In April 1955, following the resignation of Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, then-Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, was invited to form government as he took over as Leader of the Conservative Party.
Eden then shortly asked Queen Elizabeth II to dissolve Parliament and call a general election for 26 May. Winning a majority of 60 seats, he would later resign the office on 10 January 1957.
History
Formation In April 1955, Sir Anthony Eden succeeded Sir Winston Churchill as Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and finally reached the post he had coveted for so long. The original composition of Eden's cabinet was remarkable for the fact that ten out of the original eighteen members were Old Etonians: Eden, Salisbury, Crookshank, Macmillan, Home, Stuart, Thorneycroft, Heathcoat Amory, Sandys and Peake were all educated at Eton College.
He initially retained Rab Butler, with whom he did not get along, as Chancellor of the Exchequer. At the first cabinet reshuffle in December 1955, Eden demoted him to Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons. Eden was succeeded as foreign secretary by future prime minister Harold Macmillan, who, however, only held this post until December of the same year, when he replaced Butler as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Selwyn Lloyd gained his first cabinet post when he succeeded Macmillan as minister of defence in April 1955, and again replaced Macmillan as foreign secretary in December of that year. Another future prime minister, Alec Douglas-Home, entered the cabinet as Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations in 1955. Gwilym Lloyd George, younger son of former Liberal leader David Lloyd George, remained as home secretary.
Fate Eden's decision to take military action over the Suez Crisis of 1956 caused major embarrassment for Britain and their French allies. Eden, then already in declining health, resigned as prime minister and Leader of the Conservative Party in January 1957. Harold Macmillan was chosen over Rab Butler to succeed as party leader and prime minister.
Cabinet + Eden CabinetPortfolioMinister TermCabinet ministersPrime MinisterFirst Lord of the TreasurySir Anthony Eden1955–57Lord High Chancellor of Great BritainDavid Maxwell Fyfe, 1st Viscount Kilmuir1955–57Leader of the House of LordsLord President of the CouncilRobert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury1955–57Leader of the House of CommonsLord Keeper of the Privy SealHarry CrookshankApr–Dec 1955R. A. ButlerDec 1955–57Chancellor of the ExchequerSecond Lord of the Treasury R. A. ButlerApr–Dec 1955Harold Macmillan Dec 1955–57Secretary of State for Foreign AffairsHarold MacmillanApr–Dec 1955Selwyn Lloyd Dec 1955–57Secretary of State for the Home DepartmentGwilym Lloyd George1955–57Secretary of State for the ColoniesAlan Lennox-Boyd1955–57Secretary of State for Commonwealth RelationsAlec Douglas-Home, 14th Earl of Home1955–57President of the Board of TradePeter Thorneycroft1955–57Secretary of State for AirWilliam Sidney, 6th Baron de L'Isle and DudleyApr–Dec 1955Nigel Birch Dec 1955–57Chancellor of the Duchy of LancasterFrederick Marquis, 1st Viscount WooltonApr–Dec 1955George Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of SelkirkDec 1955–57Minister of EducationSir David Eccles1955–57Secretary of State for ScotlandJames Stuart1955–57Minister of AgricultureDerick Heathcoat-Amory1955–57Minister of Labour and National ServiceSir Walter Turner MoncktonApr–Dec 1955Ian MacleodDec 1955–57Minister of DefenceSelwyn LloydApr–Dec 1955Sir Walter Turner MoncktonDec 1955–56Antony Henry HeadOct 1956–57Minister of Housing and Local GovernmentDuncan Sandys1955–57Minister of Pensions and National InsuranceOsbert PeakeApr–Dec 1955Minister of WorksPatrick Buchan-HepburnDec 1955–57HM Paymaster GeneralSir Walter Turner MoncktonOct 1956–57
Changes 20 December 1955 reshuffle Rab Butler succeeded Harry Crookshank as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons. Harold Macmillan succeeded Butler as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Selwyn Lloyd succeeded Macmillan as Foreign Secretary. Sir Walter Monckton succeeded Lloyd as Minister of Defence. Iain Macleod succeeded Monckton as Minister of Labour and National Service. Lord Selkirk succeeds Lord Woolton as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Minister of Works, Patrick Buchan-Hepburn, entered the cabinet Osbert Peake retired and his successor as Minister of Pensions and National Insurance was not in the cabinet.
19 October 1956 In October 1956, Sir Walter Monckton became Paymaster General, a post which had been vacant since Lord Selkirk's promotion to Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Antony Henry Head succeeded Monckton as Minister of Defence.
List of ministers Members of the Cabinet are in bold face.