Secretary of State (United Kingdom)
Encyclopedia
In the United Kingdom
, a Secretary of State is a Cabinet
Minister in charge of a Government Department
(though not all departments are headed by a Secretary of State, e.g. HM Treasury
is headed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer
).
There are a number of Secretaries of State, each formally titled "Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for ...". Legislation generally only refers to "The Secretary of State" without specifying which one; by virtue of the Interpretation Act 1978
this phrase means "one of Her Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State". These positions can be created without primary legislation
, nowadays at the behest of the Prime Minister
.
always had in attendance a learned ecclesiastic, known at first as their "clerk", and afterwards as "secretary", who conducted the royal correspondence. Until the time of Henry VIII
, who reigned from 1509 to 1547, English kings generally had only one secretary, but at the end of his reign a second appeared. It was not until the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I
(1558–1603) that these functionaries gained the title "Secretary of State". Upon the direction of public affairs passing from the Privy Council
to the Cabinet
after 1688 the Secretaries of State began to assume those high duties which now render their office one of the most influential of an administration.
After the English Restoration
, the two posts came to be known as the Secretary of State for the Northern Department
and the Secretary of State for the Southern Department
. Both dealt with Home Affairs, but they divided Foreign Affairs, so that one dealt with the Protestant states of northern Europe and the other with the Catholic states of southern Europe. In 1782, responsibilities were reallocated between the new posts of Secretary of State for the Home Department, dealing with the Secretary's domestic responsibilities, and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, dealing with foreign relations.
Owing to the increase of business consequent upon the Union with Scotland, a third Secretary of State
gained appointment in 1708, but, with a vacancy occurring in this office in 1746, the third secretaryship disappeared until 1768, when a newly re-instituted third Secretary began to take charge of the increasing colonial
administrative work. In 1782, the office was again abolished, and the charge of the colonies transferred to the Home Secretary
. However, owing to the war of the First Coalition
with France
in 1794, a third secretary re-appeared to superintend the activities of the War Department
. Seven years later, the colonial business became attached to his Department
. In 1854, a fourth Secretary of State gained the exclusive charge of the War Department, and in 1858 a fifth Secretary (for India
) began duties.
These five secretaries of state remained constant thereafter until after the first world war. In the post-war decade, three new secretaries of state were instituted - one for the Royal Air Force
was split out of the War Office; one for relations with Britain's self-governing Dominion
s was carved out of the Colonial Office, and the minister responsible for Scottish affairs was raised to the level of a Secretary of State.
This situation remained constant until after World War II. At the independence of India in 1947, the India Office and the Dominions Office were merged under a single Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations. A year before, the Secretaries for War and Air had lost their status as cabinet level ministers due to a reorganisation of British military command, being subordinated to a new Minister of Defence, and were finally abolished in 1964 and replaced with a new Secretary of State for Defence
. A few years later, with the increasing contraction of the British Empire, the Colonial and Commonwealth Relations offices were merged together, and in 1968 their responsibilities were subsumed within those of the Foreign Secretary.
By this time, however, the entire concept of a Secretary of State had been largely transformed, as Prime Minister Harold Wilson
began in 1964 the process of transforming nearly all of the various Ministers and Board Presidents which made up the British cabinet into secretaries of state. By the end of the twentieth century, virtually all departmental cabinet ministers were secretaries of state, with the notable exception of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In contrast to the general stability of the Secretaryships before the 1960s, the exact number and duties of the various secretaries of state has been very fluid, with only the Foreign and Home Secretaries, the two original secretaries of state, maintaining a consistent portfolio.
The honorific title First Secretary of State
is awarded occasionally. It has been in existence since 1962 and has been in continuous use since 2009.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, a Secretary of State is a Cabinet
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
Minister in charge of a Government Department
Departments of the United Kingdom Government
Her Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom contains a number of Cabinet ministers who are usually called secretaries of state when they are in charge of Government departments called ministerial departments...
(though not all departments are headed by a Secretary of State, e.g. HM Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
is headed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
).
There are a number of Secretaries of State, each formally titled "Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for ...". Legislation generally only refers to "The Secretary of State" without specifying which one; by virtue of the Interpretation Act 1978
Interpretation Act 1978
The Interpretation Act 1978 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act makes provision for the interpretation of Acts of Parliament, Measures of the General Synod of the Church of England, Measures of the Church Assembly, subordinate legislation, "deeds and other instruments and...
this phrase means "one of Her Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State". These positions can be created without primary legislation
Primary legislation
Primary legislation is law made by the legislative branch of government. This contrasts with secondary legislation, which is usually made by the executive branch...
, nowadays at the behest of the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
.
History
The kings of the medieval Kingdom of EnglandKingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
always had in attendance a learned ecclesiastic, known at first as their "clerk", and afterwards as "secretary", who conducted the royal correspondence. Until the time of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, who reigned from 1509 to 1547, English kings generally had only one secretary, but at the end of his reign a second appeared. It was not until the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
(1558–1603) that these functionaries gained the title "Secretary of State". Upon the direction of public affairs passing from the Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
to the Cabinet
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
after 1688 the Secretaries of State began to assume those high duties which now render their office one of the most influential of an administration.
After the English Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
, the two posts came to be known as the Secretary of State for the Northern Department
Secretary of State for the Northern Department
The Secretary of State for the Northern Department was a position in the Cabinet of the government of Great Britain up to 1782. Before the Act of Union, 1707, the Secretary of State's responsibilities were in relation to the English government, not the British. Even after the Union, there was...
and the Secretary of State for the Southern Department
Secretary of State for the Southern Department
The Secretary of State for the Southern Department was a position in the cabinet of the government of Kingdom of Great Britain up to 1782.Before 1782, the responsibilities of the two British Secretaries of State were divided not based on the principles of modern ministerial divisions, but...
. Both dealt with Home Affairs, but they divided Foreign Affairs, so that one dealt with the Protestant states of northern Europe and the other with the Catholic states of southern Europe. In 1782, responsibilities were reallocated between the new posts of Secretary of State for the Home Department, dealing with the Secretary's domestic responsibilities, and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, dealing with foreign relations.
Owing to the increase of business consequent upon the Union with Scotland, a third Secretary of State
Secretary of State for Scotland
The Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...
gained appointment in 1708, but, with a vacancy occurring in this office in 1746, the third secretaryship disappeared until 1768, when a newly re-instituted third Secretary began to take charge of the increasing colonial
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
administrative work. In 1782, the office was again abolished, and the charge of the colonies transferred to the Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
. However, owing to the war of the First Coalition
First Coalition
The War of the First Coalition was the first major effort of multiple European monarchies to contain Revolutionary France. France declared war on the Habsburg monarchy of Austria on 20 April 1792, and the Kingdom of Prussia joined the Austrian side a few weeks later.These powers initiated a series...
with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1794, a third secretary re-appeared to superintend the activities of the War Department
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
. Seven years later, the colonial business became attached to his Department
Colonial Office
Colonial Office is the government agency which serves to oversee and supervise their colony* Colonial Office - The British Government department* Office of Insular Affairs - the American government agency* Reichskolonialamt - the German Colonial Office...
. In 1854, a fourth Secretary of State gained the exclusive charge of the War Department, and in 1858 a fifth Secretary (for India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
) began duties.
These five secretaries of state remained constant thereafter until after the first world war. In the post-war decade, three new secretaries of state were instituted - one for the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
was split out of the War Office; one for relations with Britain's self-governing Dominion
Dominion
A dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomous polities that were nominally under British sovereignty, constituting the British Empire and British Commonwealth, beginning in the latter part of the 19th century. They have included Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland,...
s was carved out of the Colonial Office, and the minister responsible for Scottish affairs was raised to the level of a Secretary of State.
This situation remained constant until after World War II. At the independence of India in 1947, the India Office and the Dominions Office were merged under a single Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations. A year before, the Secretaries for War and Air had lost their status as cabinet level ministers due to a reorganisation of British military command, being subordinated to a new Minister of Defence, and were finally abolished in 1964 and replaced with a new Secretary of State for Defence
Secretary of State for Defence
The Secretary of State for Defence, popularly known as the Defence Secretary, is the senior Government of the United Kingdom minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position...
. A few years later, with the increasing contraction of the British Empire, the Colonial and Commonwealth Relations offices were merged together, and in 1968 their responsibilities were subsumed within those of the Foreign Secretary.
By this time, however, the entire concept of a Secretary of State had been largely transformed, as Prime Minister Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
began in 1964 the process of transforming nearly all of the various Ministers and Board Presidents which made up the British cabinet into secretaries of state. By the end of the twentieth century, virtually all departmental cabinet ministers were secretaries of state, with the notable exception of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In contrast to the general stability of the Secretaryships before the 1960s, the exact number and duties of the various secretaries of state has been very fluid, with only the Foreign and Home Secretaries, the two original secretaries of state, maintaining a consistent portfolio.
Current positions
- Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth AffairsSecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth AffairsThe Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
(usually referred to as the Foreign Secretary) (1782; took current name 1968) - Secretary of State for the Home Department (usually referred to as the Home SecretaryHome SecretaryThe Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
) (1782) - Secretary of State for ScotlandSecretary of State for ScotlandThe Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...
(1926) - Secretary of State for Education (2007, took current name 2010)
- Secretary of State for DefenceSecretary of State for DefenceThe Secretary of State for Defence, popularly known as the Defence Secretary, is the senior Government of the United Kingdom minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position...
(1964) - Secretary of State for WalesSecretary of State for WalesThe Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
(1964) - Secretary of State for Work and PensionsSecretary of State for Work and PensionsThe Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is a post in the British Cabinet, responsible for the Department for Work and Pensions. It was created on 8 June 2001 by the merger of the Employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security.The Ministry...
(1968 both Minister of Labour and Minister of Social Security elevated to Secretary of State running separate departments; departments merged with current name 2001) - Secretary of State for Northern IrelandSecretary of State for Northern IrelandThe Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, informally the Northern Ireland Secretary, is the principal secretary of state in the government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State is a Minister of the Crown who is accountable to the Parliament of...
(1972) - Secretary of State for TransportSecretary of State for TransportThe Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
(1976; name not used 1979–1981; subsumed in other Departments 1997–2002) - Secretary of State for HealthSecretary of State for HealthSecretary of State for Health is a UK cabinet position responsible for the Department of Health.The first Boards of Health were created by Orders in Council dated 21 June, 14 November, and 21 November 1831. In 1848 a General Board of Health was created with the First Commissioner of Woods and...
(1988) - Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1992; took current name 2010)
- Secretary of State for International DevelopmentSecretary of State for International DevelopmentIn the United Kingdom, the Secretary of State for International Development is a Cabinet minister responsible for the Department for International Development and for promoting development overseas, particularly in the third world...
(1997) - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsSecretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsThe Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is a UK cabinet-level position in charge of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the successor to the positions of Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport...
(2001) - Secretary of State for Communities and Local GovernmentSecretary of State for Communities and Local GovernmentThe Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, is a Cabinet position heading the UK's Department for Communities and Local Government....
(2006) - Secretary of State for Justice (2007)
- Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (2007; took current name 2009)
- Secretary of State for Energy and Climate ChangeSecretary of State for Energy and Climate ChangeThe Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change is a British government cabinet position currently held by Chris Huhne. The government department was created on 3 October 2008 when former Prime Minister Gordon Brown reshuffled his cabinet....
(2008)
The honorific title First Secretary of State
First Secretary of State
First Secretary of State is an occasionally used title within the Government of the United Kingdom, principally regarded as purely honorific. The title, which implies seniority over all other Secretaries of State, has no specific powers or authority attached to it beyond that of any other Secretary...
is awarded occasionally. It has been in existence since 1962 and has been in continuous use since 2009.
Obsolete positions
- Secretary of State for the Northern DepartmentSecretary of State for the Northern DepartmentThe Secretary of State for the Northern Department was a position in the Cabinet of the government of Great Britain up to 1782. Before the Act of Union, 1707, the Secretary of State's responsibilities were in relation to the English government, not the British. Even after the Union, there was...
(1660–1782) - Secretary of State for the Southern DepartmentSecretary of State for the Southern DepartmentThe Secretary of State for the Southern Department was a position in the cabinet of the government of Kingdom of Great Britain up to 1782.Before 1782, the responsibilities of the two British Secretaries of State were divided not based on the principles of modern ministerial divisions, but...
(1660–1782) - Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1782-1968; merged into Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs))
- Secretary of State for the ColoniesSecretary of State for the ColoniesThe Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
(1768–1782 and 1854–1966; merged into Commonwealth Affairs) - Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1782–1968; merged into Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs)
- Secretary of State for WarSecretary of State for WarThe position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
(1794–1801 and 1854–1964; merged into Defence) - Secretary of State for War and the ColoniesSecretary of State for War and the ColoniesThe Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet level position responsible for the army and the British colonies . The Department was created in 1801...
(1801–1854; divided) - Secretary of State for IndiaSecretary of State for IndiaThe Secretary of State for India, or India Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister responsible for the government of India and the political head of the India Office...
(1858–1947; from 1935 known as India and Burma) - Secretary of State for AirSecretary of State for AirThe Secretary of State for Air was a cabinet level British position. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. It was created on 10 January 1919 to manage the Royal Air Force...
(1918–1964; merged into Defence) - Secretary of State for Dominion AffairsSecretary of State for Dominion AffairsThe position of Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs was a British cabinet level position created in 1925 responsible for British relations with the Dominions — Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Newfoundland, and the Irish Free State, as well as the self-governing colony of...
(1925–1947; merged into Commonwealth Relations) - Secretary of State for Commonwealth RelationsSecretary of State for Commonwealth RelationsThe Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations was a British Cabinet office existing between 1947 and 1966, responsible for dealing with British relationship with members of the Commonwealth of Nations . The position was created out of the old position of Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs...
(1947–1966; merged into Commonwealth Affairs) - Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development (1963–1964)
- Secretary of State for Education and Science (1964–1992; renamed Education)
- Secretary of State for Economic AffairsSecretary of State for Economic AffairsThe Secretary of State for Economic Affairs was briefly an office of Her Majesty's government in the United Kingdom. It was established by Harold Wilson in October 1964...
(1964–1969) - Secretary of State for Commonwealth AffairsSecretary of State for Commonwealth AffairsThe position of Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs was created on 1 August 1966 by the merger of the old positions of Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and Secretary of State for the Colonies. The position dealt with British relations with members of the Commonwealth of Nations...
(1966–1968; merged into Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs) - Secretary of State for Employment and ProductivitySecretary of State for EmploymentThe Secretary of State for Employment was a position in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. In 1995 it was merged with Secretary of State for Education to make the Secretary of State for Education and Employment...
(1968–1970; renamed Employment) - Secretary of State for Social ServicesSecretary of State for Work and PensionsThe Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is a post in the British Cabinet, responsible for the Department for Work and Pensions. It was created on 8 June 2001 by the merger of the Employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security.The Ministry...
(1968–1988; split into Health and Social Security) - Secretary of State for Local Government and Regional PlanningMinistry of Housing and Local GovernmentThe Ministry of Housing and Local Government was a United Kingdom government department formed after the Second World War, covering the areas of housing and local government....
(1969-1970; became Minister of State) - Secretary of State for the EnvironmentSecretary of State for the EnvironmentThe Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment . This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Building and Works on 15...
(1970–1997; renamed Environment, Transport and the Regions) - Secretary of State for EmploymentSecretary of State for EmploymentThe Secretary of State for Employment was a position in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. In 1995 it was merged with Secretary of State for Education to make the Secretary of State for Education and Employment...
(1970–1995; merged into Education and Employment) - Secretary of State for Energy (1974–1992; merged into Trade and Industry)
- Secretary of State for Trade (1974–1983; merged into Trade and Industry)
- Secretary of State for Industry (1974–1983; merged into Trade and Industry)
- Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection (1974–1979)
- Secretary of State for Social Security (1988–2001; renamed Work and Pensions)
- Secretary of State for Education (1992–1995; merged into Education and Employment)
- Secretary of State for National Heritage (1992–1997; renamed Culture, Media and Sport)
- Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1995–2001; split into Education and Skills and Work and Pensions)
- Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the RegionsSecretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the RegionsThe Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions was a UK Cabinet position created in 1997, with responsibility for the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions ....
(1997–2001; divided into Transport, Local Government and the Regions and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) - Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (2001–2002; divided into Transport and Office of the Deputy Prime Minister)
- Secretary of State for Constitutional AffairsSecretary of State for Constitutional AffairsThe Secretary of State for Justice is a senior position in the cabinet of the United Kingdom. It was created in 2007 replacing the abolished Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, which was originally intended to fulfil those functions of the office of Lord Chancellor which related to the...
(2003–2007; merged with some duties of Home to create Justice) - Secretary of State for Education and SkillsSecretary of State for Education and SkillsThe Secretary of State for Education is the chief minister of the Department for Education in the United Kingdom government. The position was re-established on 12 May 2010, held by Michael Gove....
(1964–2007; split into Children, Schools and Families and Innovation, Universities and Skills) - Secretary of State for Trade and IndustrySecretary of State for Trade and IndustryThe Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills is a cabinet position in the United Kingdom government. Its secondary title is the President of the Board of Trade...
(1970–2007; renamed Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) - Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (2007–2009; merged into Business, Innovation and Skills)
- Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and SkillsSecretary of State for Innovation, Universities and SkillsThe Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills was a Cabinet minister in the United Kingdom, heading the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills . The post was created on 28 June 2007 from parts of the Department for Education and Skills and the Department of Trade and...
(2007–2009; merged into Business, Innovation and Skills)