The Ministry of Justice has announced the appointment of Clara Swinson as its new second permanent secretary.
Swinson, who is currently second permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office, will move to the MoJ in April, where she will provide leadership across the criminal justice system as it takes forward the government’s response to the Leveson review of criminal courts.
Jo Farrar, who is the MoJ's permanent secretary and held the second perm sec role at the ministry herself from 2021 to 2023, said she is "delighted" to welcome Swinson to the department.
"Clara brings a wealth of experience of working across systems, both from her current role in the Cabinet Office and her time at the Department of Health and Social Care," she said.
Swinson was appointed as second perm sec and head of the Mission Delivery Unit in the Cabinet Office in September 2024. A year later, the unit was scrapped and replaced with a Prime Minister's Delivery Unit in No.10 under the political leadership of Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister. In January, Axel Heitmueller was appointed to head up the No.10 unit.
Before joining the Cabinet Office, Swinson was director general for global and public health at DHSC from 2016 to 2024. As part of this role, she led DHSC’s Covid-19 response, working across government.
Swinson's appointment as MoJ second perm sec was made with the approval of prime minister Keir Starmer and David Lammy, the justice secretary and deputy prime minister.
Lammy said Swinson will bring "extensive experience" to the role and that he is looking forward to working with her "to deliver our plan for a faster and fairer justice for victims by combining investment, reform, and modernisation".
Swinson said she is "very pleased" to be joining the MoJ "at such a critical time and taking forward the government’s response to Sir Brian Leveson’s important recommendations for the criminal justice system".