as Attorney General, she had announced the national roll-out of the Victim Transformation Programme, including dedicated victim liaison officers for victims of domestic abuse. Taken together, those measures indicate that victim engagement and case experience will remain a major part of the Law Officers’ justice agenda, particularly where confidence in prosecution processes has been weak.
Reeves did not present that work as complete. She said public confidence in the criminal justice system remains low and acknowledged that more still needs to be done for victims, adding that she would work closely with the Lord Chancellor and the Home Secretary. That is a useful reminder of where responsibility sits. The Attorney General can influence prosecution policy, legal strategy and cross-government coordination, but improvements in victim experience depend on the wider justice system, including police, prosecutors, courts and support services. The speech therefore set a direction of travel, while also underlining that delivery will require sustained cooperation across departments and institutions.
One of the more operationally important passages concerned Legal Risk Guidance. Reeves said she had changed the guidance in order to empower government lawyers to find creative solutions and help ministers take legally sound decisions that can withstand scrutiny. In practical terms, that points to a more delivery-focused approach inside government legal advice, while staying within the boundaries of the law. Reeves paired that with a broader commitment to widen access to the legal profession, arguing that talent should not be limited by background. The speech therefore combined constitutional themes with administrative reform and professional access, giving a clear indication of how she wants the Attorney General’s office to be understood at the start of her tenure.