Foreign Secretary

Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
James Cleverly Official Cabinet Portrait, September 2022.jpg
Incumbent
James Cleverly

since 6 September 2022
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
StyleThe Right Honourable
(within the UK and Commonwealth)
Member of
Reports toPrime Minister
Residence
SeatWestminster
NominatorPrime Minister
AppointerThe King
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
Formation27 March 1782; 240 years ago (1782-03-27)
First holderCharles James Fox
Websitewww.gov.uk

The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as one of the most senior ministers in the government and a Great Office of State, the incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.

The office holder works alongside the other Foreign Office ministers. The corresponding shadow minister is the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs. The performance of the secretary of state is also scrutinised by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

The current foreign secretary is James Cleverly MP, appointed in the September 2022 cabinet reshuffle.

Responsibilities

Corresponding to what is generally known as a foreign minister in many other countries, the foreign secretary's remit includes:

Residence

The official residence of the foreign secretary is 1 Carlton Gardens, in London. The foreign secretary also has the use of Chevening House, a country house in Kent, South East England and works out of the Foreign Office in Whitehall.

History

History of English and British government departments with responsibility for foreign affairs and those with responsibility for the colonies, dominions and the Commonwealth
Northern Department
1660–1782
Secretaries — Undersecretaries
Southern Department
1660–1768
Secretaries — Undersecretaries
Colonial Office
1768–1782
SecretariesUndersecretaries
Southern Department
1768–1782
Secretaries — Undersecretaries
Foreign Office
1782–1968
SecretariesMinistersUndersecretaries
Home Office
1782–1794
SecretariesUndersecretaries
War Office
1794–1801
SecretariesUndersecretaries
War and Colonial Office
1801–1854
SecretariesUndersecretaries
Colonial Office
1854–1925
SecretariesUndersecretaries
India Office
1858–1937
SecretariesUndersecretaries
Colonial Office
1925–1966
SecretariesMinistersUndersecretaries
Dominions Office
1925–1947
SecretariesUndersecretaries
India Office and Burma Office
1937–1947
SecretariesUndersecretaries
Commonwealth Relations Office
1947–1966
SecretariesMinistersUndersecretaries
Commonwealth Office
1966–1968
SecretariesMinistersUndersecretaries
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
1968–2020
SecretariesMinistersUndersecretaries
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Since 2020
SecretariesMinistersUndersecretaries

The title secretary of state in the government of England dates back to the early 17th century. The position of secretary of state for foreign affairs was created in the British governmental reorganisation of 1782, in which the Northern and Southern Departments became the Foreign Office and Home Office respectively. The India Office which, like the Colonial Office and the Dominions Office, had been a constituent predecessor department of the Foreign Office, was closed down in 1947.

Eventually, the position of secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs came into existence in 1968 with the merger of the functions of secretary of the state for foreign affairs and the secretary of state for Commonwealth affairs into a single department of state. Margaret Beckett, appointed in 2006 by Tony Blair, was the first woman to have held the post.

The post of secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs was created in 2020 when position holder Dominic Raab absorbed the responsibilities of the secretary of state for international development.

List of foreign secretaries

Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs (1782–1968)

Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
Portrait Name Term of office Party Ministry Monarch
(Reign)
Charles James Fox00.jpg Charles James Fox
MP for Westminster
27 March 1782 5 July 1782 Whig Rockingham II George III
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1801-1816).svg
(1760–1820)
Thomas Robinson 2nd Baron.jpg Thomas Robinson
2nd Baron Grantham
13 July 1782 2 April 1783 Whig Shelburne
(WhigTory)
Charles James Fox00.jpg Charles James Fox
MP for Westminster
2 April 1783 19 December 1783 Whig Fox–North
1stMarquessOfBuckingham.jpg George Nugent-Temple-Grenville
3rd Earl Temple
19 December 1783 23 December 1783 Tory Pitt I
Francis Osborne cropped.jpg His Grace
Francis Osborne
5th Duke of Leeds
23 December 1783 May 1791 Tory
1st Baron Grenville-cropped.jpg William Grenville
1st Baron Grenville
8 June 1791 20 February 1801 Tory
Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool by Sir Thomas Lawrence (cropped).jpg Robert Jenkinson
2nd Baron Hawkesbury

MP for Rye
20 February 1801 14 May 1804 Tory
Addington
1stEarlOfHarrowby.jpg Dudley Ryder
2nd Baron Harrowby
14 May 1804 11 January 1805 Tory Pitt II
Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave by Sir William Beechey.jpg Henry Phipps
3rd Baron Mulgrave
11 January 1805 7 February 1806 Tory
Charles James Fox00.jpg Charles James Fox
MP for Westminster
7 February 1806 13 September 1806 Whig All the Talents
(WhigTory)
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey after Sir Thomas Lawrence.jpg Charles Grey
Viscount Howick

MP for Northumberland
24 September 1806 25 March 1807 Whig
George Canning by Richard Evans - detail.jpg
George Canning

25 March 1807 11 October 1809 Tory Portland II
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst by William Salter.jpg Henry Bathurst
3rd Earl Bathurst
11 October 1809 6 December 1809 Tory Perceval
Richard Colley Wellesley, Marquess Wellesley by John Philip Davis ('Pope' Davis).jpg Richard Wellesley
1st Marquess Wellesley
6 December 1809 4 March 1812 Independent
Lord Castlereagh Marquess of Londonderry.jpg Robert Stewart
2nd Marquess of Londonderry
4 March 1812 12 August 1822 Tory Liverpool
George IV
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1816-1837).svg
George Canning by Richard Evans - detail.jpg George Canning
MP for 3 constituencies respectively
16 September 1822 30 April 1827 Tory
1stEarlOfDudley.jpg John Ward
1st Earl of Dudley
30 April 1827 2 June 1828 Tory Canning
(CanningiteWhig)
Goderich
Wellington–Peel
Earl of Aberdeen.jpg George Hamilton-Gordon
4th Earl of Aberdeen
2 June 1828 22 November 1830 Tory
William IV
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1816-1837).svg
Lord Palmerston 1855.jpg Henry John Temple
3rd Viscount Palmerston

MP for 3 constituencies respectively
22 November 1830 14 November 1834 Whig Grey
Melbourne I
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington by John Jackson cropped.jpg Arthur Wellesley
1st Duke of Wellington
14 November 1834 18 April 1835 Tory Wellington Caretaker
Conservative Peel I
Lord Palmerston 1855.jpg Henry John Temple
3rd Viscount Palmerston

MP for Tiverton
18 April 1835 2 September 1841 Whig Melbourne II
Victoria
Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg
(1837–1901)
Earl of Aberdeen.jpg George Hamilton-Gordon
4th Earl of Aberdeen
2 September 1841 6 July 1846 Conservative Peel II
Lord Palmerston 1855.jpg Henry John Temple
3rd Viscount Palmerston

MP for Tiverton
6 July 1846 26 December 1851 Whig Russell I
Second Earl Granville.jpg Granville Leveson-Gower
2nd Earl Granville
26 December 1851 27 February 1852 Whig
JH Harris 3rd Earl of Malmesbury by JG Middleton crop.jpg James Howard Harris
3rd Earl of Malmesbury
27 February 1852 28 December 1852 Conservative Who? Who?
Lord john russell.jpg Lord John Russell
MP for the City of London
28 December 1852 21 February 1853 Whig Aberdeen
(PeeliteWhig)
4thEarlOfClarendon.jpg George Villiers
4th Earl of Clarendon
21 February 1853 26 February 1858 Whig
Palmerston I
JH Harris 3rd Earl of Malmesbury by JG Middleton crop.jpg James Howard Harris
3rd Earl of Malmesbury
26 February 1858 18 June 1859 Conservative Derby–Disraeli II
Lord john russell.jpg John Russell
1st Earl Russell
18 June 1859 3 November 1865 Liberal Palmerston II
4thEarlOfClarendon.jpg George Villiers
4th Earl of Clarendon
3 November 1865 6 July 1866 Liberal Russell II
Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby 2.jpg Edward Stanley
Lord Stanley

MP for King's Lynn
6 July 1866 9 December 1868 Conservative Derby–Disraeli III
4thEarlOfClarendon.jpg George Villiers
4th Earl of Clarendon
9 December 1868 6 July 1870 Liberal Gladstone I
Second Earl Granville.jpg Granville Leveson-Gower
2nd Earl Granville
6 July 1870 21 February 1874 Liberal
Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby 2.jpg Edward Stanley
15th Earl of Derby
21 February 1874 2 April 1878 Conservative Disraeli II
Robert-Gascoyne-Cecil-3rd-Marquess-of-Salisbury (cropped).jpg Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
3rd Marquess of Salisbury
2 April 1878 28 April 1880 Conservative
Second Earl Granville.jpg Granville Leveson-Gower
2nd Earl Granville
28 April 1880 24 June 1885 Liberal Gladstone II
Robert-Gascoyne-Cecil-3rd-Marquess-of-Salisbury (cropped).jpg Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
3rd Marquess of Salisbury
24 June 1885 6 February 1886 Conservative Salisbury I
Archibald-Philip-Primrose-5th-Earl-of-Rosebery (cropped).jpg Archibald Primrose
5th Earl of Rosebery
6 February 1886 3 August 1886 Liberal Gladstone III
Stafford Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh.jpg Stafford Northcote
1st Earl of Iddesleigh
3 August 1886 12 January 1887 Conservative Salisbury II
Robert-Gascoyne-Cecil-3rd-Marquess-of-Salisbury (cropped).jpg Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
3rd Marquess of Salisbury
14 January 1887 11 August 1892 Conservative
Archibald-Philip-Primrose-5th-Earl-of-Rosebery (cropped).jpg Archibald Primrose
5th Earl of Rosebery
18 August 1892 11 March 1894 Liberal Gladstone IV
1st Earl of Kimberley 1897.jpg John Wodehouse
1st Earl of Kimberley
11 March 1894 21 June 1895 Liberal Rosebery
Robert-Gascoyne-Cecil-3rd-Marquess-of-Salisbury (cropped).jpg Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
3rd Marquess of Salisbury
29 June 1895 12 November 1900 Conservative Salisbury
(III & IV)

(Con.Lib.U.)
Marquess of Lansdowne crop.jpg Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice
5th Marquess of Lansdowne
12 November 1900 4 December 1905 Liberal Unionist
Edward VII
Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg
(1901–1910)
Balfour
Picture of Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon.jpg Edward Grey
MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed
10 December 1905 10 December 1916 Liberal Campbell-Bannerman
Asquith
(I–III)
George V
Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg
Asquith Coalition
(Lib.Con.–et al.)
Arthur-James-Balfour-1st-Earl-of-Balfour.jpg Arthur Balfour
MP for the City of London
10 December 1916 23 October 1919 Conservative Lloyd George
(I & II)
Curzon GGBain.jpg George Curzon
1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston
23 October 1919 22 January 1924 Conservative
Law
Baldwin I
Ramsay-MacDonald.jpg Ramsay MacDonald
MP for Aberavon
22 January 1924 3 November 1924 Labour MacDonald I
Austen Chamberlain nobel.jpg Austen Chamberlain
MP for Birmingham West
6 November 1924 4 June 1929 Conservative Baldwin II
1910 Arthur Henderson.jpg Arthur Henderson
MP for Burnley
7 June 1929 24 August 1931 Labour MacDonald II
Rufus Isaacs.jpg Rufus Isaacs
1st Marquess of Reading
25 August 1931 5 November 1931 Liberal National I
(N.Lab.Con.–et al.)
Viscount Simon.jpg John Simon
MP for Spen Valley
5 November 1931 7 June 1935 Liberal National National II
Sir Samuel Hoare GGBain.jpg Samuel Hoare
MP for Chelsea
7 June 1935 18 December 1935 Conservative National III
(Con.N.Lab.–et al.)
Anthony Eden (retouched).jpg Anthony Eden
MP for Warwick & Leamington
22 December 1935 20 February 1938 Conservative
Edward VIII
Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg
(1936)
George VI
Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg
National IV
1st Earl of Halifax 1947.jpg Edward Wood
3rd Viscount Halifax
21 February 1938 22 December 1940 Conservative
Chamberlain War
Churchill War
(All parties)
Anthony Eden (retouched).jpg Anthony Eden
MP for Warwick & Leamington
22 December 1940 26 July 1945 Conservative
Churchill Caretaker
(Con.Lib.N.)
Ernest Bevin cph.3b17494.jpg Ernest Bevin
27 July 1945 9 March 1951 Labour Attlee
(I & II)
Herbert Morrison 1947.jpg Herbert Morrison
MP for Lewisham South
9 March 1951 26 October 1951 Labour
Anthony Eden (retouched).jpg Anthony Eden
MP for Warwick & Leamington
28 October 1951 7 April 1955 Conservative Churchill III
Elizabeth II
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom.svg
Harold Macmillan in 1942.jpg Harold Macmillan
MP for Bromley
7 April 1955 20 December 1955 Conservative Eden
Selwyn Lloyd cropped.jpg Selwyn Lloyd
MP for Wirral
20 December 1955 27 July 1960 Conservative
Macmillan
(I & II)
Alec Douglas-Home (c1963).jpg Alec Douglas-Home
14th Earl of Home
27 July 1960 18 October 1963 Conservative
Rab Butler.jpg Richard Austen Butler
MP for Saffron Walden
20 October 1963 16 October 1964 Conservative Douglas-Home
President John F. Kennedy with Member of Parliament of Great Britain, Patrick Gordon Walker.jpg
Patrick Gordon Walker
Neither an MP nor a Lord
16 October 1964 22 January 1965 Labour Wilson
(I & II)
Michael Stewart (1966).jpg Michael Stewart
MP for Fulham
22 January 1965 11 August 1966 Labour
George Brown, 1967.jpg George Brown
MP for Belper
11 August 1966 16 March 1968 Labour
Michael Stewart (1966).jpg Michael Stewart
MP for Fulham
16 March 1968 17 October 1968 Labour
^† Died in office.
  1. ^ The Prince of Wales served as prince regent from 5 February 1811.
  2. ^ Elevated to the Peerage of the United Kingdom in November 1803.
  3. ^ Elected to a new constituency in the 1807 general election.
  4. ^ Elected to a new constituency in the 1950 general election.
  5. ^ Walker was the MP for Smethwick and Labour's shadow Foreign Secretary, prior to the 1964 general election. He lost his seat in the election but was appointed to the post anyway. He resigned after fighting and losing a 1965 by-election in Leyton.

Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1968–2020)

Post created through the merger of the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Party Ministry Sovereign
(Reign)
Michael Stewart (1966).jpg Michael Stewart
MP for Fulham
(1906–1990)
17 October 1968 19 June 1970 Labour Wilson
(I & II)
Elizabeth II
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom.svg
(1952–2022)
Alec Douglas-Home (c1963) (cropped).jpg Alec Douglas-Home
MP for Kinross and Western Perthshire
(1903–1995)
20 June 1970 4 March 1974 Conservative Heath
James Callaghan (1975).jpg James Callaghan
MP for Cardiff South East
(1912–2005)
5 March 1974 5 April 1976 Labour Wilson
(III & IV)
Charles-Anthony-Raven-Crosland (cropped).jpg Anthony Crosland
MP for Great Grimsby
(1918–1977)
8 April 1976 19 February 1977 Labour Callaghan
Official portrait of Lord Owen crop 2.jpg David Owen
MP for Plymouth Devonport
(born 1938)
22 February 1977 4 May 1979 Labour
Peter Carington 1984.jpg Peter Carington
6th Baron Carrington
[13]
KCMGMCPCDL
(1919–2018)
4 May 1979 5 April 1982 Conservative Thatcher I
Francis Pym (cropped).jpg Francis Pym
MP for Cambridgeshire
(1922–2008)
6 April 1982 11 June 1983 Conservative
Geoffrey Howe (1985).jpg Geoffrey Howe
MP for East Surrey
(1926–2015)
11 June 1983 24 July 1989 Conservative Thatcher II
Thatcher III
Major PM full.jpg John Major
MP for Huntingdon
(born 1943)
24 July 1989 26 October 1989 Conservative
Lord Hurd (cropped).jpg Douglas Hurd
MP for Witney
(born 1930)
26 October 1989 5 July 1995 Conservative
Major I
Major II
Malcolm Rifkind 2011 (cropped).jpg Malcolm Rifkind
MP for Edinburgh Pentlands
(born 1946)
5 July 1995 2 May 1997 Conservative
Robin Cook-close crop.jpg Robin Cook
MP for Livingston
(1946–2005)
2 May 1997 8 June 2001 Labour Blair I
Jack Straw 2.jpg Jack Straw
MP for Blackburn
(born 1946)
8 June 2001 5 May 2006 Labour Blair II
Blair III
Official portrait of Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP crop 2.jpg Margaret Beckett
MP for Derby South
(born 1943)
5 May 2006 27 June 2007 Labour
David Miliband 2.jpg David Miliband
MP for South Shields
(born 1965)
28 June 2007 11 May 2010 Labour Brown
William Hague Foreign Secretary (2010).jpg William Hague
MP for Richmond (Yorks)
(born 1961)
12 May 2010 14 July 2014 Conservative Cameron–Clegg
(Con.L.D.)
Official portrait of Mr Philip Hammond crop 2.jpg Philip Hammond
MP for Runnymede and Weybridge
(born 1955)
14 July 2014 13 July 2016 Conservative
Cameron II
Boris Johnson MP.jpg Boris Johnson
MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip
(born 1964)
13 July 2016 9 July 2018 Conservative May I
May II
Official portrait of Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP crop 2.jpg Jeremy Hunt
MP for South West Surrey
(born 1966)
9 July 2018 24 July 2019 Conservative
Official portrait of Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP crop 2.jpg Dominic Raab
MP for Esher and Walton
(born 1974)
24 July 2019 2 September 2020 Conservative Johnson I
Johnson II

Secretaries of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (2020–present)

Post created through the merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development.

Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Party Ministry Sovereign
(Reign)
Official portrait of Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP crop 2.jpg Dominic Raab
MP for Esher and Walton
(born 1974)
2 September 2020 15 September 2021 Conservative Johnson II Elizabeth II
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom.svg
(1952–2022)
Liz Truss Official Photo (cropped).jpg Liz Truss
MP for South West Norfolk
(born 1975)
15 September 2021 6 September 2022 Conservative
James Cleverly Official Cabinet Portrait (cropped).jpg James Cleverly
MP for Braintree
(born 1969)
6 September 2022 Incumbent Conservative Truss
Charles III
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom.svg
(2022–present)
Sunak

See also


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