His Majesty's principal secretaries of state, or secretaries of state, are senior ministers of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. Secretaries of state head most major government departments and make up the majority of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.
Legal position
In legislation, the term "Secretary of State" is interpreted by the Interpretation Act 1978 as referring to any one of the secretaries of state in use; in practice, such secretaries of state are each allocated a portfolio by the prime minister, and only exercise the powers in that portfolio. Additionally, the Ministers of the Crown Act 1975 provides that anything done by a secretary of state on behalf of a named secretary of state as a corporation sole shall have effect as if done by the named secretary of state. For example, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has been appointed to manage national parks, but could theoretically exercise the powers of, for example, the secretary of state for Scotland at any time.
Under the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975, a maximum of 21 secretaries of state can receive a salary.
Secretaries of state and other government ministers are appointed by the monarch exercising royal prerogative on the advice of the government.The Governance of Britain By convention, secretaries of state must be a member of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords, but the prime minister can advise the monarch to confer a peerage to satisfy this requirement.
Most secretaries of state are incorporated as a "corporation sole". This gives the minister a separate legal personality, allowing continuity in areas such as the ownership of property between office-holder changes.
History Kingdom of England
The origin of the office lies in the office of the king's private secretary. However, by the Tudor period, the office's purview had become more onerous.
In 1539 or 1540, Henry VIII appointed two people to the office. After the Stuart Restoration, the practice of appointing two secretaries of state resumed. A formal division, in the form of the offices of the secretary of state for the Northern Department and the secretary of state for the Southern Department, was made in 1689, though the office had been first divided into the Northern and Southern Department purviews in 1660.
After the Union In 1782, the responsibilities of these offices were changed, so that one would be responsible for foreign affairs and one for domestic affairs, thus establishing the embryonic offices of foreign secretary and home secretary. Over time, the number of secretaries of states grew, so that there were five in 1900 and 14 by 1996. There are currently 17 secretaries of state.
Secretaries of state currently in use
+Secretaries of state currently in useOfficeCreatedCreated fromDissolvedDissolved intoRef(s)Secretary of State for the Home Department27 March 1782Secretary of State for Scotland1 May 17073 January 174626 July 1928Secretary of State for Wales18 October 1964Minister of Welsh Affairs (Home Office)Secretary of State for Defence1 April 1964Secretary of State for Northern Ireland27 March 1972Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972.Secretary of State for Transport10 September 1976Secretary of State for the Environment4 May 19795 January 19812 May 1997Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions29 May 2002Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the RegionsSecretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs8 June 2001Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the RegionsSecretary of State for Education10 April 1992Secretary of State for Education and Science5 July 1995Secretary of State for Education and Employment12 May 2010Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport22 July 1997Secretary of State for National Heritage11 May 2010Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport4 September 2012Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport3 July 2017Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport 7 February 2023Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary of State for Work and Pensions8 June 2001Secretary of State for Social SecurityFirst Secretary of State1962 2002 Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the RegionsSecretary of State for Justice9 May 2007Secretary of State for Constitutional AffairsSecretary of State for Health and Social Care8 January 2018Secretary of State for HealthSecretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs2 September 2020Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government8 January 2018Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government19 September 2021Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities5 July 2024Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and CommunitiesSecretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero7 February 2023Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial StrategySecretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade20 July 2026Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and TechnologySecretary of State for Business and Trade
Secretaries of state no longer in use
+Secretaries of state no longer in useOfficeCreatedCreated fromDissolvedDissolved intoRef(s)Secretary of State for the Northern Department1689Secretary of State1782Secretary of State for the Southern DepartmentSecretary of State for the Colonies17681782Secretary of State for the Home Department1854Secretary of State for War and the Colonies1966Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs17821968Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth AffairsSecretary of State for War17941801Secretary of State for War and the Colonies1854Secretary of State for War and the Colonies1964Secretary of State for DefenceSecretary of State for War and the Colonies18011854Secretary of State for India1858President of the Board of Control1937Secretary of State for India and BurmaSecretary of State for Air19191964Secretary of State for DefenceSecretary of State for the Dominions1925Secretary of State for India and Burma1937Secretary of State for India1947Secretary of State for BurmaSecretary of State for Burma1947Secretary of State for India and Burma1948Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations19471966Secretary of State for Commonwealth AffairsSecretary of State for the Co-Ordination of Transport, Fuel and Power19511953Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs1966Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations1968Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development AffairsSecretary of State for Economic Affairs19641969Secretary of State for Education and Science1964Minister of EducationMinister for Science1992Secretary of State for EducationSecretary of State for Employment and Productivity19681970Secretary of State for EmploymentSecretary of State for Social Services19681988Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs1968Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs2020Secretary of State for Local Government and Regional Planning19691970Secretary of State for Employment19701995Secretary of State for Education and EmploymentSecretary of State for the Environment19701997Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the RegionsSecretary of State for Trade and Industry1970197419832007Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory ReformSecretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection19741979Secretary of State for Trade Secretary of State for Social Security19882001Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Secretary of State for International Development19972020Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development AffairsSecretary of State for Constitutional Affairs20032007Secretary of State for JusticeSecretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform2007Secretary of State for Trade and Industry2009Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union20162020Secretary of State in the Cabinet Office20232024Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities2021Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government2024Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentSecretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology7 February 20232026Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and TradeSecretary of State for Business and Trade7 February 2023
Health, education, work, business, energy, environment, transport and the regions
The secretaries of state that have been used for the matters of health, education, work, business, energy, environment, transport and the regions are shown in the graphic below. It shows how portfolios of responsibilities have been broadly passed down from one secretary of state position to the position(s) directly below it. However, it is impossible for such a graphic to be completely accurate; it cannot show smaller changes, or gains or losses of responsibilities within a position due to changes of responsibilities for the UK Government (for example, due to devolution or Brexit). It is not to scale. In the gaps, and before the first of these secretaries of state, relevant responsibilities were taken on by ministers not titled 'Secretary of State'.