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The count-down to the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta has been launched, with a special ceremony near to where the Charter was signed in 1215 in Runneymede, Surrey.

Magna Carta, described as 'the greatest constitutional document of all time,” set limitations to royal power - guaranteeing the liberties of the King's free subjects and establishing that the monarch must obey the law.

The Secretary of State and Lord McNally both gave speeches at the event, organised by the Magna Carta Trust, describing the enduring impact of Magna Carta on British law and our Human Rights.

Secretary of State Kenneth Clarke said:

'We should remember Magna Carta and celebrate it because it began to define the limits of what the state can and cannot do, and the boundaries of the relationship between the state and the individual. That’s a process that is still under way and is a constant challenge for governments.

'All states, even the most democratic, have a natural tendency to accumulate more power than they need, and to impose more restrictions than are strictly and sensibly necessary. But the answer to every problem is not a new law; and the answer to every risk is not a new restriction. Magna Carta was the beginning of a process, and the principles it contains should act as a guideline for Governments - to ensure that we are heading in the right direction.”

Lord McNally said:

'Magna Carta has been called the most influential secular document in the history of the world. Its is important not just because of the rights and liberties it sets out, important though these are, but also because it is an agreement by an all-powerful king whose word was law, that he could no longer do just as he liked; that he could no longer rule without legal restraint.

'The promises Magna Carta contains are as important today as they were in 1215. We only need to watch the TV news, or read the newspapers, to know that even today they are still to be realised in many parts of the world. We should cherish that heritage and the freedom that the Magna Carta has given to us.”

Notes to editors

1. For more information, please contact the Ministry of Justice press office newsdesk on 0203 334 3536.
2. View the Ministers speeches on the Constitutional relevance of Magna Carta in the 21st Century and the Relevance of Magna Carta to human rights in the 21st Century.
3. More information about the Magna Carta Trust.