This article lists successive British governments, also referred to as ministries, from the creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707, continuing through the duration of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1801 to 1922, and since then dealing with those of the present-day United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Guide to the list
"Ministry" refers collectively to all the ministers of a government, including Cabinet members and junior ministers alike. Only the Civil Service is considered outside of the ministry. While the term was in common parlance in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it has become rarer, except in official and academic uses. Both Australia and Canada have inherited the term and continue to use it. It is perhaps in more common use in those countries, which both have official catalogues of their respective ministries, whereas Britain has no such catalogue.
Articles listed by ministry contain information on the term(s) of one prime minister. Articles listed by political party contain information on the ministries of multiple consecutive prime ministers of the same political party. Prior to the 20th century, the leader of the British government held the title of First Lord of the Treasury, and not that of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Therefore, the list below refers to the "Head of Government" and not the "Prime Minister". Even so, the leader of a government was often colloquially referred to as the "prime minister", beginning in the 18th century. Since 1902, prime ministers have always held the office of First Lord of the Treasury.
Ministries
Colour key
Start date Government Event Head Governing party Monarch Godolphin–Marlborough ministry Acts of Union Tory Whig Anne General election 1710 Dismissal colspan=2 Harley ministry General election Tory General election 1714 Accession George I Townshend ministry Whig General election First Stanhope–Sunderland ministry rowspan=2 Second Stanhope–Sunderland ministry 1721 Death colspan=2 Walpole–Townshend ministry General election 1727 Accession George II General election Walpole ministry Townshend resigns General election General election 1742 No confidence colspan=2 Carteret ministry rowspan=2 1743 Death colspan=2 rowspan=2 First Broad Bottom ministry 1746 Dismissal colspan=2 Second Broad Bottom ministry General election 1754 Death colspan=2 First Newcastle ministry General election 1756 Resignation colspan=2 Pitt–Devonshire ministry 1757 1757 caretaker ministry Pitt dismissed Whig (caretaker) Pitt–Newcastle ministry Whig Accession George III 1761 General election Pitt resigns Bute–Newcastle coalition Tory Whig Dismissal colspan=2 Bute ministry 1763 Resignation colspan=2 Grenville ministry 1765 Dismissal colspan=2 First Rockingham ministry rowspan=2 Rockingham Whig Chatham ministry Tory 1768 General election Grafton ministry rowspan=2 North ministry Tory Whig General election Tory General election 1782 No confidence Second Rockingham ministry Rockingham Whig Death colspan=2 Shelburne ministry Tory 1783 Resignation colspan=2 Fox–North coalition Whig Dismissal colspan=2 First Pitt ministry Tory (minority) 1784 No confidence General election Tory General election General election Tory Whig 1801 Resignation colspan=2 Addington ministry Tory General election Second Pitt ministry Tory 1806 Death colspan=2 Ministry of All the Talents Whig Tory General election 1807 Second Portland ministry Tory (minority) General election Tory Perceval ministry 1812 Assassination colspan=2 Liverpool ministry General election General election 1820 Accession George IV General election General election 1827 Resignation colspan=2 Canning ministry Whig Death colspan=2 Goderich ministry 1828 Resignation colspan=2 Wellington–Peel ministry Tory 1830 Accession William IV General election Tory (minority) No confidence colspan=2 Grey ministry Whig (minority) General election Whig General election 1834 Resignation colspan=2 First Melbourne ministry Dismissal colspan=2 Wellington caretaker ministry Tory (caretaker) Resignation colspan=2 First Peel ministry Conservative (minority) 1835 General election No confidence colspan=2 Second Melbourne ministry Whig 1837 Accession Victoria General election 1841 No confidence General election No confidence Second Peel ministry Conservative 1846 No confidence colspan=2 First Russell ministry Whig (minority) General election 1851 No confidence 1852 No confidence colspan=2 Who? Who? ministry Conservative (minority) General election Conservative No confidence colspan=2 Aberdeen ministry Coalition (minority) 1855 No confidence colspan=2 First Palmerston ministry Whig (minority) 1857 No confidence General election Whig 1858 No confidence colspan=2 Second Derby–Disraeli ministry Conservative (minority) 1859 General election No confidence colspan=2 Second Palmerston ministry Liberal 1865 General election Death colspan=2 Second Russell ministry 1866 No confidence colspan=2 Third Derby–Disraeli ministry Conservative (minority) 1868 Resignation colspan=2 Resignation colspan=2 First Gladstone ministry General election Liberal 1873 No confidence 1874 Resignation colspan=2 Second Disraeli ministry General election Conservative 1880 Resignation colspan=2 Second Gladstone ministry General election Liberal 1885 No confidence colspan=2 First Salisbury ministry Conservative (minority) General election Conservative (caretaker) 1886 No confidence colspan=2 Third Gladstone ministry Liberal (minority) No confidence colspan=2 Second Salisbury ministry General election Conservative (minority) 1892 General election Conservative (caretaker) No confidence colspan=2 Fourth Gladstone ministry Liberal (minority) 1894 Resignation colspan=2 Rosebery ministry 1895 No confidence colspan=2 Third Salisbury ministry Conservative (minority) General election Conservative Fourth Salisbury ministry General election Accession Edward VII 1902 Resignation colspan=2 Balfour ministry 1905 Resignation colspan=2 Campbell-Bannerman ministry Liberal (minority) General election Liberal First Asquith ministry 1910 Second Asquith ministry General election Liberal (minority) Accession George V Third Asquith ministry General election Asquith coalition ministry Coalition 1916 Resignation colspan=2 Lloyd George war ministry Second Lloyd George ministry General election 1922 Carlton Club meeting colspan=2 Law ministry Conservative General election 1923 Resignation colspan=2 First Baldwin ministry General election Conservative (caretaker) 1924 No confidence First MacDonald ministry Labour (minority) No confidence Second Baldwin ministry General election Conservative 1929 General election Conservative (caretaker) Resignation colspan=2 Second MacDonald ministry Lib–Lab pact Labour (minority) 1931 First National Government National Second National Government General election Third National Government General election 1936 Accession Edward VIII Abdication Accession George VI Fourth National Government rowspan=2 Chamberlain war ministry Churchill war ministry Norway Debate Coalition 1945 Churchill caretaker ministry Coalition resigns Coalition (caretaker) First Attlee ministry General election Labour Second Attlee ministry General election Third Churchill ministry General election Conservative Accession Elizabeth II 1955 Resignation colspan=2 Eden ministry General election First Macmillan ministry Second Macmillan ministry General election 1963 Resignation colspan=2 Douglas-Home ministry First Wilson ministry General election Labour Second Wilson ministry General election Heath ministry General election Conservative 1974 General election Conservative (caretaker) Third Wilson ministry Labour (minority) Fourth Wilson ministry General election Labour Callaghan ministry Leadership election Lib–Lab pact Labour (minority) 1979 No confidence First Thatcher ministry General election Conservative Second Thatcher ministry General election Third Thatcher ministry General election First Major ministry Leadership election Second Major ministry General election By-election Conservative (minority) First Blair ministry General election Labour Second Blair ministry General election Third Blair ministry General election Brown ministry Leadership election 2010 General election Labour (caretaker) Cameron–Clegg coalition Formation Conservative Second Cameron ministry General election Conservative First May ministry Leadership election 2017 General election Conservative (caretaker) Second May ministry DUP agreement Conservative (minority) 2019 First Johnson ministry Leadership election Second Johnson ministry General election Conservative 2022 Truss ministry Leadership election Accession Charles III Sunak ministry Leadership election Starmer ministry General election Labour Burnham ministryLeadership election
See also
List of English ministries, for ministries of the Kingdom of England List of Scottish governments, for ministries of the modern Scottish Government List of Northern Ireland Executives, for ministries of the Northern Ireland Executive List of Welsh Governments, for ministries of the modern Welsh Government List of British shadow cabinets, for a list of shadow cabinets
Notes
Citations
References
Further reading