Home Secretary
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The Home Secretary or Secretary of State for the Home Department occupies a post in the British government similar to that of ministers of the interior in other countries: he or she, as head of the Home Office, is responsible for national security and policing, prisons, immigration policy and citizenship. Until the creation of a separate Ministry of Justice in 2007, the Home Secretary also had responsibility for judicial matters. In British politics, the Home Office is regarded as a 'poisoned chalice': much can go wrong, often at very short notice, while Home Secretaries receive little popular credit when things run smoothly.