| United Kingdom Minister for the Union | |
|---|---|
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| 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 |
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 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 subsequent prime ministers.
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 | 89 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]
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