Minister without portfolio (United Kingdom)

Last updated
United Kingdom
Minister without Portfolio
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government) (2022).svg
Royal Arms as used by His Majesty's Government
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
Flag of the United Kingdom
Official portrait of Mr Richard Holden MP 2020.jpg
Incumbent
Richard Holden
since 13 November 2023
Cabinet Office
Style The Right Honourable
Reports to The Prime Minister
Nominator The Prime Minister
AppointerThe British Monarch
on the advice of the Prime Minister
Term length No fixed term
Salary£159,038 per annum (2022) [1]
(including £86,584 MP salary) [2]
Website GOV.UK

In the United Kingdom, the minister without portfolio is often a cabinet position, and is sometimes used to enable the chairman of the governing party, contemporarily either the chairman of the Conservative Party or the chair of the Labour Party to attend cabinet meetings (if so, they hold the title of "Party chairman"). The sinecure positions of Lord Privy Seal, Paymaster General, and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which have few responsibilities and have a higher rank in the order of precedence than minister without portfolio can also be used to similar effect. The office is currently held by Richard Holden.

Contents

The corresponding shadow minister is the Shadow Minister without Portfolio.

List of office holders

18th century

19th century

MinisterConcurrent office(s)TenurePolitical partyPrime Minister
3rd Duke of Portland crop.jpg William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland January 1805 –
February 1806		 Whig William Pitt the Younger
2ndEarlFitzwilliam.jpg William Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam October 1806 –
March 1807		 William Grenville
(Ministry of All the Talents)
3rd Duke of Portland crop.jpg William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland 4 –
30 October 1809		Tory Spencer Perceval
1stEarlOfHarrowby.jpg Dudley Ryder, 1st Earl of Harrowby November 1809 –
June 1812		Tory (Pittite)
1stMarquessCamden.JPG John Pratt, 2nd Earl Camden (created 1st Marquess Camden, August 1812)8 April – December 1812Tory
Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool
Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave by Sir William Beechey.jpg Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave January 1819 –
May 1820
Lord Henry Petty.jpg Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne April – July 1827Whig George Canning
4th-Duke-of-Portland.gif William Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland July – September 1827Tory (Canningite)
George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle.jpg George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle 22 November 1830 –
5 June 1834		Whig Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
Sir Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.png Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington 3 September 1841 –
July 1846		 Conservative Robert Peel
Lord Henry Petty.jpg Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne 28 December 1852 –
21 February 1858		Whig George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen
(until February 1855)
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
Lord John Russell.jpg Lord John Russell February 1853 –
June 1854		George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen
Spencer Horatio Walpole.JPG Spencer Horatio Walpole May 1867 –
February 1868		Conservative Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
St Aldwyn Michael Edward Hicks-Beach (1st Earl).jpg Michael Hicks Beach 7 March 1887 –
20 February 1888		 Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury

20th century (first half)

MinisterConcurrent office(s)TenurePolitical partyPrime Minister
Marquess of Lansdowne crop.jpg Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne 25 May 1915 –
December 1916		 Liberal Unionist H. H. Asquith
(Coalition)
1910 Arthur Henderson.jpg Arthur Henderson Member of the War Cabinet10 December 1916 –
12 August 1917		 Labour David Lloyd George
(Coalition)
Lord Milner.jpg Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner 10 December 1916 –
18 April 1918		 Conservative
Jan Smuts 1947.jpg Jan Smuts 22 June 1917 –
10 January 1919		 South African Party
Sir Edward Carson, bw photo portrait seated.jpg Edward Carson 17 July 1917 –
21 January 1918		Ulster Unionist Party (Irish Unionist)
George Nicoll Barnes in 1916.jpg George Barnes Member of the War Cabinet (until October 1919)13 August 1917 –
27 January 1920		Labour
Austen Chamberlain MP.jpg Austen Chamberlain Member of the War Cabinet18 April 1918 –
10 January 1919		Conservative
Sir Eric Campbell-Geddes in 1917.jpg Eric Campbell Geddes 10 January –
31 October 1919
Worthington-Evans MP.jpg Laming Worthington-Evans Member of the War Cabinet (until October 1919)10 January 1919 –
13 February 1921
Christopher Addison, 1st Viscount Addison.jpg Christopher Addison 1 April –
14 July 1921		 Liberal
Anthony Eden (retouched).jpg Anthony Eden Minister for League of Nations affairs7 June –
22 December 1935		Conservative Stanley Baldwin
(Coalition)
Portrait of Lord Eustace Percy.jpg Eustace Percy 7 June 1935 –
31 March 1936
Leslie burgin.jpg Leslie Burgin Minister of Supply-designate21 April –
14 July 1939		 National Liberal Party Neville Chamberlain
(Coalition)
Lord Hankey.jpg Maurice Hankey Member of the War CabinetSeptember 1939 –
10 May 1940		no partyNeville Chamberlain
(Coalition)
Arthur Greenwood.jpg Arthur Greenwood 11 May 1940 –
22 February 1942		Labour Winston Churchill
(Coalition)
William Jowitt.png William Jowitt 30 December 1942 –
8 October 1944

20th century (second half)

MinisterConcurrent office(s)TenurePolitical partyPrime Minister
Albert-Victor-Alexander-Earl-Alexander-of-Hillsborough.jpg A. V. Alexander 4 October –
20 December 1946		 Labour Co-operative Clement Attlee
Arthur Greenwood.jpg Arthur Greenwood 17 April –
29 September 1947		 Labour
Geoffrey FitzClarence, 5th Earl of Munster 18 October 1954 –
1957		 Conservative Winston Churchill
Anthony Eden
Blank.png Stormont Mancroft, 2nd Baron Mancroft 11 June 1957 –
1958		 Harold Macmillan
Lord Dundee.jpg Henry Scrymgeour-Wedderburn, 11th Earl of Dundee 23 October 1958 –
1961		 Unionist
Blank.png Percy Mills, 1st Baron Mills Deputy Leader of the House of Lords 9 October 1961 –
13 July 1962 		Conservative
Bill Deedes 13 July 1962 –
16 October 1964
Alec Douglas-Home
Peter Carington 1984.jpg Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington Leader of the House of Lords20 October 1963 –
16 October 1964
Blank.png Eric Fletcher 19 October 1964 –
6 April 1966		Labour Harold Wilson
Blank.png Arthur Champion, Baron Champion Deputy Leader of the House of Lords21 October 1964 –
7 January 1967
Blank.png Douglas Houghton 6 April 1966 –
7 January 1967
Blank.png Edward Shackleton, Baron Shackleton Deputy Leader of the House of Lords7 January 1967 –
16 January 1968
Patrick Gordon Walker.jpg Patrick Gordon Walker 7 January –
21 August 1967
Thomson Saragat 1970 cropped.png George Thomson 17 October 1968 –
6 October 1969
Blank.png Peter Shore 6 October 1969 –
19 June 1970
Blank.png Niall Macpherson, 1st Baron Drumalbyn 15 October 1970 –
1974		Unionist Edward Heath
Blank.png Morys Bruce, 4th Baron Aberdare 8 January – March 1974Conservative
Lord young of Graffham.jpg David Young, Baron Young of Graffham advising on unemployment11 September 1984 –
3 September 1985		 Margaret Thatcher
Blank.png Jeremy Hanley Chairman of the Conservative Party 20 July 1994 –
5 July 1995		 John Major
Blank.png Brian Mawhinney 5 July 1995 –
2 May 1997
Peter Mandelson, September 2008.jpg Peter Mandelson [3] called the "Dome Secretary" [4] 5 May 1997 –
26 July 1998		Labour Tony Blair

21st century

MinisterConcurrent office(s)Term of officePolitical partyPrime Minister
CharlesClarke2014.jpg Charles Clarke [5] Labour Party Chair 8 June 200124 October 2002Labour Tony Blair
Official portrait of Lord Reid of Cardowan, 2020.jpg John Reid [6] 24 October 20024 April 2003
Minister of State for Trade, UK, Mr. Ian McCartney, in New Delhi on November 27, 2006 (cropped).jpg Ian McCartney [7] 4 April 2003 5 May 2006
Official photograph of Hazel Blears MP (cropped).jpg Hazel Blears [8] 5 May 2006 28 June 2007
no appointment28 June 200712 May 2010 Gordon Brown
Official portrait of Baroness Warsi crop 2.jpg Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi [9] [10] Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party 12 May 2010 6 September 2012 Conservative David Cameron
(Coalition)
Official portrait of Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP crop 2.jpg Grant Shapps [11] 6 September 2012 8 May 2015
Official portrait of Mr Kenneth Clarke crop 2.jpg Kenneth Clarke [12] Trade envoy 6 September 2012 14 July 2014
Official portrait of Mr John Hayes crop 2.jpg John Hayes [13] Senior Parliamentary Adviser to the Prime Minister (Cabinet Office)28 March 2013 15 July 2014
Official portrait of Robert Halfon crop 2.jpg Robert Halfon [14] Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party8 May 201517 July 2016 David Cameron
no appointment17 July 2016 8 January 2018 Theresa May
Official portrait of Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP crop 2.jpg Brandon Lewis [15] Chairman of the Conservative Party 8 January 2018 24 July 2019
Official portrait of Rt Hon James Cleverly MP crop 2.jpg James Cleverly [16] 24 July 2019 13 February 2020 Boris Johnson
Official portrait of Amanda Milling MP crop 2.jpg Amanda Milling [17] 13 February 2020 15 September 2021
Official portrait of Rt Hon Oliver Dowden MP crop 2.jpg Oliver Dowden [18] 15 September 2021 24 June 2022
no appointment24 June 20227 July 2022
Official portrait of Andrew Stephenson MP crop 2.jpg Andrew Stephenson Chairman of the Conservative Party 7 July 20226 September 2022
Official portrait of Rt Hon Jake Berry MP crop 2.jpg Sir Jake Berry 6 September 202225 October 2022 Liz Truss
Nadhim Zahawi Official Cabinet Portrait, September 2021 (cropped).jpg Nadhim Zahawi 25 October 2022 29 January 2023 Rishi Sunak
Official portrait of Greg Hands crop 2.jpg Greg Hands 7 February 2023 13 November 2023
Official portrait of Mr Richard Holden MP 2020 crop 2.jpg Richard Holden 13 November 2023 Incumbent

See also

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References

  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. ↑ "Lord Mandelson". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  4. ↑ "Mandelson and Heseltine defend Dome". BBC News. 28 January 1998. Retrieved 28 July 2021. The Minister without Portfolio, Peter Mandelson, has told MPs the Millennium Dome is "on time and on budget" as he faced Conservative criticisms of "secrecy and arrogance" in the House of Commons. The so-called 'Dome Secretary' was joined by Michael Heseltine in a robust defence of the project...
  5. ↑ "Rt Hon Charles Clarke". UK Parliament. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  6. ↑ "Lord Reid of Cardowan". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  7. ↑ "Sir Ian McCartney". UK Parliament. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  8. ↑ "Rt Hon Hazel Blears". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  9. ↑ "Baroness Warsi". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  10. ↑ "Ministers Reflect - Minister Baroness Warsi". Institute for Government. 24 April 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2021. Sayeeda Warsi looks back on her time in the Coalition Government, starting with figuring out what exactly was a Minister without Portfolio.
  11. ↑ "Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  12. ↑ "Lord Clarke of Nottingham". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  13. ↑ "Rt Hon John Hayes MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  14. ↑ "Rt Hon Robert Halfon MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  15. ↑ "Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  16. ↑ "Rt Hon James Cleverly MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  17. ↑ "Rt Hon Amanda Milling MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  18. ↑ "Rt Hon Oliver Dowdon MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
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