MP rises to the top ranks with his new position as Attorney General

The 41-year-old representative for Kenilworth and Southam replaced Dominic Grieve to take over the high profile legal position.

The role will see Mr Wright as a senior level Government advisor responsible for overseeing the work of the Crown Prosecution Service and 
independent law bodies.

And the Conservative MP - a former barrister - said it was a “privilege” to be appointed to the high profile post by Prime Minister, David Cameron.

“The office of Attorney General is a historic and important one,” he said.

“It is a great privilege to hold it, and the job is best done with energy and independence, as it has been by my many illustrious predecessors.

“I look forward to all of the challenges that the role will bring, and to playing my part in an effective justice system and in maintaining this Government’s commitment to the rule of law.”

The law office also carries out roles such as considering unduly lenient sentences and taking action over cases of contempt of court.

Mr Wright was first elected to Parliament in 2005 for what was then the Kenilworth and Rugby constituency.

He went on to serve as a member of the Justice Committee and founded the all-party parliamentary group on dementia in 2007.

That same year he was made an opposition whip and became a Government whip when the Conservative party was elected to power in 2010.

Just two years ago he was promoted to the position of parliamentary under-secretary in the Ministry of Justice.

The MP, who lives locally with his wife and two children, has been congratulated on his move by the town’s Liberal Democrat branch.

But alongside praise, a party statement read: “Our MP should always put the needs of Kenilworth residents first, with national party policy and any personal career ambitions coming a very distant second and third respectively.”

The statement refers back to the contentious issue of HS2 coming through Kenilworth.

Despite disagreeing with how it will affect his constituents, Mr Wright welcomes a high speed rail route for the UK. As a result, he has been criticised by anti HS2 campaigners for failing to vote against the plans at the second reading of the hybrid bill.

The MP assured voters that if adequate changes were not made, he would stand down from Government to object.

Bill petitions are currently being considered by an independent committee before it progresses to a third reading.

How Jeremy Wright made his way to attorney general

- Jeremy Wright studied at the Inns of Court School of Law and was called to the bar in 1996

- He then practised criminal law in the West Midlands

- Once the Conservative party was elected to Government, his legal expertise helped him gain a place in the Ministry of Justice.

- He will now oversee major legal decisions and court appeals