Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister

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Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Prime Minister
Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (2022, lesser arms).svg
Royal Arms as used by His Majesty's Government
Official portrait of Abena Oppong-Asare MP crop 2, 2024.jpg
since 10 September 2025
Prime Minister's Office
Appointer Prime Minister
Formation1906
First holder Hubert Carr-Gomm
Website 10 Downing Street

The parliamentary private secretary to the prime minister is a parliamentary private secretary serving the prime minister of the United Kingdom. The holder of the office is widely viewed as the prime minister's "eyes and ears" on the backbenches, serving as a liaison to the prime minister's parliamentary party. [1] [2] The parliamentary private secretary is also responsible for meeting with members of Parliament when the prime minister is unavailable, and accompanying the prime minister to, and assisting them with preparations for Prime Minister's Questions. [2] [3] They usually sit directly behind the prime minister during question time.

Contents

Role

The parliamentary private secretary can become a highly powerful and significant role; Bonar Law's parliamentary private secretary, J.C.C. Davidson, acted in effect as his chief of staff. [3] Margaret Thatcher's downfall from the Conservative Party leadership in 1990 is attributed by many [4] [5] [6] to the actions of her parliamentary private secretary, Peter Morrison, in failing to accurately count votes amongst Conservative backbenchers. Some parliamentary private secretaries to the prime minister go on to hold higher office; Alec Douglas-Home served as parliamentary private secretary under Neville Chamberlain and later went on to serve as prime minister in his own right. [7]

There can be multiple parliamentary private secretaries to the prime minister at a given time. Many prime ministers have used this tactic during their premierships; former prime minister David Cameron only employed one parliamentary private secretary at a time during his tenure in office, but he appointed Sir John Hayes as a minister without portfolio with responsibility for the Parliamentary Conservative Party, a job typically reserved for the parliamentary private secretary. [8] [9]

Parliamentary private secretaries to the prime minister (1906–present)

The following table lists parliamentary private secretaries to successive prime ministers from 1906. [10]

NamePortraitTerm of officePolitical partyPrime Minister
Hubert Carr-Gomm 1919 Hubert Carr-Gomm.jpg 19061908 Liberal Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Geoffrey Howard Geoffrey Howard 1906 transparent.png 19081909 Liberal H. H. Asquith
(I)
Charles Henry Lyell Charles Henry Lyell in military uniform.jpg 19081915 Liberal
H. H. Asquith
(Coalition)
Sir John Barran, 2nd Baronet John Barran.jpg 19161918 Liberal David Lloyd George
(Coalition)
David Davies David Davies MP.jpg 19161918 Liberal
William Sutherland 1920 William Sutherland.jpg 1916[ dubious – discuss ]1918 Liberal
Waldorf Astor Viscount Astor.jpg 1918 Conservative
William Sutherland 1920 William Sutherland.jpg 19191920 Liberal
Sir Philip Sassoon, Bt Sir Philip Sassoon.jpg 19201922 Conservative
J.C.C. Davidson Viscount Davidson.jpg 19221923 Conservative Bonar Law
Sidney Herbert 19231924 Conservative Stanley Baldwin
Lauchlin MacNeill Weir 1924 Labour Ramsay MacDonald
Sidney Herbert 19241927 Conservative Stanley Baldwin
Charles Rhys 19271929 Conservative
Lauchlin MacNeill Weir 19291931 Labour Ramsay MacDonald
(II)
Robert Morrison Lord Morrisson.jpg 19291931 Labour
Frank Markham Frank Marcam.jpg 19311932 National Labour Ramsay MacDonald
(First National ministry · Second National ministry)
Ralph Glyn 19311935 Conservative
John Vigers Worthington 19311935 National Labour
Geoffrey Lloyd 1935 Conservative Stanley Baldwin
Thomas Dugdale Thomas Dugdale, 1st Baron Crathorne.jpg 19351937 Conservative
Alec Douglas-Home Alec Douglas-Home.jpg 19371940 Conservative Neville Chamberlain
Brendan Bracken Brendan Bracken 1947.jpg 19401941 Conservative Winston Churchill
George Harvie-Watt 19411945 Conservative
Geoffrey de Freitas Geoffrey de Freitas (1966).jpg 19451946 Labour Clement Attlee
Arthur Moyle 19461951 Labour
Christopher Soames Christopher Soames (cropped).jpg 19521955 Conservative Winston Churchill
Robert Carr Robert Carr2.jpg April 1955December 1955 Conservative Anthony Eden
Robert Allan 19551956 Conservative
Anthony Barber 19571959 Conservative Harold Macmillan
Knox Cunningham 19591963 Ulster Unionist
Francis Pearson November 1963October 1964 Conservative Alec Douglas-Home
Ernest Fernyhough 19641967 Labour Harold Wilson
Peter Shore 19651966 Labour
Harold Davies January 1967June 1970 Labour
Eric Varley November 1968October 1969 Labour
Timothy Kitson 19701974 Conservative Edward Heath
Bill Hamling 19741975 Labour Harold Wilson
Kenneth Marks April 1975December 1975 Labour
John Tomlinson 19751976 Labour Co-op
Jack Cunningham 19761977 Labour James Callaghan
Roger Stott 19771979 Labour
Ian Gow 19791983 Conservative Margaret Thatcher
Michael Alison 19831987 Conservative
Archie Hamilton Official portrait of Lord Hamilton of Epsom crop 2.jpg 19871988 Conservative
Mark Lennox-Boyd 19881990 Conservative
Peter Morrison 19901990 Conservative
Graham Bright Sir Graham Bright ISA Congress 2011.jpg 19901994 Conservative John Major
John Devereux Ward 19942 May 1997 Conservative
Ann Coffey Ann Coffey Official Portrait.jpg 2 May 19971998 Labour Tony Blair
Bruce Grocott Lord Grocott Official Portrait.jpg 2 May 19978 June 2001 Labour
David Hanson Official portrait of David Hanson crop 2.jpg 8 June 20016 May 2005 Labour
Keith Hill Keith Hill MP (cropped).jpg 6 May 200527 June 2007 Labour
Ian Austin Ian Austin Official Portrait.jpg 27 June 20074 October 2008 Labour Gordon Brown
Angela Smith Official portrait of Baroness Smith of Basildon crop 2.jpg 27 June 200728 June 2009 Labour
Jon Trickett Official portrait of Jon Trickett crop 2.jpg 4 October 200812 May 2010 Labour
Anne Snelgrove Anne snelgrove 2012.jpg 8 June 200912 May 2010 Labour
Desmond Swayne Official portrait of Sir Desmond Swayne crop 2.jpg 12 May 20104 September 2012 Conservative David Cameron
(Coalition)
Sam Gyimah Official portrait of Mr Sam Gyimah crop 2.jpg 4 September 20127 October 2013 Conservative
Gavin Williamson Official portrait of Rt Hon Gavin Williamson MP crop 2.jpg 7 October 201313 July 2016 Conservative
David Cameron
(II)
George Hollingbery Official portrait of George Hollingbery crop 2.jpg 17 July 201621 June 2018 Conservative Theresa May
Seema Kennedy Seema Kennedy MP.jpg 27 June 20174 April 2019 Conservative
Andrew Bowie Official portrait of Andrew Bowie MP crop 2.jpg 29 December 201824 July 2019 Conservative
Alex Burghart Official portrait of Alex Burghart crop 2.jpg 25 July 201917 September 2021 Conservative Boris Johnson
James Heappey Official portrait of James Heappey MP crop 2.jpg 4 August 201916 December 2019 Conservative
Trudy Harrison Official portrait of Trudy Harrison MP crop 2.jpg 16 December 201917 September 2021 Conservative
Andrew Griffith Official portrait of Andrew Griffith MP crop 2.jpg 17 September 20213 February 2022 Conservative
Sarah Dines Official portrait of Miss Sarah Dines MP crop 2.jpg 17 September 20218 July 2022 Conservative
Joy Morrissey [11] Official portrait of Joy Morrissey MP crop 2.jpg 8 February 20228 July 2022 Conservative
Lia Nici [12] Official portrait of Lia Nici MP crop 2.jpg 8 February 20228 July 2022 Conservative
James Duddridge [13] Official portrait of James Duddridge MP crop 2.jpg 8 February 20228 July 2022 Conservative
Alexander Stafford [14] Official portrait of Alexander Stafford MP crop 2.jpg 8 July 20226 September 2022 Conservative
Suzanne Webb Official portrait of Suzanne Webb MP crop 2.jpg 6 September 202225 October 2022 Conservative Liz Truss
Craig Williams Official portrait of Craig Williams MP crop 2.jpg 25 October 202225 June 2024 Conservative Rishi Sunak
Chris Ward Official portrait of Chris Ward MP crop 2.jpg 17 July 20246 September 2025 Labour Keir Starmer
Liz Twist Official portrait of Liz Twist crop 2.jpg 17 July 20247 September 2025
Abena Oppong-Asare Official portrait of Abena Oppong-Asare MP crop 2, 2024.jpg 11 September 2025Incumbent

The final instalment of Michael Dobbs's and the BBC's House of Cards trilogy, The Final Cut , includes a character, Claire Carlsen, who serves as Prime Minister Francis Urquhart's parliamentary private secretary, ultimately betraying him by attempting to leak documents about his service in the British Army.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Shell, Donald (1995). Churchill to Major: The British Prime Ministership Since 1945. C. Hurst & Co. ISBN   9781563246357 . Retrieved 21 October 2013.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. 1 2 Barnett, Hilare (2002). Constitutional & Administrative Law. Cavendish Publishing Ltd. p. 322. ISBN   9781843144755.
  3. 1 2 Kavanagh, Dennis (2013). The Powers Behind the Prime Minister: The Hidden Influence of Number Ten. HarperCollins UK. ISBN   9780007392636.
  4. ↑ Cosgrave, Patrick (15 July 1995). "Obituary: Sir Peter Morrison" . The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  5. ↑ Hoggart, Simon (16 October 2013). "Margaret Thatcher: Power and Personality by Jonathan Aitken – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  6. ↑ Clark, Alan (1993). Diary. 354: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  7. ↑ "PIL: Parliamentary Private Secretaries to Prime Ministers 1906 – present – Commons Library Standard Note" . Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  8. ↑ Kirkup, James (28 March 2013). "John Hayes goes to No 10. Is David Cameron admitting to fear of his own party?". London: The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  9. ↑ Sparrow, Andrew (28 March 2013). "Cameron moves John Hayes in mini reshuffle: Politics live blog". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  10. ↑ Priddy, Sarah (20 March 2021). "Parliamentary Private Secretaries to Prime Ministers since 1906". Research Briefings. House of Commons Library.
  11. ↑ "Joy Morrissey 'honoured' to be appointed Boris Johnson's Parliamentary Private Secretary". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  12. ↑ "Lia Nici appointed Boris' PPS after hailing him 'best' in generations". GrimsbyLive. 8 February 2022. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  13. ↑ "James appointed PPS to the Prime Minister". James Duddridge. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  14. ↑ "Alex Stafford PPS to the Prime Minister".
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