). In recent years, the office holder has usually been given a junior position in the British Cabinet. It was created in 1961, to share the burden of representing the
The position's responsibilities include negotiating with departments about budget allocations, public sector pay, welfare reform, and procurement policy.
| Chief Secretary to the Treasury |
Entered office |
Left office |
Political party |
Chancellor of the Exchequer |
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Henry Brooke Henry Brooke, Baron Brooke of Cumnor CH, PC was a British Conservative Party politician.-Political career:... |
9 October 1961 |
13 July 1962 |
ConservativeThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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Selwyn Lloyd John Selwyn Brooke Lloyd, Baron Selwyn-Lloyd CH PC CBE TD , known for most of his career as Selwyn Lloyd, was a British Conservative Party politician who served as Foreign Secretary from 1955 to 1960, then as Chancellor of the Exchequer until 1962...
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John Boyd-Carpenter John Archibald Boyd-Carpenter, Baron Boyd-Carpenter PC was a British Conservative politician.-Early life:... |
13 July 1962 |
16 October 1964 |
Conservative |
Reginald MaudlingReginald Maudling was a British politician who held several Cabinet posts, including Chancellor of the Exchequer. He had been spoken of as a prospective Conservative leader since 1955, and was twice seriously considered for the post; he was Edward Heath's chief rival in 1965...
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John Diamond |
20 October 1964 |
19 June 1970 |
Labour The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
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James CallaghanLeonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was a British Labour politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
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| Roy Jenkins Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
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Maurice Macmillan |
23 June 1970 |
7 April 1972 |
Conservative |
Iain Macleod Iain Norman Macleod was a British Conservative Party politician and government minister.-Early life:...
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| Anthony Barber Anthony Perrinott Lysberg Barber, Baron Barber, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician who served as a member of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords....
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Patrick Jenkin Charles Patrick Fleeming Jenkin, Baron Jenkin of Roding, PC is a British Conservative politician and the great-grandson of the scientist Fleeming Jenkin.... |
7 April 1972 |
8 January 1974 |
Conservative |
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Thomas Boardman Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Gray Boardman, Baron Boardman MC, TD, DL, PC was an English Conservative politician and businessman.... |
8 January 1974 |
4 March 1974 |
Conservative |
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Joel Barnett Joel Barnett, Baron Barnett, PC , is a Labour Party member of the House of Lords.Barnett was educated at Manchester Central High School. He worked as an accountant... |
7 March 1974 |
4 May 1979 |
Labour |
Denis Healey Denis Winston Healey, Baron Healey CH, MBE, PC is a British Labour politician, who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 1964 to 1970 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1974 to 1979.-Early life:...
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John Biffen William John Biffen, Baron Biffen, PC, DL , was a Conservative member of the House of Lords, who previously spent 36 years in the House of Commons.-Early life:... |
5 May 1979 |
5 January 1981 |
Conservative |
Sir Geoffrey Howe Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe, Baron Howe of Aberavon, CH, QC, PC is a former British Conservative politician. He was Margaret Thatcher's longest-serving Cabinet minister, successively holding the posts of Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary, and finally Leader of the House of Commons...
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Leon Brittan Sir Leon Brittan, Baron Brittan of Spennithorne, QC, PC, DL is a British barrister, politician and former Conservative Member of Parliament, as well as former member of the European Commission and former Home Secretary of the United Kingdom... |
5 January 1981 |
11 June 1983 |
Conservative |
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Peter Rees |
11 June 1983 |
2 September 1985 |
Conservative |
Nigel Lawson Nigel Lawson, Baron Lawson of Blaby, PC , is a British Conservative politician and journalist. He was a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Blaby from 1974–92, and served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the government of Margaret Thatcher from June 1983 to October 1989...
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John MacGregor |
2 September 1985 |
13 June 1987 |
Conservative |
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John MajorSir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997... |
13 June 1987 |
24 July 1989 |
Conservative |
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Norman Lamont |
24 July 1989 |
28 November 1990 |
Conservative |
John MajorSir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
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David Mellor David John Mellor, QC is a British politician, non-practising barrister, broadcaster, journalist and football pundit. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister John Major as Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Secretary of State for National Heritage , before... |
28 November 1990 |
10 April 1992 |
Conservative |
Norman Lamont Norman Stewart Hughson Lamont, Baron Lamont of Lerwick, PC is a British politician and former Conservative MP for Kingston-upon-Thames. He is best-known for his period serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer, from 1990 until 1993...
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Michael PortilloMichael Denzil Xavier Portillo is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Conservative Party politician and Cabinet Minister... |
10 April 1992 |
20 July 1994 |
Conservative |
| Kenneth Clarke Kenneth Harry "Ken" Clarke, QC, MP is a British Conservative politician, currently Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. He was first elected to Parliament in 1970; and appointed a minister in Edward Heath's government, in 1972, and is one of...
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Jonathan Aitken Jonathan William Patrick Aitken is a former Conservative Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom, and British government minister. He was convicted of perjury in 1999 and received an 18-month prison sentence, of which he served seven months... |
20 July 1994 |
5 July 1995 |
Conservative |
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William Waldegrave William Arthur Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill, PC , is an English Conservative politician who served in the Cabinet from 1990 until 1997 and is a Life Member of the Tory Reform Group. He is now a life peer. Lord Waldegrave is also the Chairman of the Rhodes Trust and the Chairman of... |
5 July 1995 |
2 May 1997 |
Conservative |
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Alistair DarlingAlistair Maclean Darling is a Scottish Labour Party politician who has been a Member of Parliament since 1987, currently for Edinburgh South West. He served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2007 to 2010... |
3 May 1997 |
27 July 1998 |
Labour |
Gordon BrownJames Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
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Stephen Byers Stephen John Byers is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for North Tyneside from 1997 to 2010; in the previous parliament, from 1992, he represented Wallsend... |
27 July 1998 |
23 December 1998 |
Labour |
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Alan MilburnAlan Milburn is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Darlington from 1992 until 2010... |
23 December 1998 |
11 October 1999 |
Labour |
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Andrew Smith |
11 October 1999 |
29 May 2002 |
Labour |
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Paul BoatengPaul Yaw Boateng, Baron Boateng is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Brent South from 1987 to 2005, becoming the UK's first black Cabinet Minister in May 2002, when he was appointed as Chief Secretary to the Treasury... |
29 May 2002 |
6 May 2005 |
Labour |
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Des BrowneDesmond Henry Browne, Baron Browne of Ladyton is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Kilmarnock and Loudoun from 1997 to 2010... |
6 May 2005 |
5 May 2006 |
Labour |
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Stephen TimmsStephen Creswell Timms is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for East Ham since 1994. He is a former Cabinet Minister having served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2006 to 2007... |
5 May 2006 |
27 June 2007 |
Labour |
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Andy Burnham |
28 June 2007 |
24 January 2008 |
Labour |
Alistair DarlingAlistair Maclean Darling is a Scottish Labour Party politician who has been a Member of Parliament since 1987, currently for Edinburgh South West. He served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2007 to 2010...
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Yvette CooperYvette Cooper is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford since 2010, having previously been MP for Pontefract and Castleford since 1997. She served in the Cabinet between 2008 and 2010. She is the Shadow Home Secretary... |
24 January 2008 |
5 June 2009 |
Labour |
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Liam Byrne Liam Dominic Byrne is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill since 2004, and was the Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2009 to 2010 before being appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on 20 January 2011.-Early... |
5 June 2009 |
11 May 2010 |
Labour |
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David LawsDavid Anthony Laws is a British politician. He is Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Yeovil and former Chief Secretary to the Treasury.... |
12 May 2010 |
29 May 2010 |
Liberal Democrat (Coalition GovernmentDavid Cameron is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after being invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a new government after the resignation as Prime Minister of Gordon Brown on 11 May 2010. Leading a coalition government formed by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, the coalition... ) |
George OsborneGeorge Gideon Oliver Osborne, MP is a British Conservative politician. He is the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom, a role to which he was appointed in May 2010, and has been the Member of Parliament for Tatton since 2001.Osborne is part of the old Anglo-Irish aristocracy, known in...
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Danny Alexander Daniel Grian Alexander is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been Chief Secretary to the Treasury since 2010. He has been the Member of Parliament for the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey constituency since 2005.... |
29 May 2010 |
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Liberal Democrat (Coalition GovernmentDavid Cameron is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after being invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a new government after the resignation as Prime Minister of Gordon Brown on 11 May 2010. Leading a coalition government formed by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, the coalition... ) |