List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom by experience

This article lists which other significant offices have been held by the prime ministers before and after they have come to power as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The positions and amount of experience a prime minister has acquired has changed over the years, with modern prime ministers having gained experience through leading the opposition, while earlier prime ministers would be more likely to have held roles within the government. Usually a prime minister does not hold high office again after leaving the role. However, there are some cases where individuals have gone on to hold senior roles in future administrations.

Prime ministers

Robert Walpole Secretaries at war 1708-1710 Treasurer of the Navy 1710-1711 Paymaster of the Forces 1714-1715 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1715-1717 Paymaster of the Forces 1720-1721 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1721-1742 Prime Minister 1721-1742

Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington Paymaster of Pensions 1707-1713 Speaker of the House of Commons 1715-1727 Paymaster of the Forces 1722-1730 Lord President of the Council 1730-1742 Prime Minister 1742-1743

Henry Pelham Secretaries at war 1724-1730 Paymaster of the Forces 1730-1743 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1743-1754 Prime Minister 1743-1754

Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle Lord Chamberlain 1717-1724 Secretary of State for the Southern Department 1724-1748 Secretary of State for the Northern Department 1748-1754 Prime Minister 1754-1756 Prime Minister 1757-1762 Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1765-1766

William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire Master of the Horse 1751-1755 Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1755-1757 Prime Minister 1756-1757 Lord Chamberlain 1757-1762

John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute Secretary of State for the Northern Department 1761-1762 Leader of the House of Lords 1762-1763 Prime Minister 1762-1763

George Grenville Treasurer of the Navy 1754-1756 Treasurer of the Navy 1756-1762 Secretary of State for the Northern Department 1962 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1763-1765 Prime Minister 1763-1765

Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham Lord of the Bedchamber 1751-1760 Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire 1751-1763 Lord of the Bedchamber 1760-1762 Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire 1765-1782 Prime Minister 1765-1766 Leader of the House of Lords 1765-1766 Prime Minister 1782 Leader of the House of Lords 1782

William Pitt the Elder Paymaster of the Forces 1746-1755 Leader of the House of Commons 1756-1757 Secretary of State for the Southern Department 1756-1757 Leader of the House of Commons 1757-1761 Secretary of State for the Southern Department 1757-1761 Prime Minister 1766-1768

Augustus Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton Secretary of State for the Northern Department 1765-1766 Prime Minister 1768-1770 Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1771-1775 Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1782-1783

Frederick North, Lord North Chancellor of the Exchequer 1767-1782 Leader of the House of Commons 1768-1782 Prime Minister 1770-1782 Secretary of State for Home Affairs 1783 Leader of the House of Commons 1783

William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne First Lord of Trade 1763 Secretary of State for the Southern Department 1766-1768 Home Secretary 1782 Leader of the House of Commons 1782-1783 Prime Minister 1782-1783

William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland Lord Chamberlain 1765-1766 Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1782 Prime Minister 1783 Home Secretary 1794-1801 Lord President of the Council 1801-1805 Prime Minister 1807-1809

William Pitt the Younger Chancellor of the Exchequer 1782-1783 Leader of the House of Commons 1783-1801 Prime Minister 1783-1801 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1804-1806 Prime Minister 1804-1806

Henry Addington Speaker of the House of Commons 1789-1801 Leader of the House of Commons 1801-1804 Prime Minister 1801-1804 Lord President of the Council 1805 Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1806 Lord President of the Council 1806-1807 Home Secretary 1812-1822

William Grenville Paymaster of the Forces 1784-1789 Speaker of the House of Commons 1789 Home Secretary 1789-1791 Foreign Secretary 1791-1801 Prime Minister 1806-1807 Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1807-1817

Spencer Perceval Solicitor General of England Wales 1801-1802 Attorney General for England and Wales 1802-1806 Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1806-1807 Leader of the House of Commons 1807-1812 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1807-1812 Prime Minister 1809-1812

Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool Master of the Mint 1799-1801 Foreign Secretary 1801-1804 Home Secretary 1804-1806 Home Secretary 1807-1809 Leader of the House of Lords 1807-1827 Secretary of State for War 1809-1812 Prime Minister 1812-1827

George Canning Commissioner of the Board of Control for India 1799-1801 Treasury of the Navy 1804-1806 Foreign Secretary 1807-1809 President of the Board of Control 1816-1821 Foreign Secretary 1822-1827 Leader of the House of Commons 1822-1827 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1827 Prime Minister 1827

Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich President of the Board of Trade 1818-1823 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1823-1827 Prime Minister 1827-1828 Colonial Office 1830-1833 Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1833-1834 President of the Board of Trade 1843-1846

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Master General of the Ordnance 1819-1827 Commander-in-Chief of the Forces 1827-1828 Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1827-1828 Leader of the House of Lords 1828-1830 Prime Minister 1828-1830 Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1830-1834 Secretary of State for War 1834 Home Secretary 1834 Foreign Secretary 1834-1835 Leader of the House of Lords 1834-1835 Prime Minister 1834 Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1835-1841 Leader of the House of Lords 1841-1846 Commander-in-Chief of the Forces 1842-1852

Charles Grey First Lord of the Admiralty 1806 Leader of the House of Commons 1806-1807 Foreign Secretary 1806-1807 Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1817-1821 Leader of the House of Lords 1830-1834 Prime Minister 1830-1834

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne Chief Secretary for Ireland 1827-1828 Home Secretary 1830-1834 Leader of the House of Lords 1834 Prime Minister 1834 Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1835 Leader of the House of Lords 1841-42 Prime Minister 1835-1841

Robert Peel Chief Secretary for Ireland 1812-1818 Home Secretary 1822-1827 Leader of the Opposition 1827-1828 Home Secretary 1828-1830 Leader of the Opposition 1830-1834 Prime Minister 1835 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1835 Leader of the Opposition 1835-1841 Prime Minister 1841-1846

John Russell Paymaster of the Forces 1830-1834 Leader of the Opposition 1834-1835 Home Secretary 1835-1839 Secretary of State for War 1839-1841 Leader of the Opposition 1841-1846 Prime Minister 1846-1852 Leader of the Opposition 1852 Foreign Secretary 1852-1853 Lord President of the Council 1854-1855 Secretary of State for the Colonies 1855 Foreign Secretary 1859-1865 Prime Minister 1865-66 Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1866-68

Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby Chief Secretary for Ireland 1830-1833 Secretary of State for War and the Colonies 1833-1834 Secretary of State for War and the Colonies 1841-1845 Prime Minister 1852 Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1852-1858 Prime Minister 1858-1859 Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1859-1866 Prime Minister 1866-1868

George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1828 Foreign Secretary 1828-1830 Secretary of State for War and Colonies 1834-1835 Foreign Secretary 1841-1846 Prime Minister 1852-1855

Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston Secretary of War 1809-1828 Foreign Secretary 1830-1834 Foreign Secretary 1835-1841 Foreign Secretary 1846-1851 Home Secretary 1852-1855 Prime Minister 1855-1858 Leader of the Opposition 1858-1859 Prime Minister 1859-1865

Benjamin Disraeli Leader of the Opposition 1849-1852 Leader of the House of Commons 1852 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1852 Leader of the Opposition 1852-1858 Leader of the House of Commons 1858-1859 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1858-1859 Leader of the Opposition 1859-1866 Leader of the House of Commons 1866-1868 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1866-1868 Prime Minister 1868 Leader of the Opposition 1868-1874 Prime Minister 1874-1880 Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1880-1881

William Ewart Gladstone President of the Board of Trade 1843-1845 Secretary of State for War and Colonies 1845-1846 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1852-1855 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1859-1866 Leader of the Opposition 1866-1868 Prime Minister 1868-1874 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1873-1874 Leader of the Opposition 1874-1875 Prime Minister 1880-1885 Leader of the Opposition 1885-1886 Prime Minister 1886 Leader of the Opposition 1886-1892 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1892-1894 Prime Minister 1892-1894

Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Secretary of State for India 1874-1878 Foreign Secretary 1878-1880 Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1881-1885 Foreign Secretary 1885-1886 Prime Minister 1885-1886 Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1886 Prime Minister 1886-1892 Foreign Secretary 1887-1892 Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1892-1895 Foreign Secretary 1895-1900 Prime Minister 1895-1902 Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1900-1902

Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery First Commissioner of Works 1885 Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1885 Foreign Secretary 1886 Foreign Secretary 1892-1894 Lord President of the Council 1894-1895 Prime Minister 1894-1895 Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1895

Arthur Balfour Secretary for Scotland 1886-1887 Chief Secretary for Ireland 1887-1891 Leader of the House of Commons 1891-1892 Leader of the Opposition 1892-1895 Leader of the House of Commons 1895-1905 Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1902-1903 Prime Minister 1902-1905 Leader of the Opposition 1905-1906 Leader of the Opposition 1906-1911 First Lord of the Admiralty 1915-1916 Foreign Secretary 1916-1919 Lord President of the Council 1919-1922 Lord President of the Council 1925-1929

Henry Campbell-Bannerman Secretary to the Admiralty 1882-1884 Chief Secretary for Ireland 1884-1885 Secretary of State for War 1886 Secretary of State for War 1892-1895 Leader of the Opposition 1899-1905 Prime Minister 1905-1908

Herbert Henry Asquith Home Secretary 1892-1895 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1905-1908 Prime Minister 1908-1916 Secretary of State for War 1914 Leader of the Opposition 1916-1918 Leader of the Opposition 1920-1922

David Lloyd George President of the Board of Trade 1905-1908 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1908-1915 Minister of Munitions 1915-1916 Secretary of State for War 1916 Prime Minister 1916-1922

Bonar Law Leader of the Opposition 1911-1915 Secretary of State for the Colonies 1915-1916 Leader of the House of Commons 1916-1921 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1916-1919 Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1919-1921 Leader of the House of Commons 1922-1923 Prime Minister 1922-1923

Stanley Baldwin Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1917-1921 President of the Board of Trade 1921-1922 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1922-1923 Prime Minister 1923-1924 Leader of the Opposition 1924 Prime Minister 1924-1929 Leader of the Opposition 1929-1931 Lord President of the Council 1931-1935 Prime Minister 1935-1937

Ramsay MacDonald Leader of the Opposition 1922-1924 Leader of the House of Commons 1924 Foreign Secretary 1924 Prime Minister 1924 Leader of the Opposition 1924-1929 Leader of the House of Commons 1929-1935 Prime Minister 1929-1935 Lord President of the Council 1935-1937

Neville Chamberlain Postmaster General 1922-1923 Minister of Health 1923 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1923-1924 Minister of Health 1924-1929 Minister of Health 1931 Chancellor of the Exchequer 1931-1937 Prime Minister 1937-1940 Lord President of the Council 1940

Winston Churchill President of the Board of Trade 1908-1910 Home Secretary 1910-1911 First Lord of the Admiralty 1911-1915 Minister of Munitions 1917-1919