| United Kingdom Minister for the Union | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Seat | Westminster, London |
| Appointer | Monarch |
| Term length | At His Majesty's pleasure |
| Inaugural holder | Boris Johnson |
| Formation | 26 July 2019 |
| Deputy | Minister for Intergovernmental Relations |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Politics of the United Kingdom |
|---|
 |
 United Kingdomportal |
The Minister for the Union is a position in the United Kingdom which is held concurrently with the post of Prime Minister.
The position was created by Boris Johnson during his first ministry, [1] [2] [3] to be held concurrently with the duties of prime minister. [lower-alpha 1] Johnson proposed the position during the 2019 Conservative Party leadership campaign. [6] He was the first prime minister to adopt the title, [7] and the post was retained by Johnson in his second ministry, [4] [5] and under the premierships of Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak.
On 4 September 2019, the Government announced £10 million in funding to support the Prime Minister's work as Minister for the Union. [8]
Since September 2020, the stated responsibilities of the position have been: "As Minister for the Union, the Prime Minister works to ensure that all of government is acting on behalf of the entire United Kingdom: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales." [9] Before that point, the government website did not show any responsibilities associated with the position. [9] [10]
| # | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | Party | Cabinet | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Boris Johnson | 26 July 2019 | 6 September 2022 | 3 years and 43 days | Conservative | Johnson I | [3] [7] | |
| Johnson II | |||||||||
| 2 |  | Liz Truss | 6 September 2022 | 25 October 2022 | 50 days | Conservative | Truss | [11] | |
| 3 |  | Rishi Sunak | 25 October 2022 | 5 July 2024 | 1 year and 255 days | Conservative | Sunak | ||
| 4 |  | Keir Starmer | 5 July 2024 | Incumbent | 70 days | Labour | Starmer | ||
A spokesperson for Johnson stated that the office was intended to emphasise his commitment to strengthening the bond between the countries of the United Kingdom. [3] In July 2019, the title was described as a "cynical rebranding" by Kirsty Blackman, deputy leader of the Scottish National Party in the House of Commons from 2017 to 2020, who advocates Scottish independence. [7] During the COVID-19 pandemic in July 2020, Mark Drakeford, the First Minister of Wales and leader of Welsh Labour, drew attention to Johnson's lack of contact with the Welsh Government, saying: "If you are minister for the union, speaking to the component parts of the union seems to me a sensible way of discharging those responsibilities." [12]
Robert Hazell has suggested merging the offices of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales into one Secretary of State for the Union, [13] in a department into which Rodney Brazier has suggested adding a Minister of State for England with responsibility for English local government. [14]
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the senior decision-making body of the Government of the United Kingdom. A committee of the Privy Council, it is chaired by the Prime Minister and its members include Secretaries of State and senior Ministers of State. 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.
A parliamentary private secretary (PPS) is a member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom who acts as an unpaid assistant to a government minister or a shadow minister. They are selected from backbench MPs as the "eyes and ears" of the minister in the House of Commons.
Gregory William Hands is a British politician who served as Minister for London and Minister of State for Trade Policy from November 2023 to July 2024. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chelsea and Fulham, previously Hammersmith and Fulham, from 2005 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as its Chairman from February to November 2023. Hands has served as Minister of State for Trade Policy under four prime ministers, holding the office on four occasions, and also served as Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth from 2021 to 2022.
The Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories, is a ministerial position within the Government of the United Kingdom, in charge of affairs with Europe. 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.
Damian Patrick George Hinds is a British Conservative Party 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.
David George Hamilton Frost, Baron Frost is a former British diplomat, civil servant and politician who served as a Minister of State at the Cabinet Office between March and December 2021. Frost was Chief Negotiator of Task Force Europe from January 2020 until his resignation in December 2021.
Simon Anthony Hart is a British Conservative politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire from 2010 to 2024. He served as the Chief Whip of the House of Commons and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury from October 2022 to July 2024. He previously served as Secretary of State for Wales in the Johnson government from 2019 to 2022.
Wendy Morton is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aldridge-Brownhills since 2015. She served as Chief Whip of the House of Commons and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury from September to October 2022.
Major James Stephen Heappey is a British politician and former soldier who served as Minister of State for the Armed Forces from 2020 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wells in Somerset from 2015 to 2024.
Sir Oliver James Dowden, is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hertsmere since 2015. He has served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster since July 2024. He served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Secretary of State in the Cabinet Office from 2023 to 2024 and as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 2022 to 2024.
Kevin John Foster is a British Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Torbay from 2015 to 2024. He served as Minister of State for Transport from September 2022 until October 2022. Foster served under Home Secretary Priti Patel as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safe and Legal Migration from 2019 until September 2022.
Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke Badenoch is a British politician who has served as Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government since 2024 and was Secretary of State for Business and Trade from 2023 to 2024. She was also President of the Board of Trade and Minister for Women and Equalities from 2022 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, she has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North West Essex, previously Saffron Walden, since 2017.
In the United Kingdom, intergovernmental relations are the coordination and engagement between the central UK Government and the devolved Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive. The Prime Minister and Heads of Devolved Governments Council is where the heads of these administrations meet.
Julia Louise Lopez is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hornchurch and Upminster since 2017. She has served as Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport since July 2024.
The first Johnson ministry began on 24 July 2019 when Queen Elizabeth II invited Boris Johnson to form a government, following the resignation of the predecessor Prime Minister Theresa May. May had resigned as Leader of the Conservative Party on 7 June 2019; Johnson was elected as her successor on 23 July 2019. The Johnson ministry was formed from the 57th Parliament of the United Kingdom, as a Conservative minority government. It lost its working majority on 3 September 2019 when Tory MP Phillip Lee crossed the floor to the Liberal Democrats. An election was called for 12 December 2019, which led to the formation of a Conservative majority government, the second Johnson ministry.
The second Johnson ministry began on 16 December 2019, three days after Boris Johnson's audience with Queen Elizabeth II where she invited him to form a government following the 2019 general election. The Conservative Party was returned to power with a majority of 80 seats in the House of Commons. Initially the ministers were largely identical to those at the end of the first Johnson ministry, but changed significantly in cabinet reshuffles in February 2020 and September 2021.
Boris Johnson carried out the first significant reshuffle of his majority government on 13 February 2020. Following the December 2019 general election, there was considerable speculation that Johnson was planning a major reshuffle of the Cabinet, to take place after the United Kingdom's official withdrawal from the European Union on 31 January 2020. There were reports that up to a third of the Cabinet would be dismissed, Whitehall departments abolished and civil servants replaced by policy experts; however, the reshuffle was smaller than expected and no departments were abolished. The anticipated reshuffle was nicknamed "The St Valentine's Day Massacre" in the press, due to its proximity to St Valentine's Day, the name being a reference to the 1929 gangland shooting in Chicago.
The July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election was triggered by Boris Johnson's announcement on 7 July 2022 that he would resign as Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, following a series of political controversies.
| Buildings |   | |
|---|---|---|
| Residence | ||
| Prime Minister's Office | ||
| Miscellaneous | ||
