Minister of State for Europe

Last updated
United Kingdom
Minister of State for Europe
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government) (2022).svg
Official portrait of Ms Nusrat Ghani.jpg
Incumbent
Nus Ghani
since 26 March 2024
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
StatusIncumbent
Reports to Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
NominatorSecretary of State
Appointer The King
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term length At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation1979
First holder Douglas Hurd

The Minister of State for Europe, is a ministerial position within the Government of the United Kingdom, in charge of affairs with Europe. [1] The Minister can also be responsible for government policy towards European security; defence and international security; the Falkland Islands; polar regions; migration; protocol; human resources; OSCE and Council of Europe; relations with Parliament; British Overseas Territories of Gibraltar and Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus; and FCO finance, knowledge and technology.

Contents

History

The office currently a Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Despite being a junior ministerial role, the position has sometimes conferred the right to attend meetings of the Cabinet, which is occasionally granted to other such ministers at the Prime Minister's discretion. This first occurred when Denis MacShane was replaced by Douglas Alexander after the 2005 general election, although Alexander's successor ceased to have this right. When Chris Bryant held the office, it was not as Minister of State but as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Europe and Asia. [2]

The responsibilities of the office were next appointed to a Minister of State in 2010 by then Prime Minister David Cameron. He appointed David Lidington, who held the office for over six years. In July 2016, the responsibility for the relationship with the European Union, which represented the greater part of British policy towards Europe, became the brief of a new Cabinet level post, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, or more informally, Brexit Secretary. With the winding up of DEXEU, the department led by the Brexit Secretary, responsibility was transferred to the Cabinet Office, first under Michael Gove, and then under Lord Frost who was made a member of the Cabinet and held the ministerial position of Minister of State at the Cabinet Office. Through this period, any residual responsibilities for European relations that remained with the Foreign Office were combined with the portfolio of the traditionally more junior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. The post of Minister of State for Europe and the Americas was held by Alan Duncan until he resigned on 22 July 2019; Duncan was largely regarded as the second most senior-ranking Foreign Office Minister behind the Foreign Secretary. [3] [4] [5] On 25 July 2019, newly elected Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed Conservative MP for Tamworth, Christopher Pincher to the role as part of his ministerial reshuffle. Johnson promoted Wendy Morton to the role of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for European Neighbourhood and the Americas to replace Pincher in February 2020. [6] In December 2021, upon the resignation of Lord Frost, ministerial responsibility returned to the Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Chris Heaton-Harris became Minister of State for Europe as responsibility for the United Kingdom's relations with the European Union was moved from the Cabinet Office back to the Foreign Office. In February 2022, James Cleverly was appointed Minister of State for Europe and North America. His former position as Minister of State for Middle East, North Africa and North America was the second highest position in the Foreign Office; [7] his new position as Europe Minister then took its place as the deputy to the Foreign Secretary. [8]

The post is not to be confused with the Minister of State within the Department for Exiting the European Union, the department created by Prime Minister Theresa May following the UK's vote to leave the EU in 2016 and abolished by Boris Johnson following the UK's exit from the EU on 31 January 2020. They supported the work of the department overseeing the UK's exit from the EU rather than overseeing government policy towards all-European affairs. [9] [10]

List of ministers

NamePortraitTerm of officePolitical party P.M. F.Sec.
Minister of State for Europe
Douglas Hurd Lord Hurd (cropped).jpg 4 May 19799 June 1983 Conservative Thatcher Carrington
Pym
Malcolm Rifkind Malcolm Rifkind 2011 (cropped).jpg 9 June 198311 January 1986 Howe
Lynda Chalker Official portrait of Baroness Chalker of Wallasey crop 2.jpg 11 January 198624 July 1989
Francis Maude Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office.jpg 25 July 198928 November 1990 Major
Hurd
Tristan Garel-Jones Presidente Abugattas recibio a Parlamentario Britanico (cropped).jpg 28 November 199027 May 1993 Major
David Heathcoat-Amory David Heathcoat-Amery.JPG 27 May 199320 July 1994
David Davis Official portrait of Rt Hon David Davis MP crop 2.jpg 20 July 19942 May 1997
Rifkind
Doug Henderson No image.svg 5 May 199728 July 1998 Labour Blair Cook
Joyce Quin Official portrait of Baroness Quin crop 2, 2019.jpg 28 July 199828 July 1999
Geoff Hoon Geoff Hoon Headshot.jpg 28 July 199911 October 1999
Keith Vaz Official portrait of Keith Vaz crop 2.jpg 11 October 199911 June 2001
Peter Hain Official portrait of Lord Hain crop 2, 2019.jpg 11 June 200124 October 2002 Straw
Denis MacShane DenisMacShane.jpg 28 October 200211 May 2005
Douglas Alexander Douglas Alexander at the India Economic Summit 2008.jpg 11 May 2005 8 May 2006
Geoff Hoon Geoff Hoon Headshot.jpg 8 May 2006 28 June 2007 Beckett
Jim Murphy Jmurphy g.jpg 28 June 20073 October 2008 Brown Miliband
Caroline Flint Official portrait of Caroline Flint crop 2.jpg 3 October 20085 June 2009
The Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead Baroness Kinnock.jpg 5 June 200913 October 2009
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Europe and Asia
Chris Bryant Official portrait of Chris Bryant crop 2.jpg 13 October 200911 May 2010 Labour Gordon Brown Miliband
Minister of State for Europe
David Lidington Official portrait of Mr David Lidington crop 2.jpg 12 May 201014 July 2016 Conservative Cameron
Minister of State for Europe and the Americas
Alan Duncan Official portrait of Sir Alan Duncan crop 2.jpg 15 July 201622 July 2019 Conservative May
Christopher Pincher Official portrait of Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP crop 2.jpg 25 July 201913 February 2020 Conservative Johnson Raab
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for European Neighbourhood and the Americas
Wendy Morton Official portrait of Wendy Morton MP crop 2.jpg 13 February 202019 December 2021 Conservative Johnson Raab
Minister of State for Europe
Chris Heaton-Harris Official portrait of Chris Heaton-Harris MP crop 2.jpg 19 December 20218 February 2022 Conservative Johnson Truss
Minister of State for Europe and North America
James Cleverly Official portrait of Rt Hon James Cleverly MP crop 2.jpg 8 February 20227 July 2022 Conservative Johnson Truss
Minister of State for Europe
Graham Stuart Official portrait of Graham Stuart crop 2.jpg 7 July 20226 September 2022 Conservative Johnson Truss
Leo Docherty Official portrait of Leo Docherty MP crop 2.jpg 7 September 202227 October 2022 Conservative Truss Cleverly
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Europe
Leo Docherty Official portrait of Leo Docherty MP crop 2.jpg 27 October 202226 March 2024 Conservative Sunak
Minister of State for Europe
Nus Ghani NusratGhaniMP.jpg 26 March 2024Incumbent Conservative Sunak

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References

  1. "Minister of State for Europe - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  2. "The Times & The Sunday Times". Archived from the original on 2019-12-13. Retrieved 2017-10-16.
  3. "Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan resigns ahead of Boris Johnson's expected premiership". Sky News . London. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  4. Swinford, Steven (21 June 2017). "Boris Johnson's deputy Alan Duncan tells him to resist temptation to 'play games'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018 via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  5. editor, Patrick Wintour Diplomatic (3 October 2017). "Brexit vote was 'tantrum' by British working class, says Alan Duncan". Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017 via www.theguardian.com.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. @SMcDonaldFCO (February 17, 2020). "@DominicRaab & @annietrev have divided portfolios among 7 joint @foreignoffice & @DFID_UK ministers:@morton_wendy is Minister for European Neighbourhood & the Americas" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  7. "Minister of State (Minister for Middle East, North Africa and North America) - GOV.UK". Archived from the original on 2022-02-06. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  8. "Minister of State (Minister for Europe and North America) - GOV.UK". Archived from the original on 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  9. "Minister of State - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-23.
  10. "Minister of State - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2017-10-13. Retrieved 2017-11-23.

See also