Foreign Secretary
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs | |
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Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | |
Style | The Right Honourable (within the UK and Commonwealth) |
Member of | |
Reports to | Prime Minister |
Residence |
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Seat | Westminster |
Nominator | Prime Minister |
Appointer | The King (on the advice of the Prime Minister) |
Term length | At His Majesty's pleasure |
Formation | 27 March 1782 |
First holder | Charles James Fox |
Website | www.gov.uk |
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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:
- British relations with foreign countries and governments
- Promotion of British interests abroad.
- Matters pertaining to the Commonwealth of Nations and the Overseas Territories
- Oversight for the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).
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
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)
- ^† Died in office.
- ^ The Prince of Wales served as prince regent from 5 February 1811.
- ^ Elevated to the Peerage of the United Kingdom in November 1803.
- ^ Elected to a new constituency in the 1807 general election.
- ^ Elected to a new constituency in the 1950 general election.
- ^ 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.
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) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dominic Raab MP for Esher and Walton (born 1974) |
2 September 2020 | 15 September 2021 | Conservative | Johnson II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) | ||
Liz Truss MP for South West Norfolk (born 1975) |
15 September 2021 | 6 September 2022 | Conservative | ||||
James Cleverly MP for Braintree (born 1969) |
6 September 2022 | Incumbent | Conservative | Truss | |||
Charles III (2022–present) | |||||||
Sunak |
See also
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
- Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
- Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs
- Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
- Secretary of State for the Colonies
- Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
- Foreign minister
- Great Offices of State
- Foreign relations of the United Kingdom
- Ministerial offices in the United Kingdom
- Lists of government ministers of the United Kingdom
- Foreign ministers of the United Kingdom
- 1782 establishments in Great Britain
- 1782 in politics
- 1968 in politics
- 1968 establishments in the United Kingdom
- Lists of foreign ministers