Lord President of the Council

Last updated

United Kingdom
Lord President of the Council
Royal Arms of the United Kingdom (Crown & Garter) (2022).svg
Penny Mordaunt Official Cabinet Portrait, September 2022.jpg
Incumbent
Penny Mordaunt
since 6 September 2022
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Privy Council Office
Style The Right Honourable
Type Great Officer of State
AppointerThe Sovereign
on advice of the Prime Minister
Term length At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation1530
First holder The 1st Duke of Suffolk
Salary£159,038 per annum (2022) [1]
(including £86,584 MP salary) [2]
Website privycouncil.independent.gov.uk

The Lord President of the Council is the presiding officer of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom and the fourth of the Great Officers of State, ranking below the Lord High Treasurer but above the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends and is responsible for chairing the meetings of the Privy Council, presenting business for the approval of the Sovereign. In the modern era, the incumbent is by convention always a member of one of the houses of Parliament, and the office is normally a Cabinet position.

Contents

The office and its history

The Privy Council meets once a month, wherever the sovereign may be residing at the time, to give formal approval to Orders in Council. [3] Only a few privy counsellors need attend such meetings, and only when invited to do so at the government's request. As the duties of the Lord President are not onerous, the post has often been given to a government minister whose responsibilities are not department-specific. In recent years it has been most typical for the Lord President also to serve as Leader of the House of Commons or Leader of the House of Lords. The Lord President has no role in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

In the history of British government, the President of the Council is a relatively recent creation. The first certain appointment to the office being that of the Duke of Suffolk in 1529. [4] Although there is a reference to Edmund Dudley serving as 'president of the council' in 1497, it was only in 1529 that the role was given the style and precedence of a Great Officer of State by act of Parliament (21 Hen. 8. c. 20). [5] Prior to 1679 there were several periods in which the office was left vacant.

In the 19th century, the Lord President was generally the cabinet member responsible for the education system, amongst his other duties. This role was gradually scaled back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries but remnants of it remain, such as the oversight of the governance of various universities.

During times of National or coalition government the office of Lord President has sometimes been held by the leader of a minority party (e.g. Baldwin 1931–1935, MacDonald 1935–1937, Attlee 1943–1945, Clegg 2010–2015). It has been suggested that the office has been intermittently used for Prime Ministerial deputies in the past.[ clarification needed ] [6] [7]

A particularly vital role was played by the Lord President of the Council during the Second World War. The Lord President served as chairman of the Lord President's Committee. This committee acted as a central clearing house which dealt with the country's economic problems. This was vital to the smooth running of the British war economy and consequently the entire British war effort.

Winston Churchill, clearly believing that this wartime co-ordinating role was beneficial, introduced a similar but expanded system in the first few years of his post-war premiership. [8] The so-called 'overlord ministers' included Frederick Leathers as Secretary of State for the Co-ordination of Transport, Fuel and Power and Lord Woolton as Lord President. Woolton's job was to co-ordinate the then separate ministries of agriculture and food. [9] The historian Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield quotes a PhD thesis by Michael Kandiah saying that Woolton was "arguably the most successful of the Overlords" partly because his ministries were quite closely related; indeed, they were merged in 1955 as the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. [10]

On several occasions since 1954, non-British Ministers have served briefly as acting Lords President of the Council, solely to preside over a meeting of the Privy Council held in a Commonwealth realm. [11] [12] [13] Examples of this practice are the meetings in New Zealand in 1990 and 1995, when Geoffrey Palmer and James Bolger respectively were acting Lords President.

Andrea Leadsom's appointment in June 2017 was the first in some time where the post holder was not a full Cabinet member. [14]

Role and responsibilities

Routine functions

"The Privy Council is the mechanism through which interdepartmental agreement is reached on those items of Government business which, for historical or other reasons, fall to Ministers as Privy Counsellors rather than as Departmental Ministers." [15]

The routine functions of the lord president are as follows:

  1. Preside at Privy Council meetings, including any emergency meetings, and attend to both ministerial correspondence and parliamentary questions relating to Privy Council business. [16]
  2. Consider for approval prerogative and statutory Orders in Council. [17] Prerogative orders deal with the basic functioning of the British state and are thus applicable under a number of circumstances, including but not limited to the prorogation of Parliament, the granting, amendment, and revocation of royal charters, the appointment of high sheriffs, or the governance of British Overseas Territories. [18] [19] [20] [21] On the other hand, statutory orders are a form of delegated legislation conferred on His Majesty's Government by Parliament for the purposes of creating detailed regulations through rulemaking. [22] Unlike prerogative orders, statutory Orders in Council are subject to parliamentary scrutiny. [23] As a consequence, most Orders in Council operate on statutory footing as opposed to the common law authorities conferred by the royal prerogative. [24]
  3. Consider for approval Orders of Council concerning various matters of state, namely appointments to and regulation of professional bodies and institutions of higher education. Unlike Orders in Council which are enacted by the sovereign on the advice of the Privy Council, Orders of Council are enacted by the Privy Council itself pursuant to statutory authority conferred by Parliament. [25] [26] [27]
  4. As a member of the Privy Council's Committee for the Affairs of Jersey and Guernsey, review laws passed by the bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey, and make recommendations to the sovereign concerning their approval. [28] [29]

Visitorial functions

In addition to his or her routine functions, the lord president also serves as the visitor for several English universities, including: [30]

Partial list of Lords President of the Council

Lords President of the Council (c. 1530–1702)

Lord President of the Council
Lord PresidentTerm of office
Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolk.jpg Charles Brandon
1st Duke of Suffolk
153014 August
1545
William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester from NPG.jpg William Paulet
1st Marquess of Winchester
January
1546
February
1550
John Dudley (Knole, Kent).jpg John Dudley
1st Duke of Northumberland
February
1550
July
1553
Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester by Francis Delaram.jpg Henry Montagu
1st Earl of Manchester
September
1621
July
1628
James Ley, 1st Earl of Marlborough.jpg James Ley
1st Earl of Marlborough
July
1628
14 December
1628
No image.svg Edward Conway
1st Viscount Conway
14 December
1628
3 January
1631
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury.jpg Anthony Ashley-Cooper
1st Earl of Shaftesbury
21 April
1679
15 October
1679
John Robartes.jpg John Robartes
1st Earl of Radnor
24 October
1679
24 August
1684
Willem Wissing (1656-1687) (and studio) - Laurence Hyde (1641-1711), 1st Earl of Rochester, in Garter Robes - 609013 - National Trust.jpg Laurence Hyde
1st Earl of Rochester
24 August
1684
18 February
1685
George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax by Mary Beale.jpg George Savile
1st Marquess of Halifax
18 February
1685
4 December
1685
Lord sunderland.jpg Robert Spencer
2nd Earl of Sunderland
4 December
1685
October
1688
Viscount preston.jpg Richard Graham
1st Viscount Preston
October
1688
December
1688
1stDukeOfLeeds.jpg Thomas Osborne
1st Duke of Leeds

[nb 1]
14 February
1689
18 May
1699
Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke by John Greenhill.jpg Thomas Herbert
8th Earl of Pembroke
18 May
1699
29 January
1702
Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset.jpg Charles Seymour
6th Duke of Somerset
29 January
1702
13 July
1702

Lords President of the Council (1702–present)

Lord PresidentTerm of officeOther ministerial portfolios held during tenurePartyMinistryMonarch
Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke by John Greenhill.jpg Thomas Herbert
8th Earl of Pembroke
13 July
1702
25 November
1708
Godolphin–Marlborough
( ToryWhig )
Anne
Coat of Arms of Great Britain (1707-1714).svg
Portrait of John Somers, Baron Somers.jpg John Somers
1st Baron Somers
25 November
1708
21 September
1710
Whig
Willem Wissing (1656-1687) (and studio) - Laurence Hyde (1641-1711), 1st Earl of Rochester, in Garter Robes - 609013 - National Trust.jpg Laurence Hyde
1st Earl of Rochester
21 September
1710
13 June
1711
Tory Oxford–Bolingbroke
JohnSheffield.jpg John Sheffield
1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby
13 June
1711
23 September
1714
George I
Coat of Arms of Great Britain (1714-1801).svg
Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham and 7th Earl of Winchilsea by Jonathan Richardson.jpg Daniel Finch
2nd Earl of Nottingham
23 September
1714
6 July
1716
Tory Townshend
William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt.jpg William Cavendish
2nd Duke of Devonshire
6 July
1716
16 March
1718
Whig
Stanhope–Sunderland I
Charles Spencer 3rd Earl of Sunderland.jpg Charles Spencer
3rd Earl of Sunderland
16 March
1718
6 February
1719
Whig Stanhope–Sunderland II
1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull.JPG Evelyn Pierrepont
1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull
6 February
1719
11 June
1720
Whig
Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt (2).jpg Charles Townshend
2nd Viscount Townshend
11 June
1720
25 June
1721
Whig
Walpole–Townshend
Henry Boyle Lord Carleton by Godfrey Kneller.jpg Henry Boyle
1st Baron Carleton
25 June
1721
27 March
1725
Whig
William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt.jpg William Cavendish
2nd Duke of Devonshire
27 March
1725
4 June
1729
Whig
George II
Coat of Arms of Great Britain (1714-1801).svg
1stBaronTrevor.jpg Thomas Trevor
1st Baron Trevor
8 May
1730
19 June
1730
Tory
Spencer Compton 1st Earl of Wilmington.jpg Spencer Compton
1st Earl of Wilmington
31 December
1730
13 February
1742
Whig Walpole
William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington (1683-1756), Attributed to Godfrey Kneller.jpg William Stanhope
1st Earl of Harrington
13 February
1742
3 January
1745
Whig Carteret
Broad Bottom
(I & II)
Dorset1.JPG Lionel Sackville
1st Duke of Dorset
3 January
1745
17 June
1751
Whig
John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville by William Hoare.jpg John Carteret
2nd Earl Granville
17 June
1751
2 January
1763
Whig
Newcastle I
Pitt–Devonshire
1757 Caretaker
Pitt–Newcastle
George III
Coat of Arms of Great Britain (1714-1801).svg
Bute
4thDukeOfBedford.jpg John Russell
4th Duke of Bedford
9 September
1763
12 July
1765
Whig Grenville
( WhigTory )
Daniel Finch (1689-1769), 8th Earl of Winchilsea, 3rd Earl of Nottingham, by Thomas Worlidge.jpg Daniel Finch
8th Earl of Winchilsea
12 July
1765
30 July
1766
Whig Rockingham I
Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington by Thomas Hudson.jpg Robert Henley
1st Earl of Northington
30 July
1766
22 December
1767
Whig Chatham
( WhigTory )
1stMarquessOfStafford.jpg Granville Leveson-Gower
2nd Earl Gower
22 December
1767
24 November
1779
Tory
Grafton
( WhigTory )
North
2ndEarlBathurst.jpg Henry Bathurst
2nd Earl Bathurst
24 November
1779
27 March
1782
Tory
Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden by Nathaniel Dance, (later Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland, Bt).jpg Charles Pratt
1st Baron Camden
27 March
1782
2 April
1783
Whig Rockingham II
Shelburne
( WhigTory )
Portrait of David Murray 2nd Earl of Mansfield by Sylvester Harding.jpg David Murray
7th Viscount Stormont
2 April
1783
19 December
1783
Tory Fox–North
( WhigTory )
1stMarquessOfStafford.jpg Granville Leveson-Gower
2nd Earl Gower
19 December
1783
1 December
1784
Tory Pitt I
Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden by Nathaniel Dance, (later Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland, Bt).jpg Charles Pratt
1st Earl Camden
[nb 5]
1 December
1784
18 April
1794
Tory
2ndEarlFitzwilliam.jpg William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam
4th Earl Fitzwilliam
1 July
1794
17 December
1794
Whig
Portrait of David Murray 2nd Earl of Mansfield by Sylvester Harding.jpg David Murray
2nd Earl of Mansfield
17 December
1794
1 September
1796
Tory
Chatham2.JPG John Pitt
2nd Earl of Chatham
21 September
1796
30 July
1801
Addington
3rd Duke of Portland crop.jpg William Cavendish-Bentinck
3rd Duke of Portland
30 July
1801
14 January
1805
Tory
Pitt II
Henry Addington by Beechey.jpg Henry Addington
1st Viscount Sidmouth
14 January
1805
10 July
1805
Tory
John Jeffreys Pratt (1759-1840), Marquis Camden by William Salter.jpg John Pratt
2nd Earl Camden
10 July
1805
19 February
1806
Tory
2ndEarlFitzwilliam.jpg William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam
4th Earl Fitzwilliam
19 February
1806
8 October
1806
Whig All the Talents
( WhigTory )
Henry Addington by Beechey.jpg Henry Addington
1st Viscount Sidmouth
8 October
1806
26 March
1807
Tory
John Jeffreys Pratt (1759-1840), Marquis Camden by William Salter.jpg John Pratt
2nd Earl Camden
26 March
1807
8 April
1812
Tory Portland II
Perceval
Henry Addington by Beechey.jpg Henry Addington
1st Viscount Sidmouth
8 April
1812
11 June
1812
Tory
1stEarlOfHarrowby.jpg Dudley Ryder
1st Earl of Harrowby
11 June
1812
17 August
1827
Tory Liverpool
George IV
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1816-1837).svg
Canning
( CanningiteWhig )
4th-Duke-of-Portland.gif William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck
4th Duke of Portland
DCL
17 August
1827
28 January
1828
Tory Goderich
( CanningiteWhig )
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst by William Salter.jpg Henry Bathurst
3rd Earl Bathurst
28 January
1828
22 November
1830
Tory Wellington–Peel
William IV
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1816-1837).svg
Lord Henry Petty.jpg Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice
3rd Marquess of Lansdowne
22 November
1830
15 November
1834
Whig Grey
Melbourne I
Rosslyn2.JPG James St Clair-Erskine
2nd Earl of Rosslyn
15 December
1834
18 April
1835
Conservative Peel I
Lord Henry Petty.jpg Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice
3rd Marquess of Lansdowne
18 April
1835
3 September
1841
Whig Melbourne II
Victoria
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg
1stLordWharncliffe.jpg James Stuart-Wortley
1st Baron Wharncliffe
3 September
1841
19 December
1845
Conservative Peel II
5th Duke of Buccleuch.jpg Walter Montagu Douglas Scott
5th Duke of Buccleuch
21 January
1846
6 July
1846
Conservative
Lord Henry Petty.jpg Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice
3rd Marquess of Lansdowne
6 July
1846
27 February
1852
Whig Russell I
William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale.jpg William Lowther
2nd Earl of Lonsdale
27 February
1852
28 December
1852
Conservative Who? Who?
Second Earl Granville.jpg Granville Leveson-Gower
2nd Earl Granville
28 December
1852
12 June
1854
Whig Aberdeen
( PeeliteWhig )
Lord John Russell.jpg Lord John Russell
MP for City of London
12 June
1854
8 February
1855
Whig
Second Earl Granville.jpg Granville Leveson-Gower
2nd Earl Granville
8 February
1855
26 February
1858
Whig Palmerston I
James Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury by DJ Pound.jpg James Gascoyne-Cecil
2nd Marquess of Salisbury
26 February
1858
18 June
1859
Conservative Derby–Disraeli II
Second Earl Granville.jpg Granville Leveson-Gower
2nd Earl Granville
18 June
1859
6 July
1866
Liberal Palmerston II
Russell II
3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos.jpg Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville
3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
6 July
1866
8 March
1867
Conservative Derby–Disraeli III
John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough.jpg John Spencer-Churchill
7th Duke of Marlborough
8 March
1867
9 December
1868
Conservative
George Robinson 1st Marquess of Ripon.jpg George Robinson
1st Marquess of Ripon
[nb 7]
9 December
1868
9 August
1873
Liberal Gladstone I
Henry Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare NPG.jpg Henry Bruce
1st Baron Aberdare
9 August
1873
21 February
1874
Liberal
Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox, and 1st Duke of Gordon.jpg Charles Gordon-Lennox
6th Duke of Richmond
21 February
1874
28 April
1880
Conservative Disraeli II
5th earl spencer.jpg John Spencer
5th Earl Spencer
28 April
1880
19 March
1883
Liberal Gladstone II
1st Baron Carlingford.jpg Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue
1st Baron Carlingford
19 March
1883
24 June
1885
Liberal
1st Earl of Cranbrook.jpg Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy
1st Viscount Cranbrook
24 June
1885
6 February
1886
Conservative Salisbury I
5th earl spencer.jpg John Spencer
5th Earl Spencer
6 February
1886
3 August
1886
Liberal Gladstone III
1st Earl of Cranbrook.jpg Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy
1st Viscount Cranbrook
3 August
1886
18 August
1892
Conservative Salisbury II
1st Earl of Kimberley 1868.jpg John Wodehouse
1st Earl of Kimberley
18 August
1892
10 March
1894
Liberal Gladstone IV
Archibald-Philip-Primrose-5th-Earl-of-Rosebery (cropped).jpg Archibald Primrose
5th Earl of Rosebery
10 March
1894
29 June
1895
Liberal Rosebery
Picture of Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire.jpg Spencer Cavendish
8th Duke of Devonshire
29 June
1895
19 October
1903
Liberal Unionist Salisbury
(III & IV)

( Con.Lib.U. )
Edward VII
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg
Balfour
( Con.Lib.U. )
Lord Londonderry, 6th Marquess.jpg Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart
6th Marquess of Londonderry
19 October
1903
11 December
1905
Conservative
Portrait of Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe.jpg Robert Crewe-Milnes
1st Earl of Crewe
11 December
1905
16 April
1908
Liberal Campbell-Bannerman
Lord Tweedmouth, Naval Secretary, portrait bust.jpg Edward Marjoribanks
2nd Baron Tweedmouth
16 April
1908
19 October
1908
Liberal Asquith
(I–III)
Henry Fowler.jpg Henry Fowler
1st Viscount Wolverhampton
19 October
1908
21 June
1910
Liberal
George V
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg
William Lygon.jpg William Lygon
7th Earl Beauchamp
21 June
1910
7 November
1910
Liberal
John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn - Project Gutenberg eText 17976.jpg John Morley
1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn
7 November
1910
5 August
1914
Liberal
William Lygon.jpg William Lygon
7th Earl Beauchamp
5 August
1914
25 May
1915
Liberal
Portrait of Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe.jpg Robert Crewe-Milnes
1st Marquess of Crewe
25 May
1915
10 December
1916
Liberal Asquith Coalition
( Lib.Con.Lab. )
Curzon GGBain.jpg George Curzon
1st Earl Curzon of Kedleston
10 December
1916
23 October
1919
Conservative Lloyd George
(I & II)

( Lib.Con.Lab. )
Gws balfour 02.jpg Arthur Balfour
1st Earl of Balfour
[nb 16]
23 October
1919
19 October
1922
Conservative
James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury.jpg James Gascoyne-Cecil
4th Marquess of Salisbury
24 October
1922
22 January
1924
Conservative Law
Baldwin I
Lord Parmoor - 19221128.jpg Charles Cripps
1st Baron Parmoor
22 January
1924
3 November
1924
Labour MacDonald I
Curzon GGBain.jpg George Curzon
1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston
6 November
1924
27 April
1925
Conservative Baldwin II
Gws balfour 02.jpg Arthur Balfour
1st Earl of Balfour
27 April
1925
4 June
1929
Conservative
Lord Parmoor - 19221128.jpg Charles Cripps
1st Baron Parmoor
7 June
1929
24 August
1931
Labour MacDonald II
Stanley Baldwin ggbain.35233 (cropped).jpg Stanley Baldwin
MP for Bewdley
25 August
1931
7 June
1935
Conservative National I
( N.Lab.Con.Lib.N.
Lib.
National II
( N.Lab.Con.Lib.N.
Lib. until 1932
)
Ramsay MacDonald ggbain 35734.jpg Ramsay MacDonald
MP for Combined Scottish Universities [nb 19]
7 June
1935
28 May
1937
National Labour National III
( Con.N.Lab.Lib.N. )
Edward VIII
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg
George VI
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg
1st Earl of Halifax 1947.jpg Edward Wood
3rd Viscount Halifax
28 May
1937
9 March
1938
Conservative National IV
( Con.N.Lab.Lib.N. )
Hailsham1.JPG Douglas Hogg
1st Viscount Hailsham
9 March
1938
31 October
1938
Conservative
Portrait of Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford.jpg Walter Runciman
1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford
31 October
1938
3 September
1939
National Liberal
Stanhope7.JPG James Stanhope
7th Earl Stanhope
3 September
1939
11 May
1940
Conservative Chamberlain War
( Con.N.Lab.Lib.N. )
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R99302 Chamberlain.jpg Neville Chamberlain
MP for Birmingham Edgbaston
11 May
1940
3 October
1940
Conservative Churchill War
(All parties)
John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley 1947.jpg John Anderson
MP for Combined Scottish Universities
3 October
1940
24 September
1943
National
Clement Attlee.jpg Clement Attlee
MP for Limehouse
24 September
1943
23 May
1945
Labour
1st Earl of Woolton 1947.jpg Frederick Marquis
1st Baron Woolton
25 May
1945
26 July
1945
National Churchill Caretaker
( Con.Lib.N. )
Herbert Morrison 1947.jpg Herbert Morrison
MP for Lewisham South [nb 21]
27 July
1945
9 March
1951

Labour Attlee
(I & II)
Dr. Christopher Addison LOC 16027831872 (cropped).jpg Christopher Addison
1st Viscount Addison
9 March
1951
26 October
1951
Labour
1st Earl of Woolton 1947.jpg Frederick Marquis
1st Baron Woolton
28 October
1951
25 November
1952
Conservative Churchill III
Elizabeth II
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1952-2022).svg
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 1947.jpg Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
5th Marquess of Salisbury
25 November
1952
29 March
1957
Conservative
Eden
Macmillan
(I & II)
Alec Douglas-Home (c1963).jpg Alec Douglas-Home
14th Earl of Home
29 March
1957
17 September
1957
Conservative
Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham Allan Warren.jpg Quintin Hogg
2nd Viscount Hailsham
17 September
1957
14 October
1959
Conservative
Alec Douglas-Home (c1963).jpg Alec Douglas-Home
14th Earl of Home
14 October
1959
27 July
1960
Conservative
Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham Allan Warren.jpg Quintin Hogg
MP for St Marylebone [nb 22]
27 July
1960
16 October
1964
Conservative
Douglas-Home
Herbert Bowden
MP for Leicester South West
16 October
1964
11 August
1966
Labour Wilson
(I & II)
Crossland MP.jpg Richard Crossman
MP for Coventry East
11 August
1966
18 October
1968
Labour
Fred Peart
MP for Workington
18 October
1968
19 June
1970
Labour
Whitelaw Escutcheon.png William Whitelaw
MP for Penrith and The Border
20 June
1970
7 April
1972
Conservative Heath
Robert Carr2.jpg Robert Carr
MP for Mitcham
7 April
1972
5 November
1972
Conservative
Jim Prior
MP for Lowestoft
5 November
1972
4 March
1974
Conservative
Glenamara Escutcheon.png Edward Short
MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central
5 March
1974
8 April
1976
Labour Wilson
(III & IV)
Michael Foot (1981).jpg Michael Foot
MP for Ebbw Vale
8 April
1976
4 May
1979
Labour Callaghan
Christopher Soames.jpg Christopher Soames
Baron Soames
5 May
1979
14 September
1981
Conservative Thatcher I
Francis Leslie Pym.jpg Francis Pym
MP for Cambridgeshire
14 September
1981
7 April
1982
Conservative
John Biffen
MP for Oswestry
7 April
1982
11 June
1983
Conservative
Whitelaw Escutcheon.png William Whitelaw
1st Viscount Whitelaw
11 June
1983
10 January
1988
Conservative Thatcher II
Thatcher III
Official portrait of Lord Wakeham crop 2.jpg John Wakeham
MP for South Colchester and Maldon
10 January
1988
24 July
1989
Conservative
Geoffrey Howe (1985).jpg Geoffrey Howe
MP for East Surrey
24 July
1989
1 November
1990
Conservative
Official portrait of Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market crop 2.jpg John MacGregor
MP for South Norfolk
2 November
1990
10 April
1992
Conservative
Major I
Tony Newton
MP for Braintree
10 April
1992
2 May
1997
Conservative Major II
Official portrait of Baroness Taylor of Bolton crop 2, 2019.jpg Ann Taylor
MP for Dewsbury
2 May
1997
27 July
1998
Labour Blair I
Official portrait of Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP crop 2.jpg Margaret Beckett
MP for Derby South
27 July
1998
8 June
2001
Labour
Robin Cook-close crop.jpg Robin Cook
MP for Livingston
8 June
2001
18 March
2003
Labour Blair II
Official portrait of Lord Reid of Cardowan, 2020.jpg John Reid
MP for Hamilton North and Bellshill
4 April
2003
13 June
2003
Labour
Williams of Mostyn Escutcheon.png Gareth Williams
Baron Williams of Mostyn
13 June
2003
20 September
2003
Labour
Valerie Amos DFID 2013.jpg Valerie Amos
Baroness Amos

(born 1954)
6 October
2003
27 June
2007
Labour
Blair III
Baroness Ashton headshot.jpg Catherine Ashton
Baroness Ashton of Upholland

(born 1956)
28 June
2007
3 October
2008
Labour Brown
BaronessRoyallPortrait.jpg Janet Royall
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

(born 1955)
3 October
2008
5 June
2009
Labour
Peter Mandelson at Politics of Climate Change 3.jpg Peter Mandelson
Baron Mandelson

(born 1953)
5 June
2009
11 May
2010
Labour
Nick Clegg election infobox.jpg Nick Clegg
MP for Sheffield Hallam
11 May
2010
8 May
2015
Liberal Democrat Cameron–Clegg
( Con.Lib.Dem. )
Official portrait of Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP crop 2.jpg Chris Grayling
MP for Epsom and Ewell
9 May
2015
14 July
2016
Conservative Cameron II
Official portrait of Mr David Lidington crop 2.jpg David Lidington
MP for Aylesbury
14 July
2016
11 June
2017
Conservative May I
Official portrait of Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP crop 2.jpg Andrea Leadsom
MP for South Northamptonshire
11 June
2017
22 May
2019
Conservative May II
Official portrait of Rt Hon Mel Stride MP crop 2.jpg Mel Stride
MP for Central Devon
23 May
2019
24 July
2019
Conservative
Jacob Rees-Mogg MP.jpg Jacob Rees-Mogg
MP for North East Somerset
24 July
2019
8 February
2022
Conservative Johnson I
Johnson II
Official portrait of Rt Hon Mark Spencer MP crop 2.jpg
Mark Spencer
MP for Sherwood
8 February
2022
6 September
2022
Conservative
Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt.jpg
Penny Mordaunt
MP for Portsmouth North
6 September
2022
Incumbent Conservative Truss
Charles III
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (2022).svg
Sunak
  1. Marquess of Carmarthen from 1689, created Duke of Leeds in 1694
  2. Served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department from February 1721
  3. Served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department from November 1744
  4. Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from December 1750
  5. Baron Camden from 1765; created Earl Camden and Viscount Bayham in 1786 [31]
  6. Lord Privy Seal until February 1798
  7. Earl of Ripon and Earl de Grey from 1859; created Marquess of Ripon in 1871 [32]
  8. Served Leader of the House of Lords until August 1876
  9. Served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from May 1882
  10. Served as Lord Privy Seal until March 1885
  11. Served as Secretary of State for War from January 1886
  12. Served as President of the Board of Education March 1900 – July 1902
  13. Served as Leader of the House of Lords from July 1902
  14. Served as Secretary of State for India March 1911– May 1911
  15. Served as President of the Board of Trade from August 1916
  16. MP for City of London until 1922; thereafter created Earl of Balfour and Viscount Traprain and joined the House of Lords [33]
  17. Served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster until May 1923
  18. Served as Lord Privy Seal September 1932 – December 1933
  19. MP for Seaham until 1935; returned to Parliament as MP for Combined Scottish Universities in 1936 [34]
  20. Served as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from February 1938
  21. MP for Lewisham East until 1950; MP for Lewisham South thereafter. [35]
  22. Viscount Hailsham until 1963 when disclaimed under the Peerage Act 1963; returned to Parliament as MP for St. Marylebone in 1963 [36]
  23. Served as Leader of the House of Lords until October 1963
  24. Served as Minister for Science from October 1963 – April 1964
  25. Served as Secretary of State for Education and Science from April 1964
  26. With special responsibility for political and constitutional reform

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Lords</span> Upper house of the UK Parliament

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest institutions in the world, its origins lie in the early 11th century and the emergence of bicameralism in the 13th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prime Minister of the United Kingdom</span> Head of government in the United Kingdom

The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern prime ministers hold office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the House of Commons, they sit as members of Parliament. The current prime minister is Rishi Sunak of the Conservative Party, who assumed the office on 25 October 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Privy Council (United Kingdom)</span> Formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom

His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are current or former members of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabinet of the United Kingdom</span> Senior decision-making body of the UK government

The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the senior decision-making body of His Majesty's Government. A committee of the Privy Council, it is chaired by the Prime Minister and its members include Secretaries of State and other senior ministers. Members of the Cabinet are appointed by the Prime Minister and are by convention chosen from members of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom, this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council (King-in-Council), but in other countries the terminology may vary. The term should not be confused with Orders of Council, which are made in the name of the Council without sovereign approval.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Right Honourable</span> Honorific prefix

The Right Honourable is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is predominantly used today as a style associated with the holding of certain senior public offices in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and, to a lesser extent, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord Chancellor</span> Great Officer of State in the United Kingdom

The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The lord chancellor is appointed by the sovereign on the advice of the prime minister. Prior to the union of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain, there were separate lord chancellors for the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. There were Lord Chancellors of Ireland until 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord Chamberlain</span> Most senior official of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom

The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main channel of communication between the Sovereign and the House of Lords. The office organises all ceremonial activity such as garden parties, state visits, royal weddings, and the State Opening of Parliament. They also oversee the Royal Mews and Royal Travel, as well as the ceremony around the awarding of honours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helene Hayman, Baroness Hayman</span> British politician

Helene Valerie Hayman, Baroness Hayman, is a British politician who was Lord Speaker of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. As a member of the Labour Party she was a Member of Parliament from 1974 to 1979. When she became an MP at age 25, she was the youngest MP of the 1974–79 Parliament. Hayman became a life peer in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King's Privy Council for Canada</span> Body of advisers to the monarch of Canada

The King's Privy Council for Canada, sometimes called His Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs. Practically, the tenets of responsible government require the sovereign or his viceroy, the governor general of Canada, to almost always follow only that advice tendered by the Cabinet: a committee within the Privy Council composed usually of elected members of Parliament. Those summoned to the KPC are appointed for life by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister of Canada, meaning that the group is composed predominantly of former Cabinet ministers, with some others having been inducted as an honorary gesture. Those in the council are accorded the use of an honorific style and post-nominal letters, as well as various signifiers of precedence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titles Deprivation Act 1917</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Titles Deprivation Act 1917 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which authorised enemies of the United Kingdom during the First World War to be deprived of their British peerages and royal titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Douglas-Hamilton, Baron Selkirk of Douglas</span> Scottish politician (1942–2023)

James Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, Baron Selkirk of Douglas, was a Scottish Conservative politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Edinburgh West and then as a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothians region. Between 1997 and 2023 he was a member of the House of Lords as a life peer.

The Privy Council of England, also known as HisMajesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, was a body of advisers to the sovereign of the Kingdom of England. Its members were often senior members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, together with leading churchmen, judges, diplomats and military leaders.

<i>Council of Civil Service Unions v Minister for the Civil Service</i> United Kingdom constitutional law

Council of Civil Service Unions v Minister for the Civil Service[1984] UKHL 9, or the GCHQ case, is a United Kingdom constitutional law and UK labour law case that held the royal prerogative was subject to judicial review.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal prerogative in the United Kingdom</span> Privileges and immunities of the British monarch

The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity attached to the British monarch, recognised in the United Kingdom. The monarch is regarded internally as the absolute authority, or "sole prerogative", and the source of many of the executive powers of the British government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of the United Kingdom</span>

His Majesty's Government is the central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The government is led by the prime minister who selects all the other ministers. The country has had a Conservative-led government since 2010, with successive prime ministers being the then-leader of the Conservative Party. The prime minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision-making committee, known as the Cabinet.

The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity recognized in common law as belonging to the sovereign, and which have become widely vested in the government. It is the means by which some of the executive powers of government, possessed by and vested in a monarch with regard to the process of governance of the state, are carried out.

The United Kingdom has an uncodified constitution. The constitution consists of legislation, common law, Crown prerogative and constitutional conventions. Conventions may be written or unwritten. They are principles of behaviour which are not legally enforceable, but form part of the constitution by being enforced on a political, professional or personal level. Written conventions can be found in the Ministerial Code, Cabinet Manual, Guide to Judicial Conduct, Erskine May and even legislation. Unwritten conventions exist by virtue of long-practice or may be referenced in other documents such as the Lascelles Principles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Officers of State (United Kingdom)</span> Ceremonial ministers of the Crown

In the United Kingdom, the Great Officers of State are traditional ministers of the Crown who either inherit their positions or are appointed to exercise certain largely ceremonial functions or to operate as members of the government. Separate Great Officers exist for England and Wales, Scotland, and formerly for Ireland, though some exist for Great Britain and the United Kingdom as a whole.

As part of the British honours system, Special Honours are issued at the Monarch's pleasure at any given time. The Special Honours refer to the awards made within royal prerogative, operational honours, political honours and other honours awarded outside the New Years Honours and Birthday Honours.

References

Citations

  1. "Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.
  2. "Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  3. "Privy Council: Guide to its origins, powers and members". BBC News. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2018. The body convenes, on average, about once a month and its meetings – known as councils – are presided over by The Queen.
  4. Fryde, E. B. (1986) [1941]. Handbook of British Chronology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  5. An Act that the President of the King's Counsel shall be associate with the Chancellor and Treasurer of England, and the Keeper of the King's Privy Seal.
  6. Seldon, Anthony; Meakin, Jonathan; Thoms, Illias (2021). The Impossible Office? The History of the British Prime Minister. Cambridge University Press. p. 157. ISBN   9781316515327.
  7. Norton, Philip (2020). Governing Britain: Parliament, Ministers and Our Ambiguous Constitution. Manchester University Press. p. 144. ISBN   9-781526-145451.
  8. Hennessy, Peter. The Prime Minister: The Office and Its Holders Since 1945 (2000), pp.189–190.
  9. Hennessy, p.191
  10. Hennessy, p. 193
  11. Viscount Samuel (18 May 1954). "Her Majesty's Return". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . Vol. 187. House of Lords. col. 645. ... there has been constitutional work done, there have been acts of State: ... meetings of the Privy Council, an organ of the Constitution older than Parliament itself, for wherever the Sovereign is, and three Privy Counsellors are present, there may be meetings of the Council and Orders passed. So, during this tour there have been sessions of the Privy Council in Australia, in New Zealand and in Ceylon, with their own local Privy Council members – members of the one single Imperial Privy Council, but their own local members.
  12. Cox, Noel (1998–1999). "The Dichotomy of Legal Theory and Political Reality: The Honours Prerogative and Imperial Unity". Australian Journal of Law and Society. 1 (14): 15–42. Retrieved 19 November 2011. The Queen has in fact regularly presided over meetings of the Privy Council in New Zealand, since her first in 1954. That was the first held by the Sovereign outside the United Kingdom, although in 1920 Edward Prince of Wales held a Council in Wellington to swear in the Earl of Liverpool as Governor-General.
  13. Kumarasingham, Harshan (2010). Onward with Executive Power: Lessons from New Zealand 1947–57 (PDF). Wellington, New Zealand: Institute of Policy Studies, Victoria University of Wellington. p. 71. ISBN   978-1-877347-37-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2011. The Queen held a meeting of the Privy Council [on 13 January 1954] at the 'Court at Government House at Wellington' with her New Zealand prime minister as 'acting Lord President' of the council. The deputy prime minister, Keith Holyoake, 'secured for himself a place in constitutional history by becoming the first member to be sworn of Her Majesty's Council outside the United Kingdom'.
  14. "Election 2017: Prime Minister and Cabinet appointments". GOV.UK. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  15. "Landing Page – Privy Council Office" . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  16. "Lord President". Privy Council Office. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  17. "Meetings & Orders". Privy Council Office. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  18. David Torrance (14 September 2023). "What are Orders in Council". House of Commons Library. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  19. "About the Privy Council". Privy Council Office. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  20. "High Sheriffs". Privy Council Office. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  21. James Brown Scott (July 1916). "British Orders in Council and International Law". The American Journal of International Law. pp. 560–569. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  22. Richard Kelly (15 December 2016). "House of Commons Research Paper: Statutory Instruments" . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  23. "What is a Statutory Instrument". Public Law Project. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  24. "About the Privy Council". Privy Council Office. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  25. "About the Privy Council Office". Privy Council Office. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  26. "Professional bodies". Privy Council Office. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  27. "Higher education". Privy Council Office. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  28. "Committees". Privy Council Office. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  29. "Channel Islands". Privy Council. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  30. "Universities". Privy Council. 1 January 2005. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  31. "No. 12750". The London Gazette . 9 May 1786. p. 201.
  32. "No. 23748". The London Gazette . 20 June 1871. p. 2847.
  33. "No. 32691". The London Gazette . 5 May 1922. p. 3512.
  34. "No. 15252". The Edinburgh Gazette . 4 February 1936. p. 134.
  35. "No. 39372". The London Gazette . 30 October 1951. p. 5663.
  36. "No. 43180". The London Gazette . 10 December 1963. p. 10099.

Sources