Secretary to the Treasury
Encyclopedia
In the United Kingdom
, there are several Secretaries to the Treasury, who are junior Treasury ministers nominally acting as secretaries to HM Treasury
. The origins of the office are unclear, although it probably originated during Lord Burghley's
tenure as Lord Treasurer in the 16th century. The number of secretaries was expanded to two by 1714 at the latest. The Treasury ministers together discharge all the former functions of the Lord Treasurer, which are nowadays nominally vested in the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury. Of the Commissioners, only the Chancellor of the Exchequer
is a Treasury minister. (The others are the Prime Minister and Government Whips.) The Chancellor is the senior treasury minister, followed by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury
, who is also a Cabinet Minister and has particular responsibilities for public expenditure. The junior ministers are Financial Secretary to the Treasury
, Economic Secretary to the Treasury
, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
, Commercial Secretary to the Treasury
. One of the present-day secretaries, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
, commonly known as the Patronage Secretary, is the Government Chief Whip
in the House of Commons
, not a Treasury minister. The office can be seen as a sinecure
, allowing the Chief Whip to draw a government salary, attend Cabinet, and use a Downing Street residence.
The Permanent Secretary to the Treasury
is the Civil Service
head of the department.
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...
, there are several Secretaries to the Treasury, who are junior Treasury ministers nominally acting as secretaries to 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...
. The origins of the office are unclear, although it probably originated during Lord Burghley's
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...
tenure as Lord Treasurer in the 16th century. The number of secretaries was expanded to two by 1714 at the latest. The Treasury ministers together discharge all the former functions of the Lord Treasurer, which are nowadays nominally vested in the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury. Of the Commissioners, only 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...
is a Treasury minister. (The others are the Prime Minister and Government Whips.) The Chancellor is the senior treasury minister, followed by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the third most senior ministerial position in HM Treasury, after the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer . In recent years, the office holder has usually been given a junior position in the British Cabinet...
, who is also a Cabinet Minister and has particular responsibilities for public expenditure. The junior ministers are Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Financial Secretary to the Treasury is a junior Ministerial post in the British Treasury. It is the 4th most significant Ministerial role within the Treasury after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and the Paymaster General...
, Economic Secretary to the Treasury
Economic Secretary to the Treasury
The Economic Secretary to the Treasury is the fifth most senior ministerial post in the UK Treasury, after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Paymaster-General and the Financial Secretary...
, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury is a junior ministerial post in the British Treasury, ranked below the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Paymaster General and the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, and alongside the Economic Secretary to the Treasury....
, Commercial Secretary to the Treasury
Commercial Secretary to the Treasury
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, or City Minister, is a United Kingdom Government minister in HM Treasury who ranks as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State. The position has a wide range of duties related to business, and the financial sector in particular...
. One of the present-day secretaries, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury is a junior ministerial position in the British Government. The holder is usually the Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons. However, the office is no longer attached to the Treasury...
, commonly known as the Patronage Secretary, is the Government Chief Whip
Chief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, not a Treasury minister. The office can be seen as a sinecure
Sinecure
A sinecure means an office that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service...
, allowing the Chief Whip to draw a government salary, attend Cabinet, and use a Downing Street residence.
Current Secretaries to the Treasury
- Chief Secretary to the TreasuryChief Secretary to the TreasuryThe Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the third most senior ministerial position in HM Treasury, after the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer . In recent years, the office holder has usually been given a junior position in the British Cabinet...
— The Rt Hon. Danny AlexanderDanny AlexanderDaniel 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....
MP - Parliamentary Secretary to the TreasuryParliamentary Secretary to the TreasuryThe Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury is a junior ministerial position in the British Government. The holder is usually the Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons. However, the office is no longer attached to the Treasury...
— The Rt Hon. Patrick McLoughlinPatrick McLoughlinPatrick Allen McLoughlin is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been a Member of Parliament since 1986, initially for West Derbyshire and since 2010 for its successor, the Derbyshire Dales constituency...
MP - Financial Secretary to the TreasuryFinancial Secretary to the TreasuryFinancial Secretary to the Treasury is a junior Ministerial post in the British Treasury. It is the 4th most significant Ministerial role within the Treasury after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and the Paymaster General...
— Mark HobanMark HobanMark Gerard Hoban MP is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Fareham, and the Financial Secretary to the Treasury.-Early life:...
MP - Economic Secretary to the TreasuryEconomic Secretary to the TreasuryThe Economic Secretary to the Treasury is the fifth most senior ministerial post in the UK Treasury, after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Paymaster-General and the Financial Secretary...
— Chloe SmithChloe SmithChloe Rebecca Smith is a British politician and the Conservative Member of Parliament for Norwich North. She was elected to the seat in a by-election on 23 July 2009 following the resignation of Labour MP Ian Gibson after the MPs' expenses scandal.-Early life:Born in Ashford, Kent, she was aged 3...
MP - Exchequer Secretary to the TreasuryExchequer Secretary to the TreasuryThe Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury is a junior ministerial post in the British Treasury, ranked below the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Paymaster General and the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, and alongside the Economic Secretary to the Treasury....
— David GaukeDavid GaukeDavid Michael Gauke British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for South West Hertfordshire and current Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.-Early life:...
MP - Commercial Secretary to the TreasuryCommercial Secretary to the TreasuryThe Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, or City Minister, is a United Kingdom Government minister in HM Treasury who ranks as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State. The position has a wide range of duties related to business, and the financial sector in particular...
— Lord SassoonJames Sassoon, Baron SassoonJames Meyer Sassoon, Baron Sassoon, Kt, FCA is the Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, a ministerial position in HM Treasury, the UK's finance ministry. Sassoon had a long career in the financial sector and previously served in various roles at the Treasury from 2002 to 2008, at which point he...
The Permanent Secretary to the Treasury
Permanent Secretary to the Treasury
The Permanent Secretary to the Treasury is the most senior civil servant at HM Treasury. The post originated as that of Assistant Secretary to the Treasury in 1805; that office was given new duties and renamed in 1867 as a Permanent Secretaryship....
is the Civil Service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
head of the department.
Secretaries to the Treasury, 1660–1830
- June 1660: Sir Philip WarwickPhilip WarwickSir Philip Warwick , English writer and politician, born in Westminster, was the son of Thomas Warwick, or Warrick, a musician....
- May 1667: Sir George Downing, BtSir George Downing, 1st BaronetSir George Downing, 1st Baronet was an Anglo-Irish soldier, statesman, and diplomat. Downing Street in London is named after him. As Treasury Secretary he is credited with instituting major reforms in public finance. His influence was substantial on the passage and substance of the mercantilist...
- October 1671: Sir Robert HowardRobert Howard (playwright)Sir Robert Howard was an English playwright and politician, born to Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire and his wife Elizabeth.-Life:...
- July 1673: Charles BertieCharles Bertie (senior)Captain Charles Bertie , British diplomat, was the fifth son of Montagu Bertie, 2nd Earl of Lindsey by his first wife, Martha Cokayne. He rose to serve as Secretary to the Treasury under his brother-in-law, the Earl of Danby, from 1673 until 1679, but did not wield significant political power...
- March 1679: Henry Guy
- April 1689: William JephsonWilliam JephsonWilliam Vincent Jephson was an English cricketer. Jephson was a right-handed batsman who played occasionally as a wicketkeeper....
- June 1691: Henry Guy
- March 1695: William Lowndes
Year Senior Secretary Junior Secretary 11 June 1711 William Lowndes Thomas Harley Thomas Harley (of Kinsham)Thomas Harley was a British politician, an ally of his cousin Robert Harley.He was the eldest surviving son of Thomas Harley, of Kinsham Court, and his wife Abigail Saltonstall Thomas Harley (c.1667 – 1738) was a British politician, an ally of his cousin Robert Harley.He was the eldest surviving...November 1714 John Taylor 12 October 1715 Horatio Walpole April 1717 Charles Stanhope April 1721 Horatio Walpole January 1724 John Scrope John ScropeJohn Scrope was a British lawyer and politician.He was the son of Thomas Scrope, a Bristol merchant, the third son and ultimate heir of Colonel Adrian Scrope of Wormsley in Oxfordshire, hung drawn and quartered after the restoration as one of the regicides of Charles I.Scrope was educated at the...24 June 1730 Edward Walpole Edward WalpoleSir Edward Walpole KB PC was a British politician, and a younger son of Sir Robert Walpole, Prime Minister from 1721 to 1742....1 June 1739 Stephen Fox Stephen Fox-Strangways, 1st Earl of IlchesterStephen Fox-Strangways, 1st Earl of Ilchester PC was a British peer and Member of Parliament.Ilchester was the son of Sir Stephen Fox and his second wife Christiana Hope. Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland, was his younger brother and Charles James Fox his nephew...30 April 1741 Henry Legge Henry Bilson LeggeHenry Bilson-Legge PC was an English statesman. He notably served three times as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 1750s and 1760s.-Background and education:...15 July 1742 Henry Furnese Henry FurneseHenry Furnese was a British politician.He was a Member of Parliament for Morpeth, Northumberland from 1738 to 1741....30 November 1742 John Jeffreys 1 May 1746 James West James West (antiquary)James West FRS was a British politician and antiquary, who served as President of the Royal Society between 1768 and 1772....9 April 1752 James West James West (antiquary)James West FRS was a British politician and antiquary, who served as President of the Royal Society between 1768 and 1772....
Nicholas Hardinge Nicholas HardingeNicholas Hardinge was an English civil servant, clerk to the House of Commons from 1731 to 1752 and then Secretary to the Treasury, and a Member of Parliament known also as a neo-Latin poet.-Life:...18 November 1756 Nicholas Hardinge Nicholas HardingeNicholas Hardinge was an English civil servant, clerk to the House of Commons from 1731 to 1752 and then Secretary to the Treasury, and a Member of Parliament known also as a neo-Latin poet.-Life:...
Samuel Martin Samuel Martin (Secretary to the Treasury)Samuel Martin was a British politician and administrator.-Family:He was the son of Samuel Martin, the leading plantation owner on the West Indies island of Antigua, where he was born, and eldest half-brother of Sir Henry Martin, 1st Baronet , for many years naval commissioner at Portsmouth and...5 July 1757 James West James West (antiquary)James West FRS was a British politician and antiquary, who served as President of the Royal Society between 1768 and 1772....9 April 1758 James West James West (antiquary)James West FRS was a British politician and antiquary, who served as President of the Royal Society between 1768 and 1772....
31 May 1758 Samuel Martin Samuel Martin (Secretary to the Treasury)Samuel Martin was a British politician and administrator.-Family:He was the son of Samuel Martin, the leading plantation owner on the West Indies island of Antigua, where he was born, and eldest half-brother of Sir Henry Martin, 1st Baronet , for many years naval commissioner at Portsmouth and...29 May 1762 Samuel Martin Samuel Martin (Secretary to the Treasury)Samuel Martin was a British politician and administrator.-Family:He was the son of Samuel Martin, the leading plantation owner on the West Indies island of Antigua, where he was born, and eldest half-brother of Sir Henry Martin, 1st Baronet , for many years naval commissioner at Portsmouth and...
Jeremiah Dyson Jeremiah DysonJeremiah Dyson was a British civil servant and politician.He studied at Edinburgh University and matriculated at Leiden University in 1742. He settled a pension on his friend Mark Akenside, the poet and physician, and later defended Akenside's The Pleasures of the Imagination against William...18 April 1763 Jeremiah Dyson Jeremiah DysonJeremiah Dyson was a British civil servant and politician.He studied at Edinburgh University and matriculated at Leiden University in 1742. He settled a pension on his friend Mark Akenside, the poet and physician, and later defended Akenside's The Pleasures of the Imagination against William...
Charles Jenkinson Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of LiverpoolCharles 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....24 August 1763 Charles Jenkinson Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of LiverpoolCharles 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....
Thomas Whateley 30 September 1765 William Mellish William MellishWilliam Mellish was an English Tory politician. He was Governor of the Bank of England from 1814 to 1816 and a Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby from 1796 to 1802 and from 1803 to 1806, then an MP for Middlesex from 1806 to 1820....
Charles Lowndes 18 August 1766 Sir Grey Cooper, Bt Grey CooperGrey Cooper was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1765 and 1790 and was Secretary to the Treasury under various administrations....
Thomas Bradshaw 16 October 1770 John Robinson 29 March 1782 Henry Strachey Sir Henry Strachey, 1st BaronetSir Henry Strachey, 1st Baronet was a British civil servant and politician.Strachey was the eldest son of Henry Strachey, of Sutton Court, Somerset, and his first wife Helen, daughter of Robert Clerk, a Scottish physician. His grandfather was the geologist John Strachey and his great-grandfather...
Edward Chamberlain 6 April 1782 Richard Burke 15 July 1782 Thomas Orde Thomas Orde-Powlett, 1st Baron BoltonThomas Orde-Powlett, 1st Baron Bolton PC was born Thomas Orde, son of John Orde of Morpeth, Northumberland. He was educated at Eton and at King's College, Cambridge, graduating Master of Arts in 1773....
George Rose George RoseThe Right Honourable George Rose was a British politician.Born at Woodside near Brechin, Scotland, Rose was the son of the Reverend David Rose of Lethnot, by Margaret, daughter of Donald Rose of Wester Clune...5 April 1783 Richard Brinsley Sheridan Richard Brinsley SheridanRichard Brinsley Butler Sheridan was an Irish-born playwright and poet and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. For thirty-two years he was also a Whig Member of the British House of Commons for Stafford , Westminster and Ilchester...
Richard Burke 27 December 1783 George Rose George RoseThe Right Honourable George Rose was a British politician.Born at Woodside near Brechin, Scotland, Rose was the son of the Reverend David Rose of Lethnot, by Margaret, daughter of Donald Rose of Wester Clune...
Thomas Steele Thomas Steele (politician)Thomas Steele was a British politician at the turn of the nineteenth century.After Westminster School and Cambridge, he was elected as MP for Chichester in 1780, holding the seat until 1807....26 February 1791 Charles Long Charles Long, 1st Baron FarnboroughCharles Long, 1st Baron Farnborough GCB PC PC FRS FSA was an English politician and connoisseur of the arts.-Early life:...24 March 1801 John Hiley Addington John Hiley AddingtonJohn Hiley Addington was a British Tory Party politician.-Background and education:Addington was the second son of Anthony Addington and his wife Mary, daughter of Haviland John Hiley. His older brother was Henry Addington, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and under whose...9 April 1801 Nicholas Vansittart 8 July 1802 Nicholas Vansittart John Sargent 21 May 1804 William Huskisson William HuskissonWilliam Huskisson PC was a British statesman, financier, and Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Liverpool...
William Sturges Bourne William Sturges BourneWilliam Sturges-Bourne PC , known as William Sturges until 1803, was a British Tory politician. He was briefly Home Secretary under George Canning in 1827.-Background and education:...10 February 1806 Nicholas Vansittart John King 2 September 1806 William Henry Fremantle William Henry FremantleSir William Henry Fremantle GCH, PC was a British courtier and politician. He served as Treasurer of the Household from 1826 to 1837.-Background:...1 April 1807 Hon. Henry Wellesley Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron CowleyHenry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley GCB was the youngest brother of the Duke of Wellington, and became a notable diplomat in his own right.-Life:...
William Huskisson William HuskissonWilliam Huskisson PC was a British statesman, financier, and Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Liverpool...5 April 1809 Charles Arbuthnot Charles ArbuthnotCharles Arbuthnot was a British diplomat and Tory politician. He was Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire between 1804 and 1807 and held a number of political offices. He was a good friend of the Duke of Wellington...8 December 1809 Richard Wharton 7 January 1814 Stephen Rumbold Lushington Stephen Rumbold LushingtonStephen Rumbold Lushington was an English Tory politician and an administrator in India. He was Governor of Madras from 1827 to 1835....7 February 1823 Stephen Rumbold Lushington Stephen Rumbold LushingtonStephen Rumbold Lushington was an English Tory politician and an administrator in India. He was Governor of Madras from 1827 to 1835....
John Charles Herries John Charles HerriesJohn 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:...19 April 1827 John Charles Herries John Charles HerriesJohn 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:...
Joseph Planta Joseph PlantaSir Joseph Planta GCH was a British diplomat and politician of Swiss descent. He was the MP for Hastings, England.Joseph Planta was the son of another Joseph Planta , who moved from Switzerland to England and who became the Principal Librarian of the British Museum in London...4 September 1827 Joseph Planta Joseph PlantaSir Joseph Planta GCH was a British diplomat and politician of Swiss descent. He was the MP for Hastings, England.Joseph Planta was the son of another Joseph Planta , who moved from Switzerland to England and who became the Principal Librarian of the British Museum in London...
Thomas Frankland Lewis 28 January 1828 George Robert Dawson George Robert DawsonGeorge Robert Dawson PC , was an Anglo-Irish Tory politician.-Background and education:Dawson was born at Castledawson, County Londonderry, Ireland, the son of Arthur Dawson, who represented Banagher, Midleton and Newtownards in the Irish Parliament, and Catherine Tyrone...
Other Secretaries to the Treasury, 1852–present
- Chief Secretary to the TreasuryChief Secretary to the TreasuryThe Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the third most senior ministerial position in HM Treasury, after the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer . In recent years, the office holder has usually been given a junior position in the British Cabinet...
- Financial Secretary to the TreasuryFinancial Secretary to the TreasuryFinancial Secretary to the Treasury is a junior Ministerial post in the British Treasury. It is the 4th most significant Ministerial role within the Treasury after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and the Paymaster General...
- Economic Secretary to the TreasuryEconomic Secretary to the TreasuryThe Economic Secretary to the Treasury is the fifth most senior ministerial post in the UK Treasury, after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Paymaster-General and the Financial Secretary...
- Exchequer Secretary to the TreasuryExchequer Secretary to the TreasuryThe Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury is a junior ministerial post in the British Treasury, ranked below the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Paymaster General and the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, and alongside the Economic Secretary to the Treasury....