SOUTH Swindon MP Robert Buckland has been sworn in as the fifth Lord Chancellor in four years.

The former criminal barrister Robert Buckland, who was previously Solicitor General, was sworn in to the ancient office at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Tuesday morning.

Mr Buckland, promoted to Justice Secretary last week, became the first Lord Chancellor to swear his oath of office in Welsh as well as in English.

He noted that Tuesday marked "exactly 70 years since the coming into force of the 1949 Legal Aid and Advice Act". "Having practised predominantly in cases involving criminal legal aid, I remain of the belief that, as far as possible, the right support must be provided to those who need it," he said.

The ceremony was attended by Mr Buckland's wife and children, together with leading members of the judiciary and government ministers.