Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Last updated

United Kingdom
Secretary of State
for Work and Pensions
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government) (2022).svg
Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
Official portrait of Rt Hon Mel Stride MP.jpg
Incumbent
Mel Stride
since 25 October 2022
Department for Work and Pensions
Style Work and Pensions Secretary
(informal)
The Right Honourable
(within the UK and Commonwealth)
Type Minister of the Crown
Status Secretary of State
Member of
Reports to The Prime Minister
Seat Westminster
NominatorThe Prime Minister
Appointer The Monarch
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term length At His Majesty's Pleasure
Formation
  • 10 December 1916:
    (as Minister for Pensions)
  • 8 June 2001:
    (as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions)
First holder George Barnes
(as Minister for Pensions)
Deputy Minister of State for Employment
Salary£159,038 per annum (2022) [1]
(including £86,584 MP salary) [2]

The secretary of state for work and pensions, also referred to as the work and pensions secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the business of the Department for Work and Pensions. [3] The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.

Contents

The office holder works alongside the other Work and Pensions ministers. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for work and pensions and the shadow secretary of state for the future of work. The performance of the secretary of state is also scrutinised by the Work and Pensions Select Committee.

The office is currently held by Mel Stride.

Responsibilities

Corresponding to what is generally known as a labour minister in many other countries, the work and pensions secretary's remit includes:

History

It was created on 8 June 2001 by the merger of the Employment division of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security. [5]

The Ministry of Pensions was created in 1916 to handle the payment of war pensions to former members of the Armed Forces and their dependants. In 1944 a separate Ministry of National Insurance (titled the Ministry of Social Insurance until 17 November 1944) was formed; the two merged in 1953 as the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance. [5] In 1966 the Ministry was renamed the Ministry of Social Security, but this was short-lived, as the Ministry merged with the Ministry of Health in 1968 to form the Department of Health and Social Security. Confusingly, the Secretary of State responsible for this Department was titled the Secretary of State for Social Services. The Department was de-merged in 1988, creating the separate Department of Health and Department of Social Security.

List of ministers and secretaries of state

Colour key (for political parties):
   Labour /    Conservative /    Liberal /    National Labour /    National Independent

Minister of Pensions (1916–1953)

MinisterTerm of officePolitical partyPrime Minister
George Nicoll Barnes.png George Nicoll Barnes 10 December 191617 August 1917 Labour David Lloyd George
(Coalition)
John Hodge.JPG John Hodge 17 August 191710 January 1919Labour
Blank.png Laming Worthington-Evans 10 January 19192 April 1920 Conservative
Blank.png Ian Macpherson 2 April 192019 October 1922 Liberal
Blank.png George Tryon 31 October 192222 January 1924 Conservative Bonar Law
Stanley Baldwin
Blank.png Frederick Roberts 23 January 19243 November 1924 Labour Ramsay MacDonald
Blank.png George Tryon 11 November 19244 June 1929 Conservative Stanley Baldwin
Blank.png Frederick Roberts 7 June 192924 August 1931 Labour Ramsay MacDonald
Blank.png George Tryon 3 September 193118 June 1935 Conservative Ramsay MacDonald
(1st & 2nd National Min.)
Blank.png Robert Hudson 18 June 193530 July 1936Conservative Stanley Baldwin
(3rd National Min.)
Blank.png Herwald Ramsbotham 30 July 19367 June 1939Conservative
Neville Chamberlain
(4th Nat.Min.; War Coalition)
Blank.png Walter Womersley 7 June 193926 July 1945Conservative
Winston Churchill
(War Coalition; Caretaker Min.)
Blank.png Wilfred Paling 3 August 194517 April 1947 Labour Clement Attlee
Blank.png John Burns Hynd 17 April 19477 October 1947Labour
Blank.png George Buchanan 7 October 19472 July 1948Labour
Blank.png Hilary Marquand 2 July 194817 January 1951Labour
Blank.png George Isaacs 17 January 195126 October 1951Labour
Blank.png Derick Heathcoat-Amory 5 November 19513 September 1953 Conservative Winston Churchill

Minister of Social Insurance/National Insurance (1944–1953)

MinisterTerm of officePolitical partyPrime Minister
William Jowitt.png William Jowitt 8 October 194423 May 1945 Labour Winston Churchill
(War Coalition)
Blank.png Leslie Hore-Belisha 25 May 194526 July 1945 National Independent Winston Churchill
(Caretaker Min.)
Blank.png Jim Griffiths 4 August 194528 February 1950Labour Clement Attlee
Blank.png Edith Summerskill 28 February 195026 October 1951Labour
Blank.png Osbert Peake 31 October 19513 September 1953 Conservative Winston Churchill
Posts of Minister of Pensions and Minister of National Insurance merged in 1953.

Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1953–1966)

MinisterTerm of officePolitical partyPrime Minister
Blank.png Osbert Peake 3 September 195320 December 1955 Conservative Winston Churchill
Anthony Eden
Blank.png John Boyd-Carpenter 20 December 195516 July 1962Conservative
Harold Macmillan
Blank.png Niall Macpherson 16 July 196221 October 1963Conservative
Blank.png Richard Wood 21 October 196316 October 1964Conservative Alec Douglas-Home
Margaret Herbison 18 October 19646 August 1966 Labour Harold Wilson

Minister of Social Security (1966–1968)

MinisterTerm of officePolitical partyPrime Minister
Margaret Herbison 6 August 196626 July 1967 Labour Harold Wilson
Blank.png Judith Hart 26 July 19671 November 1968Labour

Secretary of State for Health and Social Services (1968–1988)

Secretary of StateTerm of officePolitical partyPrime Minister
Blank.png Richard Crossman 1 November 196819 June 1970 Labour Harold Wilson
Blank.png Keith Joseph 20 June 19704 March 1974 Conservative Edward Heath
Mme Barbara Castle, Ministre britannique du developpement outre-mer.jpg Barbara Castle 5 March 19748 April 1976Labour Harold Wilson
Blank.png David Ennals 8 April 19764 May 1979Labour James Callaghan
Blank.png Patrick Jenkin [6] 5 May 197913 September 1981Conservative Margaret Thatcher
Blank.png Norman Fowler [7] 14 September 198113 June 1987Conservative
Blank.png John Moore [8] 13 June 198724 July 1988Conservative
Post split into the Secretary of State for Social Security and the Secretary of State for Health in 1988.

Secretary of State for Social Security (1988–2001)

Secretary of StateTerm of officePolitical partyPrime Minister
Mr John Moore M.P. addressing the Annual LSE Society Dinner, 5th June, 1985.jpg John Moore [8] 25 July 198822 July 1989Conservative Margaret Thatcher
Tony Newton 1995.png Tony Newton [9] 23 July 19899 April 1992Conservative
John Major
Official portrait of Lord Lilley, 2022.jpg Peter Lilley [10] 10 April 19921 May 1997Conservative
Official portrait of Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP crop 2.jpg Harriet Harman [11] 1 May 199727 July 1998 Labour Tony Blair
AlistairDarlingABr cropped.jpg Alistair Darling [12] 27 July 19988 June 2001Labour

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2001–present)

Secretary of StateTerm of officePolitical partyPrime Minister
AlistairDarlingABr cropped.jpg Alistair Darling [12] 8 June 200129 May 2002 Labour Tony Blair
Andrew Smith MP 20050127.jpg Andrew Smith [13] 29 May 20028 September 2004Labour
Alan Johnson MP.jpg Alan Johnson [14] 8 September 20046 May 2005Labour
Official Portrait of Lord Blunkett crop 1.jpg David Blunkett [15] 6 May 20052 November 2005Labour
Msc 2009-Sunday, 11.00 - 12.30 Uhr-Zwez 005 Hutton detail.jpg John Hutton [16] 2 November 200528 June 2007Labour
Official portrait of Lord Hain crop 2, 2019.jpg Peter Hain [17] 28 June 200724 January 2008Labour Gordon Brown
James Purnell Ministerial portrait.jpg James Purnell [18]
MP for Stalybridge and Hyde 		24 January 20085 June 2009Labour
Official portrait of Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP crop 2.jpg Yvette Cooper [19]
MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford 		6 June 20096 May 2010Labour
Official portrait of Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP crop 2.jpg Iain Duncan Smith [20]
MP for Chingford and Woodford Green 		12 May 201018 March 2016 Conservative David Cameron
(Coalition)
Duncan Smith's tenure David Cameron
(II)
Official portrait of Rt Hon Stephen Crabb MP crop 2.jpg Stephen Crabb [21]
MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire 		19 March 201614 July 2016Conservative
Official portrait of Rt Hon Damian Green MP crop 2.jpg Damian Green [22]
MP for Ashford 		14 July 201611 June 2017Conservative Theresa May
(I)
Official portrait of Mr David Gauke crop 2.jpg David Gauke [23]
MP for South West Hertfordshire 		11 June 2017 8 January 2018 Conservative Theresa May
(II)
Official portrait of Esther McVey crop 2.jpg Esther McVey [24]
MP for Tatton 		8 January 2018 15 November 2018 Conservative
Official portrait of Amber Rudd crop 2.jpg Amber Rudd [25]
MP for Hastings and Rye 		16 November 2018 7 September 2019 Conservative
Boris Johnson
(I)
Official portrait of Dr Therese Coffey crop 2.jpg Thérèse Coffey [26]
MP for Coastal Suffolk 		8 September 2019 6 September 2022Conservative
Boris Johnson
(II)
Official portrait of Chloe Smith MP crop 2.jpg Chloe Smith [27]
MP for Norwich North 		6 September 202225 October 2022Conservative Liz Truss
(I)
Official portrait of Rt Hon Mel Stride MP crop 2.jpg Mel Stride
MP for Central Devon 		25 October 2022IncumbentConservative Rishi Sunak
(I)

* Incumbent's length of term last updated: 13 April 2024.

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. ↑ "Secretary of State for Work and Pensions". gov.uk . Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  4. ↑ "Secretary of State for Work and Pensions - GOV.UK".
  5. 1 2 Department for Work and Pensions. "A century of support: Department for Work and Pensions turns 100 years old". Department for Work and Pensions. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  6. ↑ "Lord Jenkin of Roding". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  7. ↑ "Lord Fowler". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Lord Moore of Lower Marsh". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  9. ↑ "Lord Newton of Braintree". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  10. ↑ "Lord Lilley". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  11. ↑ "Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  12. 1 2 "Lord Darling of Roulanish". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  13. ↑ "Rt Hon Andrew Smith". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  14. ↑ "Rt Hon Alan Johnson". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  15. ↑ "Lord Blunkett". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  16. ↑ "Lord Hutton of Furness". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  17. ↑ "Lord Hain". UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  18. ↑ "James Purnell". UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  19. ↑ "Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  20. ↑ "Rt Hon Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  21. ↑ "Rt Hon Stephen Crabb MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  22. ↑ "Rt Hon Damian Green MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  23. ↑ "Rt Hon David Gauke". UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  24. ↑ "Rt Hon Esther McVey MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  25. ↑ "Rt Hon Amber Rudd". UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  26. ↑ "Rt Hon Dr Thérèse Coffey MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  27. ↑ "Chloe Smith MP" . Retrieved 6 September 2022.
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