The leader of the House of Commons is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom whose main role is organising government business in the House of Commons. The Leader is always a member or attendee of the cabinet of the United Kingdom.
The House of Commons devotes approximately three-quarters of its time to debating and explaining government business, such as bills introduced by the government and ministerial statements. The Leader of the House of Commons, with the parties' chief whips ("the usual channels"), is responsible for organising government business and providing time for non-government (backbench) business to be put before the House of Commons.
The position of leader of the House of Commons is currently held by Alan Campbell, who was appointed on 5 September 2025 by Keir Starmer as a part of the cabinet reshuffle following the resignation of Angela Rayner from government.
Responsibilities The current responsibilities of the Leader of the House of Commons are as follows:
Planning and supervising the Government's Legislative Programme; Chairing the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Business and Legislation; Managing the business of the House of Commons and preparing weekly statements on upcoming business; Facilitating motions and debate in the Chamber; Serving as the Government's representative in the House, namely as a voting member of the House of Commons Commission, the Public Accounts Commission, the Members Estimate Committee, and the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority; Reforming parliamentary procedure and operations; Representing the House of Commons within Government, be it contributing to the Civil Service's efforts to build parliamentary capability or receiving MPs' requests for assistance on ministerial correspondence and questions; and Ministerial responsibility for the Privy Council Office.
The Osmotherly Rules, which set out guidance on how civil servants should respond to parliamentary select committees, are jointly updated by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons and the Cabinet Office.
History
The title was not established until about the middle of the 19th century, although the institution is much older.
Until 1942, the title was usually held by the prime minister if he sat in the House of Commons; however, in more recent years, the title has been held by a separate politician.
The title holder is not formally appointed by the Crown and the title alone does not attract a salary, so is now usually held in addition to a sinecure, currently Lord President of the Council.
List of Leaders of the House of Commons (1721–present) Leader Term of office Other ministerial offices held as Leader Party Ministry Robert Walpole 1721 1742 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer Whig Walpole–Townshend Walpole Samuel Sandys 1742 1743 Chancellor of the Exchequer Carteret Henry Pelham 1743 1754† Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer Broad Bottom Thomas Robinson 1754 1755 Secretary of State for the Southern Department Newcastle I Henry Fox 1755 1756 William Pitt 'the Elder' 1756 1757 Pitt–Devonshire Vacant 1757 1757 1757 Caretaker William Pitt 'the Elder' 1757 1761 Secretary of State for the Southern Department Whig Pitt–Newcastle George Grenville 1761 1762 Treasurer of the Navy Henry Fox 1762 1763 Paymaster of the Forces Bute George Grenville 1763 1765 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer Grenville Henry Seymour Conway 1765 1768 Secretary of State for the Southern Department Secretary of State for the Northern Department Rockingham I Chatham Frederick NorthLord North 1768 1782 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer Tory Grafton North Charles James Fox 1782 1782 Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Whig Rockingham II Thomas Townshend 1782 1783 Secretary of State for the Home Department Shelburne Charles James Fox 1783 1783 Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Fox–North Frederick NorthLord North Secretary of State for the Home Department Tory William Pitt 'the Younger' 1783 1801 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer Pitt I Henry Addington 1801 1804 Addington William Pitt 'the Younger' 1804 1806† Pitt II Charles James Fox 1806 1806† Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Whig All the Talents Charles GreyViscount Howick 1806 1807 Spencer Perceval 1807 1812† Chancellor of the Exchequer Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Tory Portland II Perceval Robert StewartViscount Castlereagh 1812 1822† Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Liverpool George Canning 1822 1827† Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer Canning William Huskisson 1827 1828 Secretary of State for War and the Colonies Goderich Robert Peel 1828 1830 Secretary of State for the Home Department Wellington–Peel John SpencerViscount Althorp 1830 1834 Chancellor of the Exchequer Whig Grey Melbourne I Vacant 1834 1834 Wellington Caretaker Robert Peel 1834 1835 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer Conservative Peel I Lord John Russell 1835 1841 Secretary of State for the Home Department Secretary of State for War and the Colonies Whig Melbourne II Robert Peel 1841 1846 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Conservative Peel II Lord John Russell 1846 1852 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Whig Russell I Benjamin Disraeli 1852 1852 Chancellor of the Exchequer Conservative Who? Who? Lord John Russell 1852 1855 Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Minister without Portfolio Lord President of the Council Whig Aberdeen Henry John TempleThe Viscount Palmerston 1855 1858 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Palmerston I Benjamin Disraeli 1858 1859 Chancellor of the Exchequer Conservative Derby–Disraeli II Henry John TempleThe Viscount Palmerston 1859 1865† Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Liberal Palmerston II William Ewart Gladstone 1865 1866 Chancellor of the Exchequer Russell II Benjamin Disraeli 1866 1868 Chancellor of the Exchequer Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Conservative Derby–Disraeli III William Ewart Gladstone 1868 1874 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer Liberal Gladstone I Benjamin Disraeli 1874 1876 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Conservative Disraeli II Stafford Northcote 1876 1880 Chancellor of the Exchequer William Ewart Gladstone 1880 1885 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer Liberal Gladstone II Michael Hicks-Beach 1885 1886 Chancellor of the Exchequer Conservative Salisbury I William Ewart Gladstone 1886 1886 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Lord Privy Seal Liberal Gladstone III Lord Randolph Churchill 1886 1887 Chancellor of the Exchequer Conservative Salisbury II W. H. Smith 1887 1891 First Lord of the Treasury Arthur Balfour 1891 1892 William Ewart Gladstone 1892 1894 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Lord Privy Seal Liberal Gladstone IV William Harcourt 1894 1895 Chancellor of the Exchequer Rosebery Arthur BalfourDavid Butler and Gareth Butler, British Political Facts 1900–1994 (7th edn, Macmillan 1994) 65. 1895 1905 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Lord Privy Seal Conservative Salisbury Balfour Henry Campbell-Bannerman 1905 1908 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Liberal Campbell-Bannerman H. H. Asquith 1908 1916 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Secretary of State for War Asquith Asquith Coalition Bonar Law 1916 1921 Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Privy Seal Conservative Lloyd George Austen Chamberlain 1921 1922 Lord Privy Seal Bonar Law 1922 1923 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Law Stanley Baldwin 1923 1924 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer Baldwin I Ramsay MacDonald 1924 1924 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Labour MacDonald I Stanley Baldwin 1924 1929 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Conservative Baldwin II Ramsay MacDonald 1929 1935 Labour MacDonald II National Labour National I National II Stanley Baldwin 1935 1937 Conservative National III Neville Chamberlain 1937 1940 National IV Chamberlain War Winston Churchill 1940 1942 Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Minister of Defence Churchill War Stafford Cripps 1942 1942 Lord Privy Seal Independent Anthony Eden 1942 1945 Foreign Secretary Conservative Churchill Caretaker Herbert Morrison 1945 1951Deputy Prime Minister Lord President of the Council Labour Attlee James Chuter Ede 1951 1951 Secretary of State for the Home Department Harry Crookshank 1951 1955 Minister of Health Lord Privy Seal ConservativeChurchill IIIEden Rab Butler 1955 1961 Lord Privy Seal Secretary of State for the Home Department Macmillan Iain Macleod 1961 1963 Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Selwyn Lloyd 1963 1964 Lord Privy SealDouglas-Home Herbert Bowden 1964 1966 Lord President of the Council Labour Wilson Richard Crossman 1966 1968 Fred Peart 1968 1970 William Whitelaw 1970 1972 Conservative Heath Robert Carr 1972 1972 Jim Prior 1972 1974 Edward Short 1974 1976 LabourWilson Michael Foot 1976 1979Callaghan Norman St John-Stevas 1979 1981 Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Minister for the Arts Conservative Thatcher I Francis Pym 1981 1982 Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Lord President of the Council John Biffen 1982 1987 Lord President of the Council Lord Privy Seal Thatcher II John Wakeham 1987 1989 Lord Privy Seal Lord President of the Council Thatcher III Geoffrey Howe 1989 1990 Lord President of the Council Deputy Prime Minister John MacGregor 1990 1992 Lord President of the CouncilMajor I Tony Newton 1992 1997Major II Ann Taylor 1997 1998 Labour Blair I Margaret Beckett 1998 2001 Robin Cook 2001 2003 Blair II John Reid 2003 2003 Peter Hain 2003 2005 Lord Privy Seal Secretary of State for Wales Geoff Hoon 2005 2006 Lord Privy Seal Blair III Jack Straw 2006 2007 Harriet Harman 2007 2010 Lord Privy Seal Minister for Women and EqualityBrown George Young 2010 2012 Lord Privy Seal Conservative Cameron–Clegg Andrew Lansley 2012 2014 William Hague 2014 2015 First Secretary of State Chris Grayling 9 May2015 14 July2016 Lord President of the CouncilCameron II David Lidington 14 July2016 11 June2017May I Andrea Leadsom 11 June2017 22 May2019May II Mel Stride 23 May2019 24 July 2019 Jacob Rees-Mogg 24 July2019 8 February2022Johnson IJohnson II Mark Spencer 8 February2022 6 September2022 Penny Mordaunt 6 September2022 5 July2024TrussSunak Lucy Powell 5 July2024 5 September2025 LabourStarmer Alan Campbell5 September2025IncumbentBurnham
Timeline
Deputy Leader of the House of Commons From 1922, when the prime minister was also Leader of the House of Commons, day-to-day duties were frequently carried out by a Deputy Leader of the House of Commons. At other times, a Deputy Leader of the House of Commons was appointed merely to enhance an individual politician's standing within the government.
The title has been in use since 1942, but was not used from the 2019 dissolution of the Second May ministry to 2022, when it was revived by Boris Johnson. This was shortlived, however, as it was abolished by Liz Truss after she became Prime Minister a few months later.
List of Deputy Leaders of the House of Commons