Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security

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United Kingdom
Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security
Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (2022, lesser arms).svg
Official portrait of Douglas Alexander MP, 2024.jpg
since 6 July 2024
Department for Business and Trade
Style Minister
Nominator Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
AppointerThe Monarch
on advice of the Prime Minister
Formation3 September 1953
First holder Derick Heathcoat-Amory
Website www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state--172

The Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security, [1] formerly Minister of State for Trade Policy and Minister of State for Trade, is a mid-level role at the Department for Business and Trade in the Government of the United Kingdom. It is currently held by Douglas Alexander, who took the office on 6 July 2024. From 2016 to February 2023, the role was based in the Department for International Trade.

Contents

History

Although a Minister of State position, it was considered to be one of the most important jobs outside Cabinet rank as when Douglas Alexander became Minister of State for Trade in September 2004, he was given a special provision to attend the Cabinet meetings.

The subsequent role of Minister of State for Investment was created in 2021.

The minister formerly worked at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Department for International Trade.

List of ministers

MinisterEntered officeLeft officePolitical partyPrime Minister

Minister of State for Trade

Derick Heathcoat-Amory cropped.png Derick Heathcoat-Amory 3 September 195318 October 1954 Conservative Winston Churchill
Blank.svg Derek Walker-Smith 18 October 19546 April 1955 Conservative
Derick Heathcoat-Amory cropped.png Derick Heathcoat-Amory 6 April 195516 January 1957 Conservative Anthony Eden
Blank.svg Derek Walker-Smith 16 January 195717 September 1957 Conservative Harold Macmillan
Blank.svg John Vaughan-Morgan 17 September 195722 October 1959 Conservative
Frederick Erroll, 1st Baron Erroll of Hale.jpg Frederick Erroll 22 October 19599 October 1961 Conservative
Blank.svg Keith Joseph 9 October 196116 July 1962 Conservative
Blank.svg Alan Green 16 July 196223 October 1963 Conservative
Blank.svg The Lord Derwent 6 September 196223 October 1963 Conservative
Blank.svg The Lord Drumalbyn 23 October 196316 October 1964 Conservative Alec Douglas-Home
Blank.svg Edward du Cann 23 October 196316 October 1964 Conservative
Blank.svg George Darling 20 October 19646 April 1968 Labour Harold Wilson
Blank.svg Edward Redhead 20 October 196411 October 1965 Labour
Blank.svg Roy Mason 20 October 19647 January 1967 Labour
Blank.svg The Lord Brown 11 October 196519 June 1970 Labour
Blank.svg Joseph Mallalieu 7 January 19671 July 1968 Labour
Dell, Edmund cropped, Bestanddeelnr 930-1791.jpg Edmund Dell 6 April 196813 October 1969 Labour
Official portrait of Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank crop 2.jpg William Rodgers 1 July 196813 October 1969 Labour
Goronwy Roberts.jpg Goronwy Roberts 13 October 196919 June 1970 Labour
Blank.svg Frederick Corfield 24 June 197015 October 1970 Conservative Edward Heath
Blank.svg Michael Noble 15 October 19705 November 1972 Conservative
Geoffrey Howe (1985).jpg Geoffrey Howe [a] 5 November 19724 March 1974 Conservative

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade

Blank.svg Eric Deakins 4 March 19745 April 1976 Labour Harold Wilson
Stanley Clinton-Davis (1985).jpg Stanley Clinton-Davis 4 March 19744 May 1979 Labour
Michael Meacher official portrait.jpg Michael Meacher 5 April 19764 May 1979 Labour James Callaghan

Minister of State for Trade

Blank.svg Cecil Parkinson 7 May 197914 September 1981 Conservative Margaret Thatcher
Blank.svg Peter Rees 14 September 19819 June 1983 Conservative
Blank.svg Paul Channon 9 June 198324 January 1986 Conservative
Alan Clark 1993.jpg Alan Clark 24 January 198625 July 1989 Conservative
Official portrait of Lord Trefgarne 2020 crop 2.jpg The Lord Trefgarne 25 July 198923 July 1990 Conservative
Blank.svg Tim Sainsbury 23 July 199014 April 1992 Conservative John Major
Richard Needham, 1989 (cropped).jpg Richard Needham 14 April 19926 July 1995 Conservative
Blank.svg Anthony Nelson 6 July 19952 May 1997 Conservative
Stanley Clinton-Davis (1985).jpg The Lord Clinton-Davis 2 May 199728 July 1998 Labour Tony Blair
Blank.svg Brian Wilson 28 July 199828 July 1999 Labour
Richard Caborn.jpg Richard Caborn 28 July 199911 June 2001 Labour
Official portrait of Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean crop 2.jpg The Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean 11 June 200113 June 2003 Labour
Mike O'Brien 2.jpg Mike O'Brien 13 June 20039 September 2004 Labour
Douglas Alexander at the India Economic Summit 2008.jpg Douglas Alexander 9 September 200411 May 2005 Labour
Ianperason.jpg Ian Pearson 11 May 2005 8 May 2006 Labour
Minister of State for Trade, UK, Mr. Ian McCartney, in New Delhi on November 27, 2006 (cropped).jpg Ian McCartney [b] 8 May 2006 28 June 2007 Labour
Lord Jones 2.jpg The Lord Jones of Birmingham 29 June 20073 October 2008 Independent [c] Gordon Brown
Official portrait of Gareth Thomas crop 2.jpg Gareth Thomas [d] 3 October 20085 June 2009 Labour

Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Business

Davies lord Mervyn.jpg The Lord Davies of Abersoch 14 January 200911 May 2010 Labour Gordon Brown

Minister of State for Business and Enterprise

Official portrait of Mr Mark Prisk crop 2.jpg Mark Prisk [e] 11 May 201011 January 2011 Conservative David Cameron

Minister of State for Trade and Investment

Official portrait of Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint crop 2.jpg The Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint 11 January 201111 December 2013 Conservative David Cameron
Official portrait of Lord Livingston of Parkhead crop 2.jpg The Lord Livingston of Parkhead 11 December 201311 May 2015 Conservative
Official portrait of Lord Maude of Horsham crop 2, 2024.jpg The Lord Maude of Horsham 11 May 201510 February 2016 Conservative David Cameron
Lordprice.jpg The Lord Price [f] 4 April 20163 September 2017 Conservative Theresa May

Minister of State for Trade

Official portrait of Baroness Fairhead crop 2, 2021.jpg The Baroness Fairhead 28 September 20177 May 2019 Conservative Theresa May

Minister of State for Trade Policy

Official portrait of Greg Hands crop 2.jpg Greg Hands 15 July 201621 June 2018 Conservative Theresa May
Official portrait of George Hollingbery crop 2.jpg George Hollingbery 21 June 201825 July 2019 Conservative
Official portrait of Conor Burns crop 2.jpg Conor Burns 25 July 20194 May 2020 Conservative Boris Johnson
Official portrait of Greg Hands crop 2.jpg Greg Hands 13 February 202015 September 2021 Conservative
Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt.jpg Penny Mordaunt 16 September 2021 6 September 2022 Conservative
Official portrait of Rt Hon Conor Burns MP crop 2.jpg Conor Burns 7 September 20227 October 2022 Conservative Liz Truss
Official portrait of Greg Hands crop 2.jpg Greg Hands 9 October 2022 7 February 2023 Conservative
Rishi Sunak
Vacant 7 February 2023 13 November 2023
Official portrait of Greg Hands crop 2.jpg Greg Hands 13 November 2023 5 July 2024 Conservative

Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security

Official portrait of Douglas Alexander MP crop 2, 2024.jpg Douglas Alexander 6 July 2024Present Labour Keir Starmer

Minister of State for Investment

Minister of StateEntered officeLeft officePolitical partyPrime Minister
Lord Grimstone (cropped).jpg The Lord Grimstone of Boscobel 18 March 20207 July 2022 Conservative Boris Johnson
Dominic R.A. Johnson.jpg The Lord Johnson of Lainston 2 October 202228 October 2022 Conservative Liz Truss
24 November 20225 July 2024 Conservative Rishi Sunak
Poppy Gustafsson 10 October 2024Incumbent Labour Keir Starmer

Notes

  1. Attended Cabinet.
  2. Attended Cabinet.
  3. Jones sat on the Labour benches in the House of Lords, but never joined the party.
  4. Thomas apparently continued as a Trade Minister after the appointment of Davies. BERR described him simply as Minister for Trade, rather than Minister for Trade and Investment, as he was prior to Davies' appointment. [2]
  5. He handled UK Trade & Investment until Green entered the government.
  6. Joyce Anelay, Baroness Anelay of St John's was given Maude's responsibilities on an interim basis until Price took up the role in March 2016. [3]

References

  1. "Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  2. BERR - Ministerial Team Archived 2008-12-23 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Ministerial appointment: Mark Ian Price" . Retrieved 10 February 2016.