Sixty-six women have been appointed to positions in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, with three female Prime Ministers serving in cabinet. Since, by convention, members of the cabinet must be a member of either the House of Commons or House of Lords, [1] the Prime Minister could not appoint women to the cabinet until the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 allowed women to stand for MP, and could not appoint peeresses to it until the Life Peerages Act 1958.
Three women have led the cabinet as prime minister.
denotes the first female minister of that particular department.
| Image | Prime Minister | Party | Constituency | Year appointed [lower-alpha 1] | Roles held concurrently | Ministry | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Margaret Thatcher | Conservative | Finchley | 1979 | Thatcher I | ||
| Thatcher II | |||||||
| Thatcher III | |||||||
 | Theresa May | Conservative | Maidenhead | 2016 | May I | ||
| May II | |||||||
 | Liz Truss | Conservative | South West Norfolk | 2022 | Truss | ||
denotes the first female minister of that particular department.
Some roles, such as the Attorney General, can attend cabinet meetings without being a member of the cabinet.
denotes the first female minister of that particular department.
Baroness Amos became the first black woman to be appointed to the cabinet in 2003. [85] In 2011, Justine Greening became the first member of the cabinet who was publicly known to be a lesbian, although she was not openly lesbian until 2016. [86] [87]
The leader of the House of Commons is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom whose main role is organising government business in the House of Commons. The leader is always a member or attendee of the cabinet of the United Kingdom.
Valerie Ann Amos, Baroness Amos, is a British Labour Party politician and diplomat who served as the eighth UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Before her appointment to the UN, she served as British High Commissioner to Australia. She was created a life peer in 1997, serving as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council from 2003 to 2007.
The secretary of state for education, also referred to as the education secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the work of the Department for Education. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.
The secretary of state for Scotland, also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Scotland Office. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The Secretary of State for Scotland is serves as the custodian of the Scottish devolution settlement as outlined in the Scotland Act 1998, and represent Scottish interests within the UK Government as well as advocate for UK Government policies in Scotland. The Secretary of State for Scotland is additionally responsible for partnership between the UK Government and the Scottish Government, as well as relations between the Parliament of the United Kingdom and the Scottish Parliament.
Angela Evans Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon is a British politician and life peer serving as Lord Privy Seal and leader of the House of Lords since 2024. A member of Labour Co-op, she was Member of Parliament (MP) for Basildon from 1997 to 2010.
Sayeeda Hussain Warsi, Baroness Warsi, is a British lawyer, politician, and member of the House of Lords who served as co-chairwoman of the Conservative Party from 2010 to 2012. She served in the Cameron–Clegg coalition, first as the Minister without portfolio between 2010 and 2012, then as the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and as the Minister of State for Faith and Communities, until her resignation citing her disagreement with the Government's policy relating to the Israel–Gaza conflict in August 2014.
Damian Patrick George Hinds is a British Conservative politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for East Hampshire since 2010. He has served as Shadow Secretary of State for Education since July 2024. He previously served as Secretary of State for Education under Theresa May from 2018 to 2019; he has also held junior ministerial positions under four Prime Ministers.
The representation of women in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom has been an issue in the politics of the United Kingdom at numerous points in the 20th and 21st centuries. Originally debate centred on whether women should be allowed to vote and stand for election as Members of Parliament. The Parliament Act 1918 gave women over 21 the right to stand for election as a Member of Parliament. The United Kingdom has had three female Prime Ministers: Margaret Thatcher (1979–1990), Theresa May (2016–2019), and Liz Truss (2022). The publication of the book Women in the House by Elizabeth Vallance in 1979 highlighted the under-representation of women in Parliament. In more modern times concerns about the under-representation of women led the Labour Party to introduce and, decades later, abandon all-women short lists, something which was later held to breach discrimination laws.
Dame Jacqueline Doyle-Price is a British Conservative Party politician and former civil servant who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Thurrock from 2010 to 2024. She was first elected as MP in the 2010 general election and was defeated by Jen Craft of the Labour Party in the 2024 general election.
The Cameron–Clegg coalition was formed by David Cameron and Nick Clegg when Cameron was invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a government, following the resignation of Prime Minister Gordon Brown on 11 May 2010, after the general election on 6 May. It was the UK's first coalition government since the Churchill caretaker ministry in 1945.
The minister of state for security is a senior ministerial position in the government of the United Kingdom, falling under the Home Office. The post was created by then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown on 3 June 2009 by splitting the now-defunct post of the minister for security, counter-terrorism, crime and policing between this post and the new post of Minister for Crime and Policing.
These are lists of people who belong to non-European ethnic minorities and have been elected as Members of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, European Parliament, and other British devolved assemblies and also Members of the non-elected House of Lords.
Susan Frances Maria Williams, Baroness Williams of Trafford is a Conservative life peer serving as the Chief Whip of the House of Lords and Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms. In March 2022 she was made a member of the Privy Council.
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately is a British politician who served as Minister of State for Social Care from October 2022 to July 2024, and previously from 2020 to 2021. She also served as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury from 2021 to 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Faversham and Mid Kent since 2015 and Shadow Secretary of State for Transport since July 2024.
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan is a British politician who previously served as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology from July 2023 to July 2024, having previously served in the position from February to April 2023 before being temporarily replaced during her maternity leave. A member of the Conservative Party, Donelan also held three other cabinet positions from 2020 to 2023 under Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. She served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chippenham in Wiltshire from 2015 to 2024.
Miriam Jane Alice Davies, known as Mims Davies, is a British politician who has served as a Member of Parliament since 2015, for three successive constituencies. A member of the Conservative Party, she has served as Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities since July 2024. She previously served in various ministerial positions between 2018 and 2024.
Gillian Keegan is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education from 2022 to 2024. She previously served as Minister of State for Care and Mental Health from 2021 to 2022, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa from September to October 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, Keegan served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chichester from 2017 to 2024.
Joanna Carolyn Penn, Baroness Penn, known as JoJo Penn, is a British political advisor. She was a baroness-in-waiting from March 2020 to September 2022. Since 1 March 2024 she has been a Minister on Leave.
Elizabeth Jenny Rosemary Sanderson, Baroness Sanderson of Welton is a British political advisor, life peer, and former journalist.
