Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Encyclopedia
The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (formerly the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and previously Secretary of State for Trade and Industry) is a cabinet position in the United Kingdom government. Its secondary title is the President of the Board of Trade. The Secretary of State
Secretary of State (United Kingdom)
In the United Kingdom, a Secretary of State is a Cabinet Minister in charge of a Government Department ....

 is responsible for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is a ministerial department of the United Kingdom Government created on 5 June 2009 by the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform .-Ministers:The BIS...

 (formerly the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and previously the Department of Trade and Industry).

History

The idea of a Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...

 was first translated into action by Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....

 in 1655 when he appointed his son Richard Cromwell
Richard Cromwell
At the same time, the officers of the New Model Army became increasingly wary about the government's commitment to the military cause. The fact that Richard Cromwell lacked military credentials grated with men who had fought on the battlefields of the English Civil War to secure their nation's...

 to head a body of Lords of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...

, judges and merchants to consider measures to promote trade. Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...

 established a Council of Trade on 7 November 1660 followed by a Council of Foreign Plantations on 1 December that year. The two were united on 16 September 1672 as the Board of Trade and Plantations.

After the Board was re-established in 1696, there were 15 (and later 16) members of the Board - the 7 (later 8) Great Officers of State, and 8 unofficial members, who did the majority of the work. The senior unofficial member of the board was the President of the Board, commonly known as the First Lord of Trade. The board was abolished on 11 July 1782, but a Committee of the Privy Council was established on 5 March 1784 for the same purposes. On 23 August 1786 a new Committee was set up, more strongly focused on commercial functions than the previous boards of trade. At first the President of the Board of Trade only occasionally sat in 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....

, but from the early 19th century it was usually a cabinet level position.

During the government of Sir Alec Douglas-Home
Alec Douglas-Home
Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, KT, PC , known as The Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963 and as Sir Alec Douglas-Home from 1963 to 1974, was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1963 to October 1964.He is the last...

, the then President of the Board of Trade Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....

 was given in addition the job of Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development. This title was not continued under 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...

, but when Heath became Prime Minister in 1970 he decided to merge the Board of Trade and the Ministry of Technology
Minister of Technology
The Minister of Technology was a position in the government of the United Kingdom, sometimes abbreviated as "MinTech". The Ministry of Technology was established by the incoming government of Harold Wilson in October 1964 as part of Wilson's ambition to modernise the state for what he perceived to...

 to create the Department of Trade and Industry. The head of this department became known as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and President of the Board of Trade.

When 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...

 re-entered office in March 1974, the office was split into the Department of Trade, the Department of Industry and the Department of Prices and Consumer Protection
Department of Prices and Consumer Protection
The Department of Prices and Consumer Protection was a short-lived United Kingdom government department created by the incoming Labour government in 1974 when the functions of the Department of Trade and Industry were divided between three new departments...

. The title President of the Board of Trade became the secondary title of the Secretary of State for Trade. In 1979 the Department of Prices and Consumer Protection was abolished by the incoming Conservative government and its responsibilities were reintegrated into the Department of Trade. In 1983 the offices of trade and industry were remerged and the title of Secretary of State for Trade and Industry was recreated. When Michael Heseltine
Michael Heseltine
Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, CH, PC is a British businessman, Conservative politician and patron of the Tory Reform Group. He was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001 and was a prominent figure in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major...

 held this office, he preferred to be known by the older title of President of the Board of Trade, and this practice was also followed by Ian Lang
Ian Lang
Ian Bruce Lang, Baron Lang of Monkton PC is a former British Conservative MP for Galloway from 1979 to 1983 and for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale from 1983 to 1997....

 and Margaret Beckett
Margaret Beckett
Margaret Mary Beckett is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Derby South since 1983, rising to become the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party under John Smith, from 18 July 1992 to 12 May 1994, and briefly serving as Leader of the Party following Smith's death...

. Heseltine's decision to reuse the old title caused some comment and it was discovered that the Board of Trade had not in fact met since the mid-nineteenth century.

First Lord of Trade (1672–1782)

Name Portrait Took office Left office
The Earl of Shaftesbury 16 September 1672 1676
The Earl of Bridgewater
John Egerton, 3rd Earl of Bridgewater
John Egerton, 3rd Earl of Bridgewater was the eldest son of John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater and his wife Elizabeth Cavendish. His maternal grandparents were William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle and his first wife Elizabeth Basset.He served as a Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire as...

16 December 1695 9 June 1699
The Earl of Stamford
Thomas Grey, 2nd Earl of Stamford
Thomas Grey, 2nd Earl of Stamford PC was a British peer and politician.He was the only son of Thomas, Lord Grey of Groby, and inherited his title from his grandfather....

9 June 1699 8 January 1702
The Viscount Weymouth 8 January 1702 1705
The Earl of Stamford
Thomas Grey, 2nd Earl of Stamford
Thomas Grey, 2nd Earl of Stamford PC was a British peer and politician.He was the only son of Thomas, Lord Grey of Groby, and inherited his title from his grandfather....

1705 12 June 1711
The Earl of Winchilsea
Charles Finch, 4th Earl of Winchilsea
Charles Finch, 4th Earl of Winchilsea PC was a British peer and Member of Parliament, styled Viscount Maidstone until 1689. He was the son of William Finch, Lord Maidstone and Elizabeth Wyndham....

12 June 1711 15 September 1713
The Lord Guilford
Francis North, 2nd Baron Guilford
Francis North, 2nd Baron Guilford PC was a British peer and member of the House of Lords.-Life:In 1685, he succeeded his father as Baron Guilford. From 1703 to 1705, Guilford was Lord Lieutenant of Essex. In 1712, he was appointed to the Privy Council, and was First Lord of Trade from 1713 to...

15 September 1713 September 1714
The Lord Berkeley of Stratton
William Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley of Stratton
William Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley of Stratton PC, PC , was a British politician and judge. He was Master of the Rolls in Ireland between 16896 and 1731 and also held political office as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 1710 to 1714 and as First Lord of Trade from 1714 to...

September 1714 12 May 1715
The Earl of Suffolk
Henry Howard, 6th Earl of Suffolk
Henry Howard, 6th Earl of Suffolk, 1st Earl of Bindon PC was an English nobleman, styled Lord Walden from 1691 to 1706....

12 May 1715 31 January 1718
The Earl of Holderness
Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness
Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness, PC was a British peer and politician.Darcy was the second son of John Darcy, Lord Conyers, himself the eldest son of Conyers Darcy, 2nd Earl of Holderness. He was styled Lord Conyers when his father died in 1688 and later inherited his grandfather's earldom...

31 January 1718 11 May 1719
The Earl of Westmorland
Thomas Fane, 6th Earl of Westmorland
Thomas Fane, 6th Earl of Westmorland was a British peer and member of the House of Lords.He was a Privy Counsellor, First Lord of Trade, Custos Rotulorum of Northamptonshire, Justice in Eyre and Gentleman of the Bedchamber. His titles included Earl of Westmorland, Baron le Despencer, andBaron...

11 May 1719 May 1735
The Earl Fitzwalter
Benjamin Mildmay, 1st Earl FitzWalter
Benjamin Mildmay, 1st Earl FitzWalter PC , styled The Honourable Benjamin Mildmay until 1728 and known as The Lord FitzWalter between 1728 and 1730, was a British politician...

May 1735 June 1737
The Lord Monson
John Monson, 1st Baron Monson
John Monson, 1st Baron Monson PC , known as Sir John Monson, 5th Baronet, from 1727 to 1728, was a British politician....

June 1737 1 November 1748
The Earl of Halifax
George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax
George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, KG, PC was a British statesman of the Georgian era.-Early life:...

1 November 1748 21 March 1761
The Lord Sandys
Samuel Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys
Samuel Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys, PC was a British politician in the 18th century. He held numerous posts within the government of the United Kingdom, namely Chancellor of the Exchequer, Leader of the House of Commons, Cofferer of the Household and First Lord of Trade...

21 March 1761 1 March 1763
Hon. Charles Townshend
Charles Townshend
Charles Townshend was a British politician. He was born at his family's seat of Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, the second son of Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend, and Audrey , daughter and heiress of Edward Harrison of Ball's Park, near Hertford, a lady who rivalled her son in...

1 March 1763 20 April 1763
The Earl of Shelburne
William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne
William Petty-FitzMaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, KG, PC , known as The Earl of Shelburne between 1761 and 1784, by which title he is generally known to history, was an Irish-born British Whig statesman who was the first Home Secretary in 1782 and then Prime Minister 1782–1783 during the final...

20 April 1763 9 September 1763
The Earl of Hillsborough
Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire
Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire PC , known as the Viscount Hillsborough from 1742 to 1751 and as the Earl of Hillsborough from 1751 to 1789, was a British politician of the Georgian era...

9 September 1763 20 July 1765
The Earl of Dartmouth
William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth
William Legge 2nd Earl of Dartmouth PC, FRS , styled as Viscount Lewisham from 1732 to 1750, was a British statesman who is most remembered for his part in the government before and during the American Revolution....

20 July 1765 16 August 1766
The Earl of Hillsborough
Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire
Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire PC , known as the Viscount Hillsborough from 1742 to 1751 and as the Earl of Hillsborough from 1751 to 1789, was a British politician of the Georgian era...

16 August 1766 December 1766
The Viscount Clare
Robert Nugent, 1st Earl Nugent
Robert Craggs-Nugent, 1st Earl Nugent PC was an Irish politician and poet.-Background:The son of Michael Nugent and Mary, daughter of Robert Barnewall, 9th Baron Trimlestown, he was born at Carlanstown, County Westmeath...

19 January 1767 20 January 1768
The Earl of Hillsborough
Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire
Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire PC , known as the Viscount Hillsborough from 1742 to 1751 and as the Earl of Hillsborough from 1751 to 1789, was a British politician of the Georgian era...

20 January 1768 31 August 1772
The Earl of Dartmouth
William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth
William Legge 2nd Earl of Dartmouth PC, FRS , styled as Viscount Lewisham from 1732 to 1750, was a British statesman who is most remembered for his part in the government before and during the American Revolution....

31 August 1772 10 November 1775
Lord George Sackville-Germain 10 November 1775 6 November 1779
The Earl of Carlisle
Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle
Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle, KG, KT, PC was a British diplomat and the son of Henry Howard, 4th Earl of Carlisle and his second wife Isabella Byron....

6 November 1779 9 December 1780
The Lord Grantham
Thomas Robinson, 2nd Baron Grantham
Thomas Robinson, 2nd Baron Grantham PC was a British politician and statesman. He notably served as Foreign Secretary between 1782 and 1783.-Background and education:...

9 December 1780 11 July 1782

President of the Committee on Trade and Foreign Plantations (1784–1786)

Name Portrait Took office Left office
The Lord Sydney
Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney
Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney PC , was a British politician who held several important Cabinet posts in the second half of the 18th century...

5 March 1784 23 August 1786

President of the Board of Trade (1786–1900)

Name Portrait Took office Left office
The Earl of Liverpool
Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool
Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool PC , known as the Lord Hawkesbury between 1786 and 1796, was a British statesman. He was the father of Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool....

23 August 1786 7 June 1804
The Duke of Montrose
James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose
James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose KG, KT, PC , styled Marquess of Graham until 1790, was a Scottish nobleman and statesman.-Background:...

7 June 1804 5 February 1806
The Lord Auckland 5 February 1806 31 March 1807
The Earl Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst KG PC was a British politician.-Background and education:Lord Bathurst was the elder son of Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst, by his wife Tryphena, daughter of Thomas Scawen...

31 March 1807 29 September 1812
The Earl of Clancarty 29 September 1812 24 January 1818
Hon. F. J. Robinson 24 January 1818 21 February 1823
William Huskisson
William Huskisson
William Huskisson PC was a British statesman, financier, and Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Liverpool...

21 February 1823 4 September 1827
Charles Grant
Charles Grant, 1st Baron Glenelg
Charles Grant, 1st Baron Glenelg PC FRS was a Scottish politician and colonial administrator.-Background and education:...

4 September 1827 11 June 1828
Hon. William Vesey-FitzGerald
William Vesey-FitzGerald, 2nd Baron FitzGerald and Vesey
William Vesey-FitzGerald, 2nd Baron FitzGerald and Vesey PC, PC , FRS, FSA was an Irish statesman.-Background and education:...

11 June 1828 2 February 1830
John Charles Herries
John Charles Herries
John Charles Herries PC , known as J. C. Herries, was a British politician and financier and a frequent member of Tory and Conservative cabinets in the early to mid 19th century.-Background and education:...

2 February 1830 22 November 1830
The Lord Auckland
George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland
George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland, GCB, PC was a British Whig politician and colonial administrator. He was thrice First Lord of the Admiralty and also served as Governor-General of India between 1836 and 1842....

22 November 1830 5 June 1834
Charles Poulett Thomson
Charles Poulett Thomson, 1st Baron Sydenham
Charles Poulett Thomson, 1st Baron Sydenham PC was a British politician and the first Governor of the united Province of Canada.-Background:...

5 June 1834 14 November 1834
Alexander Baring
Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton
Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton PC was a British politician and financier.-Background:Baring was the second son of Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, and of Harriet, daughter of William Herring...

15 December 1834 8 April 1835
Charles Poulett Thomson
Charles Poulett Thomson, 1st Baron Sydenham
Charles Poulett Thomson, 1st Baron Sydenham PC was a British politician and the first Governor of the united Province of Canada.-Background:...

8 April 1835 29 August 1839
Henry Labouchere
Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton
Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton PC was a prominent British Whig and Liberal Party politician of the mid-19th century.-Background and education:...

29 August 1838 30 August 1841
The Earl of Ripon 3 September 1841 15 May 1843
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...

15 May 1843 5 February 1845
The Earl of Dalhousie
James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie
James Andrew Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie KT, PC was a Scottish statesman, and a colonial administrator in British India....

5 February 1845 27 June 1846
The Earl of Clarendon
George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon
George William Frederick Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon KG, GCB, PC , was an English diplomat and statesman.-Background and education:...

6 July 1846 22 July 1847
Henry Labouchere
Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton
Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton PC was a prominent British Whig and Liberal Party politician of the mid-19th century.-Background and education:...

22 July 1847 21 February 1852
J. W. Henley 27 February 1852 17 December 1852
Edward Cardwell
Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell
Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell PC, PC , FRS was a prominent British politician in the Peelite and Liberal parties during the middle of the 19th century...

28 December 1852 31 March 1855
The Lord Stanley of Alderley
Edward Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley
Edward John Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley PC , known as The Lord Eddisbury between 1848 and 1850, was a British politician.-Background:...

31 March 1855 21 February 1858
J. W. Henley 26 February 1858 3 March 1859
The Earl of Donoughmore
Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 4th Earl of Donoughmore
Richard John Hely-Hutchinson, 4th Earl of Donoughmore PC , styled Viscount Suirdale between 1832 and 1851, was a British Conservative politician.-Background:...

3 March 1859 11 June 1859
Thomas Milner Gibson
Thomas Milner Gibson
Thomas Milner Gibson PC was a British politician.-Background and education:Thomas Milner Gibson came of a Suffolk family, but was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, where his father was serving as an officer in the army...

6 July 1859 26 June 1866
Sir Stafford Northcote, Bt
Stafford Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh
Stafford Henry Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh GCB, PC , known as Sir Stafford Northcote, Bt, from 1851 to 1885, was a British Conservative politician...

6 July 1866 8 March 1867
The Duke of Richmond
Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond
Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox, and 1st Duke of Gordon KG PC , styled Lord Settrington until 1819 and Earl of March between 1819 and 1860, was a British Conservative politician.-Background and education:Born at Richmond House, London, he was the son of Charles...

8 March 1867 1 December 1868
John Bright
John Bright
John Bright , Quaker, was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with Richard Cobden in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League. He was one of the greatest orators of his generation, and a strong critic of British foreign policy...

9 December 1868 14 January 1871
Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue
Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue, 1st Baron Carlingford
Chichester Samuel Parkinson-Fortescue, 2nd Baron Clermont and 1st Baron Carlingford KP, PC , known as Chichester Fortescue until 1863 and as Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue between 1863 and 1874, Lord Carlingford from 1874 to 1887 and Lord Clermont after 1887, was a British statesman and Liberal...

14 January 1871 17 February 1874
Sir Charles Adderley 21 February 1874 4 April 1878
Viscount Sandon
Dudley Ryder, 3rd Earl of Harrowby
Dudley Francis Stuart Ryder, 3rd Earl of Harrowby PC, DL, JP , known as Viscount Sandon from 1847 to 1882, was a British peer and politician.-Political career:...

4 April 1878 21 April 1880
Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain was an influential British politician and statesman. Unlike most major politicians of the time, he was a self-made businessman and had not attended Oxford or Cambridge University....

3 May 1880 9 June 1885
The Duke of Richmond
Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond
Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox, and 1st Duke of Gordon KG PC , styled Lord Settrington until 1819 and Earl of March between 1819 and 1860, was a British Conservative politician.-Background and education:Born at Richmond House, London, he was the son of Charles...

24 June 1885 19 August 1885
Hon. Edward Stanhope
Edward Stanhope
Edward Stanhope was a British Conservative Party politician.-Background and education:Born in London, Stanhope was the second son of Philip Stanhope, 5th Earl Stanhope, by his wife Emily Harriet, daughter of General Sir Edward Kerrison, 1st Baronet...

19 August 1885 28 January 1886
A. J. Mundella 17 February 1886 20 July 1886
The Lord Stanley of Preston
Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby
Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby KG, GCB, GCVO, PC , known as Frederick Stanley until 1886 and as Lord Stanley of Preston between 1886 and 1893, was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom who served as Colonial Secretary from 1885 to 1886 and the sixth Governor General...

3 August 1886 21 February 1888
Sir Michael Hicks Beach, Bt 21 February 1888 11 August 1892
A. J. Mundella 18 August 1892 28 May 1894
James Bryce
James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce
James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce OM, GCVO, PC, FRS, FBA was a British academic, jurist, historian and Liberal politician.-Background and education:...

28 May 1894 21 June 1895
Charles Ritchie 29 June 1895 7 November 1900

President of the Board of Trade (1900–1963)

Name Portrait Took office Left office
Gerald Balfour
Gerald Balfour, 2nd Earl of Balfour
Gerald William Balfour, 2nd Earl of Balfour PC , known as Gerald Balfour until 1930, was a British nobleman and Conservative politician.-Background and education:...

7 November 1900 12 March 1905
The Marquess of Salisbury
James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury
James Edward Hubert Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, CB, PC , known as Viscount Cranborne from 1868 to 1903, was a British statesman.-Background and education:...

12 March 1905 4 December 1905
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...

10 December 1905 12 April 1908
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...

12 April 1908 14 February 1910
Sydney Buxton
Sydney Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton
Sydney Charles Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton GCMG, PC was a British Liberal politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.-Background and education:...

14 February 1910 11 February 1914
John Burns
John Burns
John Elliot Burns was an English trade unionist and politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly associated with London politics. He was a socialist and then a Liberal Member of Parliament and Minister. He was anti-alcohol and a keen sportsman...

11 February 1914 5 August 1914
Walter Runciman
Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford
Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford PC was a prominent Liberal, later National Liberal politician in the United Kingdom from the 1900s until the 1930s.-Background:...

5 August 1914 5 December 1916
Sir Albert Stanley
Albert Stanley, 1st Baron Ashfield
Albert Henry Stanley, 1st Baron Ashfield, PC, TD , born Albert Henry Knattriess, was a British-American who was managing director, then chairman of the Underground Electric Railways Company of London from 1910 to 1933 and chairman of the London Passenger Transport Board from 1933 to 1947.Although...

10 December 1916 26 May 1919
Sir Auckland Geddes
Auckland Geddes, 1st Baron Geddes
Auckland Campbell-Geddes, 1st Baron Geddes GCMG, KCB, PC was a British academic, soldier, politician and diplomat...

26 May 1919 19 March 1920
Sir Robert Horne
Robert Horne, 1st Viscount Horne of Slamannan
Robert Stevenson Horne, 1st Viscount Horne of Slamannan GBE, PC, KC was a Scottish businessman, advocate and Unionist politician. He served under David Lloyd George as Minister of Labour between 1919 and 1920, as President of the Board of Trade between 1920 and 1921 and as Chancellor of the...

19 March 1920 1 April 1921
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...

1 April 1921 19 October 1922
Sir Philip Lloyd-Greame
Philip Cunliffe-Lister, 1st Earl of Swinton
Philip Cunliffe-Lister, 1st Earl of Swinton GBE, CH, MC, PC , known as Philip Lloyd-Greame until 1924 and as The Viscount Swinton from 1935 until 1955, was a prominent British Conservative politician from the 1920s until the 1950s.-Background and early life:Born as Philip Lloyd-Graeme, he was the...

24 October 1922 22 January 1924
Sidney Webb 22 January 1924 3 November 1924
Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister
Philip Cunliffe-Lister, 1st Earl of Swinton
Philip Cunliffe-Lister, 1st Earl of Swinton GBE, CH, MC, PC , known as Philip Lloyd-Greame until 1924 and as The Viscount Swinton from 1935 until 1955, was a prominent British Conservative politician from the 1920s until the 1950s.-Background and early life:Born as Philip Lloyd-Graeme, he was the...

6 November 1924 4 June 1929
William Graham 7 June 1929 24 August 1931
Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister
Philip Cunliffe-Lister, 1st Earl of Swinton
Philip Cunliffe-Lister, 1st Earl of Swinton GBE, CH, MC, PC , known as Philip Lloyd-Greame until 1924 and as The Viscount Swinton from 1935 until 1955, was a prominent British Conservative politician from the 1920s until the 1950s.-Background and early life:Born as Philip Lloyd-Graeme, he was the...

25 August 1931 5 November 1931
Walter Runciman
Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford
Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford PC was a prominent Liberal, later National Liberal politician in the United Kingdom from the 1900s until the 1930s.-Background:...

5 November 1931 28 May 1937
Hon. Oliver Stanley
Oliver Stanley
Oliver Frederick George Stanley MC, PC was a prominent British Conservative politician who held many ministerial posts before his early death when it was expected he would soon assume higher office....

28 May 1937 5 January 1940
Sir Andrew Duncan 5 January 1940 3 October 1940
Oliver Lyttelton
Oliver Lyttelton, 1st Viscount Chandos
Oliver Lyttelton, 1st Viscount Chandos KG, PC, DSO, MC was a British businessman who was brought into government during the Second World War, holding a number of ministerial posts.-Background, education and military career:...

3 October 1940 29 June 1941
Sir Andrew Duncan 29 June 1941 4 February 1942
John Jestyn Llewellin
John Jestyn Llewellin, 1st Baron Llewellin
Colonel John Jestyn Llewellin, 1st Baron Llewellin GBE, PC, MC, TD was a British army officer, Conservative Party politician and minister in Winston Churchill's war government.-Background:...

4 February 1942 22 February 1942
Hugh Dalton
Hugh Dalton
Edward Hugh John Neale Dalton, Baron Dalton PC was a British Labour Party politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1945 to 1947, when he was implicated in a political scandal involving budget leaks....

22 February 1942 23 May 1945
Oliver Lyttelton
Oliver Lyttelton, 1st Viscount Chandos
Oliver Lyttelton, 1st Viscount Chandos KG, PC, DSO, MC was a British businessman who was brought into government during the Second World War, holding a number of ministerial posts.-Background, education and military career:...

25 May 1945 26 July 1945
Hon. Sir Stafford Cripps
Stafford Cripps
Sir Richard Stafford Cripps was a British Labour politician of the first half of the 20th century. During World War II he served in a number of positions in the wartime coalition, including Ambassador to the Soviet Union and Minister of Aircraft Production...

27 July 1945 29 September 1947
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...

29 September 1947 23 April 1951
Sir Hartley Shawcross 24 April 1951 26 October 1951
Peter Thorneycroft
Peter Thorneycroft
George Edward Peter Thorneycroft, Baron Thorneycroft CH, PC , was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1957 and 1958.-Biography:...

30 October 1951 13 January 1957
Sir David Eccles
David Eccles, 1st Viscount Eccles
David McAdam Eccles, 1st Baron Eccles and 1st Viscount Eccles, CH, KCVO, MP, PC was an English Conservative politician....

13 January 1957 14 October 1959
Reginald Maudling
Reginald Maudling
Reginald 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...

14 October 1959 9 October 1961
Frederick Erroll
Frederick Erroll, 1st Baron Erroll of Hale
Frederick James Erroll, 1st Baron Erroll of Hale TD PC was a British Conservative politician.-Background and education:...

9 October 1961 20 October 1963

Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development and President of the Board of Trade (1963–1964)

Name Portrait Took office Left office
Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....

20 October 1963 16 October 1964

President of the Board of Trade (1964–1970)

Name Portrait Took office Left office
Douglas Jay
Douglas Jay, Baron Jay
Douglas Patrick Thomas Jay, Baron Jay, PC was a British Labour Party politician.Educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford, Jay became a Fellow of All Souls between 1930 and 1937...

18 October 1964 29 August 1967
Anthony Crosland
Anthony Crosland
Charles Anthony Raven Crosland , otherwise Tony Crosland or C.A.R. Crosland, was a British Labour Party politician and author. He served as Member of Parliament for South Gloucestershire and later for Great Grimsby...

29 August 1967 6 October 1969
Roy Mason
Roy Mason
Roy Mason, Baron Mason of Barnsley, PC is a British Labour politician and former Cabinet minister.He was born in Royston, and grew up in Carlton, Barnsley in South Yorkshire...

6 October 1969 19 June 1970
Michael Noble
Michael Noble, Baron Glenkinglas
Michael Antony Cristobal Noble, Baron Glenkinglas PC was a Scottish Tory politician.Noble was the youngest son of Sir John Noble, 1st Baronet, and the grandson of Sir Andrew Noble, 1st Baronet, and was educated at Eton College and Magdalen College, Oxford...

20 June 1970 15 October 1970

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and President of the Board of Trade (1970–1974)

Name Portrait Took office Left office
John Davies
John Davies (businessman)
John Emerson Harding Harding-Davies, MBE, PC was a successful British businessman who served as Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry during the 1960s...

15 October 1970 5 November 1972
Peter Walker
Peter Walker, Baron Walker of Worcester
Peter Edward Walker, Baron Walker of Worcester, MBE, PC , was British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet as the Environment Secretary , Trade and Industry Secretary , Agriculture Minister , Energy Secretary and Welsh Secretary...

5 November 1972 4 March 1974

Secretary of State for TradePresident of the Board of Trade

! rowspan=2|Political party
|-
! colspan=2|Name
! Portrait
! Took office
! Left office
! colspan=2|Name
! Portrait
! Took office
! Left office
! colspan=2|Name
! Portrait
! Took office
! Left office
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| Tony Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...


|
| 5 March 1974
| 10 June 1975
! rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
| rowspan=2|Shirley Williams
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|5 March 1974
| rowspan=2|10 September 1976
! style="background-color: " |
|Peter Shore
Peter Shore
Peter David Shore, Baron Shore of Stepney PC was a British Labour politician and former Cabinet Minister, noted in part for his opposition to the United Kingdom's entry into the European Economic Community. His idiosyncratic left-wing nationalism led to comparison with the French politician...


|
| 5 March 1974
| 8 April 1976
| rowspan=4|Labour
|-
! rowspan=3 style="background-color: " |
| rowspan=3|Eric Varley
| rowspan=3|
| rowspan=3|10 June 1975
| rowspan=3|4 May 1979
! rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
| rowspan=2|Edmund Dell
Edmund Dell
Edmund Emanuel Dell was a British politician and businessman.Dell was born in London, the son of a Jewish manufacturer. In World War II he served in the Rifle Corps and the Royal Artillery, leaving as a first lieutenant...


| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|8 April 1976
| rowspan=2|11 November 1978
|-
! rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
| rowspan=2|Roy Hattersley
Roy Hattersley
Roy Sydney George Hattersley, Baron Hattersley is a British Labour politician, author and journalist from Sheffield. He served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1983 to 1992.-Early life:...


| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|10 September 1976
| rowspan=2|4 May 1979
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| John Smith
|
| 11 November 1978
| 4 May 1979
|-
! rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
| rowspan=2|Sir Keith Joseph, Bt
Keith Joseph
Keith St John Joseph, Baron Joseph, Bt, CH, PC , was a British barrister and politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet under three Prime Ministers , and is widely regarded to have been the "power behind the throne" in the creation of what came to be known as...


| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|4 May 1979
| rowspan=2|14 September 1981
| colspan=5 rowspan=4 align="center"|OFFICE ABOLISHED
! style="background-color: " |
| John Nott
John Nott
Sir John William Frederic Nott KCB is a former British Conservative Party politician prominent in the late 1970s and early 1980s...


|
| 5 May 1979
| 5 January 1981
| rowspan=4|Conservative
|-
! rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
| rowspan=2|John Biffen
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:...


| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|5 January 1981
| rowspan=2|6 April 1982
|-
! rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
| rowspan=2|Patrick Jenkin
Patrick Jenkin, Baron Jenkin of Roding
Charles Patrick Fleeming Jenkin, Baron Jenkin of Roding, PC is a British Conservative politician and the great-grandson of the scientist Fleeming Jenkin....


| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=2|14 September 1981
| rowspan=2|12 June 1983
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| The Lord Cockfield
|
| 6 April 1982
| 12 June 1983
|}

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and President of the Board of Trade (1983–2007)

Name Portrait Took office Left office
Cecil Parkinson
Cecil Parkinson
Cecil Parkinson, Baron Parkinson, PC , is a British Conservative politician and former Cabinet Minister.-Early life:...

12 June 1983 11 October 1983
Norman Tebbit
Norman Tebbit
Norman Beresford Tebbit, Baron Tebbit, CH, PC , is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet from 1981 to 1987 as Secretary of State for Employment...

16 October 1983 2 September 1985
Leon Brittan
Leon Brittan, Baron Brittan of Spennithorne
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...

2 September 1985 22 January 1986
Paul Channon 24 January 1986 13 June 1987
The Lord Young of Graffham
David Young, Baron Young of Graffham
David Ivor Young, Baron Young of Graffham, PC DL is a British Conservative politician and businessman.-Early life:Young is the elder son of a businessman who imported flour and later set up as a manufacturer of coats for children...

13 June 1987 24 July 1989
Hon. Nicholas Ridley
Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale
Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale, PC was a British Conservative Party politician and government minister.-Personal life:...

24 July 1989 13 July 1990
Peter Lilley
Peter Lilley
Peter Bruce Lilley MP is a British Conservative Party politician who has been a Member of Parliament MP since 1983. He currently represents the constituency of Hitchin and Harpenden and, prior to boundary changes, represented St Albans...

14 July 1990 10 April 1992
Michael Heseltine
Michael Heseltine
Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, CH, PC is a British businessman, Conservative politician and patron of the Tory Reform Group. He was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001 and was a prominent figure in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major...

10 April 1992 5 July 1995
Ian Lang† 5 July 1995 2 May 1997
Margaret Beckett
Margaret Beckett
Margaret Mary Beckett is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Derby South since 1983, rising to become the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party under John Smith, from 18 July 1992 to 12 May 1994, and briefly serving as Leader of the Party following Smith's death...

2 May 1997 27 July 1998
Peter Mandelson
Peter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...

27 July 1998 23 December 1998
Stephen Byers
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...

23 December 1998 8 June 2001
Patricia Hewitt
Patricia Hewitt
Patricia Hope Hewitt is an Australian-born British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Leicester West from 1997 until 2010. She served in the Cabinet until 2007, most recently as Health Secretary....

8 June 2001 6 May 2005
Alan Johnson
Alan Johnson
Alan Arthur Johnson is a British Labour Party politician who served as Home Secretary from June 2009 to May 2010. Before that, he filled a wide variety of cabinet positions in both the Blair and Brown governments, including Health Secretary and Education Secretary. Until 20 January 2011 he was...

††
6 May 2005 5 May 2006
Alistair Darling
Alistair Darling
Alistair 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...

5 May 2006 27 June 2007


† - Primarily referred to as President of the Board of Trade, and not as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

†† - Alan Johnson
Alan Johnson
Alan Arthur Johnson is a British Labour Party politician who served as Home Secretary from June 2009 to May 2010. Before that, he filled a wide variety of cabinet positions in both the Blair and Brown governments, including Health Secretary and Education Secretary. Until 20 January 2011 he was...

 was initially announced on 6 May 2005, after the general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....

, as being "Secretary of State for Productivity, Energy and Industry and President of the Board of Trade", but after just a week, on 13 May, it was declared that the new title would not be used, after widespread derision of the new name, because the abbreviation for Johnson's title, Productivity, Energy and Industry Secretary, would have been "PENIS"

Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and President of the Board of Trade (2007–2009)

Name Portrait Took office Left office
John Hutton 28 June 2007 3 October 2008
The Lord Mandelson
Peter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...

3 October 2008 5 June 2009

Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and President of the Board of Trade (since 2009)

Name Portrait Took office Left office
The Lord Mandelson
Peter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...

5 June 2009 11 May 2010
Vince Cable 12 May 2010 Incumbent
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