The minister for sport and civil society was a junior minister in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for sport and Civil Society in England. In 2020, the role merged with that of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Arts, Heritage and Tourism to become Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth.
The post covered sport as well as tourism and heritage. The sports minister has at various times previously reported to the Department for Education and Science (1964–1969), Ministry of Housing and Local Government (1969–1970), Department of the Environment (1970–1990), Department for Education and Science (1990–1992), Department of National Heritage (1992–1997) and Department for Culture, Media and Sport (1997–present).
Sport is a devolved matter in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland resting with the corresponding ministers in the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, although when the Northern Ireland Assembly was suspended, responsibility went to the Northern Ireland Office.
Under Margaret Thatcher the office was known as Under-Secretary of State for Sport.
Current responsibilities Sport Gambling Horse racing Office for Civil Society The National Lottery and society lotteries Cross-government work on loneliness
Ministers for Sport Name PortraitTerm of office Political partyPrime MinisterParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport Denis Howell 20 October 1964 13 October 1969 Labour WilsonMinister of State for Sport Denis Howell 13 October 1969 24 June 1970 Labour WilsonParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport Eldon Griffiths 24 June 1970 4 March 1974 Conservative HeathMinister of State for SportDenis Howell7 March 19743 May 1979Labour Wilson CallaghanParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport Hector Monro 4 May 1979 13 September 1981Conservative Thatcher INeil Macfarlane14 September 19812 September 1985 Thatcher I Thatcher II Richard Tracey 7 September 1985 13 June 1987 Thatcher II Colin Moynihan 22 June 1987 26 July 1990 Thatcher IIIRobert Atkins26 July 199014 April 1992 Thatcher III Major I Robert Key 14 April 1992 26 May 1993Major II Iain Sproat 26 May 1993 1 May 1997 Tony Banks 2 May 1997 20 October 1999LabourBlair I Kate Hoey 20 October 1999 7 June 2001Minister of State for Sport Richard Caborn 11 June 2001 17 June 2005 Labour Blair IIMinister of State for Sport and Tourism Richard Caborn 17 June 2005 28 June 2007 Labour Blair IIIParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport Gerry Sutcliffe 29 June 2007 6 May 2010 Labour BrownParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport and the Olympics Hugh Robertson 14 May 2010 6 September 2012 Conservative Cameron IMinister of State for Sport and Olympic Legacy Tourism Hugh Robertson 6 September 2012 7 October 2013 Conservative Cameron IMinister of State for Sport and Tourism Helen Grant 7 October 2013 12 May 2015 Conservative Cameron IParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Heritage, and TourismTracey Crouch12 May 201515 June 2017Conservative Cameron II May IParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Civil Society and Loneliness Tracey Crouch 15 June 2017 1 November 2018 ConservativeMay II Mims Davies 5 November 2018 25 July 2019 ConservativeMinister of State for Sport, Media and Creative IndustriesNigel Adams24 July 201913 February 2020Conservative Johnson I Johnson IIParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Civil Society Nigel Huddleston 13 February 2020 7 September 2022 Conservative Johnson IIParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Arts and Ceremonials Stuart Andrew 20 September 2022 27 October 2022 Conservative TrussParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism and Civil Society Stuart Andrew 27 October 2022 7 February 2023 Conservative SunakParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Gambling and Civil Society Stuart Andrew 7 February 2023 5 July 2024 Conservative SunakParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Media, Civil Society and YouthStephanie Peacock9 July 202411 September 2025LabourStarmerParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and YouthStephanie Peacock11 September 2025IncumbentLabourStarmer
References
Past Ministers for Sport (PDF), Department for Culture, Media and Sport