The secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs, commonly known as the foreign secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The role is one of the most senior ministers in the UK Government and is a Great Office of State. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom and National Security Council, and reports directly to the prime minister.
The officeholder works alongside the other Foreign Office ministers. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow foreign secretary. The Foreign Affairs Select Committee also evaluates the secretary of state's performance.
The current foreign secretary is Yvette Cooper. She was appointed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer on 5 September 2025.
Responsibilities
The foreign secretary is responsible for overseeing the United Kingdom's foreign policy and international relations. The role broadly corresponds to that of a foreign minister in many other countries, while also encompassing additional responsibilities.
The foreign secretary's remit includes:
- Conducting relations with foreign states and international organisations
- Promoting British interests abroad
- Overseeing matters pertaining to the Commonwealth of Nations and the British Overseas Territories including ministerial authorisation of certain intelligence operations
Residence
The official residence of the foreign secretary is 1 Carlton Gardens in London. The foreign secretary also has the use of Chevening House, a country house in Kent.
History
The title of secretary of state in the government of England dates back to the early 17th century. The position of secretary of state for foreign affairs was created in the British governmental reorganisation of 1782, in which the Northern Department and Southern Department became the Foreign Office and Home Office respectively. The India Office was closed down in 1947. It had been a constituent predecessor department of the Foreign Office, like the Colonial Office and the Dominions Office.
The position of secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs came into existence in 1968 with the merger of the functions of secretary of state for foreign affairs and the secretary of state for commonwealth affairs into a single department of state. Margaret Beckett, appointed in 2006 by Tony Blair, was the first woman to hold the post.
The post of secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs was created in 2020 when position holder Dominic Raab absorbed the responsibilities of the secretary of state for international development. The position was incorporated as a corporation sole later that year.
The deputy secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs, also known as the deputy foreign secretary, was a minister of state position from 2023 to 2024, with responsibility to represent the foreign secretary in the House of Commons. It was created due to prime minister Rishi Sunak appointing former prime minister David Cameron a life peer in November 2023 to serve as foreign secretary from the House of Lords. Andrew Mitchell was the only holder of the office.
List of foreign secretaries
Secretaries of state for foreign affairs (1782–1968)
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
! colspan=2 | Portrait
! Name
! colspan=2 | Term of office
! Party
! Ministry
! Monarch<br/>
|-
| style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Charles James Fox<br/>
| 27 March 1782
| 5 July 1782
| | Whig
| | Rockingham II
! scope=row style="text-align:center" rowspan=16 | George III<br/>50px<br/><br/>
|-
| style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Thomas Robinson<br/>2nd Baron Grantham
| 13 July 1782
| 2 April 1783
| | Whig
| | Shelburne<br/>
|-
| style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Charles James Fox<br />
| 2 April 1783
| 19 December 1783
| | Whig
| | Fox–North
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| George Nugent-Temple-Grenville<br/>3rd Earl Temple
| 19 December 1783
| 23 December 1783
| | Tory
| rowspan=4 | Pitt I
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| <br/>Francis Osborne<br/>5th Duke of Leeds
| 23 December 1783
| May 1791
| | Tory
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| William Grenville<br/>1st Baron Grenville
| 8 June 1791
| 20 February 1801
| | Tory
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Robert Jenkinson<br/>2nd Baron Hawkesbury<br/>MP for Rye
| rowspan=2 | 20 February 1801
| rowspan=2 | 14 May 1804
| rowspan=2 | Tory
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| | Addington
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Dudley Ryder<br/>2nd Baron Harrowby
| 14 May 1804
| 11 January 1805
| | Tory
| rowspan=2 | Pitt II
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Henry Phipps<br/>3rd Baron Mulgrave
| 11 January 1805
| 7 February 1806
| | Tory
|-
| style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Charles James Fox<br/>
| 7 February 1806
| 13 September 1806
| | Whig
| rowspan=2 | All the Talents<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Charles Grey<br/>Viscount Howick<br/>
| 24 September 1806
| 25 March 1807
| | Whig
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| <br/>George Canning<br/>
| 25 March 1807
| 11 October 1809
| | Tory
| | Portland II
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Henry Bathurst<br/>3rd Earl Bathurst
| 11 October 1809
| 6 December 1809
| | Tory
| rowspan=2 | Perceval
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Richard Wellesley<br/>1st Marquess Wellesley
| 6 December 1809
| 4 March 1812
| | Independent
|-
! height=50 style="background-color: ; border-bottom:none" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Robert Stewart<br/>2nd Marquess of Londonderry
<small>MP for 3 constituencies respectively</small>
| rowspan=2 | 4 March 1812
| rowspan=2 | 12 August 1822
| rowspan=2 | Tory
| rowspan=3 | Liverpool
|-
! height=50 style="background-color: ; border-top:none" |
! scope=row style="text-align:center" rowspan=6 | George IV<br/>50px
|-
| style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| George Canning<br/>
| 16 September 1822
| 30 April 1827
| | Tory
|-
! rowspan=2 style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=3 | 75px
| rowspan=3 | John Ward<br/>1st Earl of Dudley
| rowspan=3 | 30 April 1827
| rowspan=3 | 2 June 1828
| rowspan=3 | Tory
| | Canning<br/>
|-
| | Goderich
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=3 | Wellington–Peel
|-
! height=50 style="background-color: ; border-bottom:none" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | George Hamilton-Gordon<br/>4th Earl of Aberdeen
| rowspan=2 | 2 June 1828
| rowspan=2 | 22 November 1830
| rowspan=2 | Tory
|-
! height=50 style="background-color: ; border-top:none" |
! scope=row style="text-align:center" rowspan=6 | William IV<br/>50px
|-
! rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Henry John Temple<br/>3rd Viscount Palmerston<br/><small>MP for 3 constituencies respectively</small>
| rowspan=2 | 22 November 1830
| rowspan=2 | 14 November 1834
| rowspan=2 | Whig
| | Grey
|-
| | Melbourne I
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Arthur Wellesley<br/>1st Duke of Wellington
| rowspan=2 | 14 November 1834
| rowspan=2 | 18 April 1835
| | Tory
| | Wellington Caretaker
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| | Conservative
| | Peel I
|-
! height=50 style="background-color: ; border-bottom:none" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Henry John Temple<br/>3rd Viscount Palmerston<br/>MP for Tiverton
| rowspan=2 | 18 April 1835
| rowspan=2 | 2 September 1841
| rowspan=2 | Whig
| rowspan=2 | Melbourne II
|-
! height=50 style="background-color: ; border-top:none" |
! scope=row style="text-align:center" rowspan=25 | Victoria<br/>50px<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| George Hamilton-Gordon<br/>4th Earl of Aberdeen
| 2 September 1841
| 6 July 1846
| | Conservative
| | Peel II
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Henry John Temple<br/>3rd Viscount Palmerston<br/>MP for Tiverton
| 6 July 1846
| 26 December 1851
| | Whig
| rowspan=2 | Russell I
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Granville Leveson-Gower<br/>2nd Earl Granville
| 26 December 1851
| 27 February 1852
| | Whig
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| James Howard Harris<br/>3rd Earl of Malmesbury
| 27 February 1852
| 28 December 1852
| | Conservative
| | Who? Who?
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Lord John Russell<br/>
| 28 December 1852
| 21 February 1853
| | Whig
| rowspan=2 | Aberdeen<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | George Villiers<br/>4th Earl of Clarendon
| rowspan=2 | 21 February 1853
| rowspan=2 | 26 February 1858
| rowspan=2 | Whig
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| | Palmerston I
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| James Howard Harris<br/>3rd Earl of Malmesbury
| 26 February 1858
| 18 June 1859
| | Conservative
| | Derby–Disraeli II
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| 75px
| John Russell<br/>1st Earl Russell
| 18 June 1859
| 3 November 1865
| | Liberal
| | Palmerston II
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| George Villiers<br/>4th Earl of Clarendon
| 3 November 1865
| 6 July 1866
| | Liberal
| | Russell II
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Edward Stanley<br/>Lord Stanley<br/>MP for King's Lynn
| 6 July 1866
| 9 December 1868
| | Conservative
| | Derby–Disraeli III
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| George Villiers<br/>4th Earl of Clarendon
| 9 December 1868
| 6 July 1870
| | Liberal
| rowspan=2 | Gladstone I
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Granville Leveson-Gower<br/>2nd Earl Granville
| 6 July 1870
| 21 February 1874
| | Liberal
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Edward Stanley<br/>15th Earl of Derby
| 21 February 1874
| 2 April 1878
| | Conservative
| rowspan=2 | Disraeli II
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Robert Gascoyne-Cecil<br/>3rd Marquess of Salisbury
| 2 April 1878
| 28 April 1880
| | Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Granville Leveson-Gower<br/>2nd Earl Granville
| 28 April 1880
| 24 June 1885
| | Liberal
| | Gladstone II
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Robert Gascoyne-Cecil<br/>3rd Marquess of Salisbury
| 24 June 1885
| 6 February 1886
| | Conservative
| | Salisbury I
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Archibald Primrose<br/>5th Earl of Rosebery
| 6 February 1886
| 3 August 1886
| | Liberal
| | Gladstone III
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Stafford Northcote<br/>1st Earl of Iddesleigh
| 3 August 1886
| 12 January 1887
| | Conservative
| rowspan=2 | Salisbury II
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Robert Gascoyne-Cecil<br/>3rd Marquess of Salisbury
| 14 January 1887
| 11 August 1892
| | Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Archibald Primrose<br/>5th Earl of Rosebery
| 18 August 1892
| 11 March 1894
| | Liberal
| | Gladstone IV
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 109x109px
| John Wodehouse<br/>1st Earl of Kimberley
| 11 March 1894
| 21 June 1895
| | Liberal
| | Rosebery
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Robert Gascoyne-Cecil<br/>3rd Marquess of Salisbury
| 29 June 1895
| 12 November 1900
| | Conservative
| rowspan=3 | Salisbury<br/><br/>
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=3 | 75px
| rowspan=3 | Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice<br/>5th Marquess of Lansdowne
| rowspan=3 | 12 November 1900
| rowspan=3 | 4 December 1905
| rowspan=3 | Liberal Unionist
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
! scope=row style="text-align:center" rowspan=4 | Edward VII<br/>50px<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| | Balfour
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=4 | 75px
| rowspan=4 | Sir Edward Grey, 3rd Bt.<br/>MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed
| rowspan=4 | 10 December 1905
| rowspan=4 | 10 December 1916
| rowspan=4 | Liberal
| | Campbell-Bannerman
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=2 | Asquith<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
! scope=row style="text-align:center" rowspan=13 | George V<br/>50px
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| | Asquith Coalition<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Arthur Balfour<br/>MP for the City of London
| 10 December 1916
| 23 October 1919
| | Conservative
| rowspan=2 | Lloyd George<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=3 | 75px
| rowspan=3 | George Curzon<br/>1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston
| rowspan=3 | 23 October 1919
| rowspan=3 | 22 January 1924
| rowspan=3 | Conservative
|-
! rowspan=2 style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| | Law
|-
| | Baldwin I
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Ramsay MacDonald<br/>
| 22 January 1924
| 3 November 1924
| | Labour
| | MacDonald I
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Austen Chamberlain<br/>
| 6 November 1924
| 4 June 1929
| | Conservative
| | Baldwin II
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Arthur Henderson<br/>
| 7 June 1929
| 24 August 1931
| | Labour
| | MacDonald II
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Rufus Isaacs<br/>1st Marquess of Reading
| 25 August 1931
| 5 November 1931
| | Liberal
| | National I<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Sir John Simon<br/>MP for Spen Valley
| 5 November 1931
| 7 June 1935
| | Liberal National
| | National II
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Sir Samuel Hoare, 2nd Bt.<br/>MP for Chelsea
| 7 June 1935
| 18 December 1935
| | Conservative
| rowspan=4 | National III<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=4 | 75px
| rowspan=4 | Anthony Eden<br/>
| rowspan=4 | 22 December 1935
| rowspan=4 | 20 February 1938
| rowspan=4 | Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
! scope=row style="text-align:center" | Edward VIII<br/>50px<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
! scope=row style="text-align:center" rowspan=10 | George VI<br/>50px
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=2 | National IV
|-
! style="background-color: ; border-bottom: none" |
| rowspan=3 | 75px
| rowspan=3 | Edward Wood<br/>3rd Viscount Halifax
| rowspan=3 | 21 February 1938
| rowspan=3 | 22 December 1940
| rowspan=3 | Conservative
|-
! rowspan=2 style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| | Chamberlain War
|-
| rowspan=2 | Churchill War<br/>
|-
! rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Anthony Eden<br/>
| rowspan=2 | 22 December 1940
| rowspan=2 | 26 July 1945
| rowspan=2 | Conservative
|-
| | Churchill Caretaker<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Ernest Bevin<br/>
| 27 July 1945
| 9 March 1951
| | Labour
| rowspan=2 | Attlee<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Herbert Morrison<br/>
| 9 March 1951
| 26 October 1951
| | Labour
|-
! height=50 style="background-color: ; border-bottom:none" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Anthony Eden<br/>
| rowspan=2 | 28 October 1951
| rowspan=2 | 7 April 1955
| rowspan=2 | Conservative
| rowspan=2 | Churchill III
|-
! height=50 style="background-color: ; border-top:none" |
! scope=row style="text-align:center" rowspan=10 | Elizabeth II<br/>50px
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Harold Macmillan<br/>
| 7 April 1955
| 20 December 1955
| | Conservative
| rowspan=2 | Eden
|-
! rowspan=2 style="background-color: " |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Selwyn Lloyd<br/>
| rowspan=2 | 20 December 1955
| rowspan=2 | 27 July 1960
| rowspan=2 | Conservative
|-
| rowspan=2 | Macmillan<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Alec Douglas-Home<br/>14th Earl of Home
| 27 July 1960
| 18 October 1963
| | Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Richard Austen Butler<br/>
| 20 October 1963
| 16 October 1964
| | Conservative
| | Douglas-Home
|-
! style="background-color: " |
|
| Patrick Gordon Walker<br/>
| 16 October 1964
| 22 January 1965
| | Labour
| rowspan=4 | Wilson<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Michael Stewart<br/>
| 22 January 1965
| 11 August 1966
| | Labour
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| George Brown<br/>
| 11 August 1966
| 16 March 1968
| | Labour
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Michael Stewart<br/>
| 16 March 1968
| 17 October 1968
| | Labour
|}
: Died in office.
Secretaries of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs (1968–2020)
Post created through the merger of the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs
! colspan=2 | Portrait
! Name<br/>
! colspan=2 |Term of office
! Party
! Ministry
! Sovereign<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Michael Stewart<br/>
| 17 October 1968
| 19 June 1970
| | Labour
| | Wilson<br/>
! rowspan="27" scope="row" style="text-align:center" | Elizabeth II<br/>50px<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Alec Douglas-Home<br/>
| 20 June 1970
| 4 March 1974
| | Conservative
| | Heath
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| James Callaghan<br/>
| 5 March 1974
| 5 April 1976
| | Labour
| | Wilson<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Anthony Crosland<br/>
| 8 April 1976
| 19 February 1977
| | Labour
| rowspan=2 | Callaghan
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 103x103px
| David Owen<br/>
| 22 February 1977
| 4 May 1979
| | Labour
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Peter Carington<br/>6th Baron Carrington<br/>
| 4 May 1979
| 5 April 1982
| | Conservative
| rowspan=2 | Thatcher I
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| Francis Pym<br/>
| 6 April 1982
| 11 June 1983
| | Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Geoffrey Howe<br/>
| rowspan=2 | 11 June 1983
| rowspan=2 | 24 July 1989
| rowspan=2 | Conservative
| | Thatcher II
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=3 | Thatcher III
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| John Major<br/>
| 24 July 1989
| 26 October 1989
| | Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=3 | 99x99px
| rowspan=3 | Douglas Hurd<br/>
| rowspan=3 | 26 October 1989
| rowspan=3 | 5 July 1995
| rowspan=3 | Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| | Major I
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=2 | Major II
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 100x100px
| Malcolm Rifkind<br/>
| 5 July 1995
| 2 May 1997
| | Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| 75px
| Robin Cook<br/>
| 2 May 1997
| 8 June 2001
| | Labour
| | Blair I
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=2 | 101x101px
| rowspan=2 | Jack Straw<br/>
| rowspan=2 | 8 June 2001
| rowspan=2 | 5 May 2006
| rowspan=2 | Labour
| | Blair II
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=2 | Blair III
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 109x109px
| Margaret Beckett<br/>
| 5 May 2006
| 27 June 2007
| | Labour
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| David Miliband<br/>
| 28 June 2007
| 11 May 2010
| | Labour
| | Brown
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 75px
| William Hague<br/>
| 12 May 2010
| 14 July 2014
| | Conservative
| rowspan=2 | Cameron–Clegg<br/>
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=2 | 98x98px
| rowspan=2 | Philip Hammond<br/>
| rowspan=2 | 14 July 2014
| rowspan=2 | 13 July 2016
| rowspan=2 | Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: ; border-top:none" |
| | Cameron II
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Boris Johnson<br/>
| rowspan=2 | 13 July 2016
| rowspan=2 | 9 July 2018
| rowspan=2 | Conservative
| | May I
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=2 | May II
|-
! style="background-color: " |
| 100x100px
| Jeremy Hunt<br/>
| 9 July 2018
| 24 July 2019
| | Conservative
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| rowspan=2 | 100x100px
| rowspan=2 | Dominic Raab<br/>
| rowspan=2 | 24 July 2019
| rowspan=2 | 2 September 2020
| rowspan=2 | Conservative
| | Johnson I
|-
! style="background-color: ; border:none" |
| | Johnson II
|}
Secretaries of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs (2020–present)
Post created through the merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development.
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+
! colspan=2 | Portrait
! Name<br/>
! colspan=2 |Term of office
! Party
! Ministry
! Sovereign<br/>
|- style="height:1em"
! style="background-color: |
| 75px
| Dominic Raab<br/>
| 2 September 2020
| 15 September 2021
| | Conservative
| rowspan=2 | Johnson II
! rowspan="2" scope="row" style="text-align:center; border-style: solid solid none solid" | Elizabeth II<br/>50px<br/>
|- style="height:1em"
! style="background-color: |
| 95x95px
| Liz Truss<br/>
| 15 September 2021
| 6 September 2022
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan=3 style="background-color: |
| rowspan=3 | 99x99px
| rowspan=3 | James Cleverly<br/>
| rowspan=3 | 6 September 2022
| rowspan=3 | 13 November 2023
| rowspan=3 | Conservative
| rowspan=2 | Truss
| style="background:#eaecf0 ; border-style: none solid solid solid ;" |
|- style="height:1em"
! rowspan=5 scope=row style="text-align:Center" | Charles III<br/>60px<br/><small>(2022–present)</small>
|-
| rowspan=2 | Sunak
|- style="height:1em"
! style="background-color: |
| 75px
| rowspan=1 | David Cameron<br/>
| rowspan=1 | 13 November 2023
| rowspan=1 | 5 July 2024
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em"
! style="background-color: " |
| 100x100px
| rowspan="1" | David Lammy <br />
| rowspan="1" | 5 July 2024
| rowspan="1" | 5 September 2025
| | Labour
| rowspan="2" | Starmer
|- style="height:1em"
! style="background-color: |
| 99x99px
| rowspan=1 | Yvette Cooper <br/>
| rowspan=1 | 5 September 2025
| rowspan=1 | Incumbent
| | Labour
|}
Timeline
See also
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
- Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
- Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs
- Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
- Secretary of State for the Colonies
- Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
- Ministry of foreign affairs
- Great Offices of State
References
Further reading
- Cecil, Algernon. British foreign secretaries, 1807–1916: studies in personality and policy (1927). pp. 89–130. online
- Goodman, Sam. The Imperial Premiership: The Role of the Modern Prime Minister in Foreign Policy Making, 1964–2015 (Oxford UP, 2016).
- Hughes, Michael. British Foreign Secretaries in an Uncertain World, 1919–1939. (Routledge, 2004).
- Johnson, Gaynor. "Introduction: The Foreign Office and British Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century", Contemporary British History, (2004) 18:3, 1–12,
- Morris, Ted. Managing Decline: British Foreign Secretaries of the Twentieth Century (Troubador, 2026).
- Neilson, Keith, and Thomas G. Otte. The permanent under-secretary for foreign affairs, 1854–1946 (Routledge, 2008).
- Otte, Thomas G. The Foreign Office Mind: The Making of British Foreign Policy, 1865–1914 (Cambridge UP, 2011).
- Seldon, Anthony. The Impossible Office? The History of the British Prime Minister (2021) excerpt major scholarly history. Covers the relations with Prime Minister in Chapter 8.
- Shlaim, Avi; Jones, Peter and Sainsbury, Keith, ed. British Foreign Secretaries Since 1945 (David & Charles, 1977). Covers up to Sir Alec Douglas-Home leaving office in 1974.
- Steiner, Zara. The Foreign Office and Foreign Policy, 1898–1914 (1986).
- Temperley, Harold. "British Secret Diplomacy from Canning to Grey." Cambridge Historical Journal 6.1 (1938): 1–32.
- Theakston, Kevin, ed. British foreign secretaries since 1974 (Routledge, 2004).
- Wilson, Keith M., ed. British foreign secretaries and foreign policy: from Crimean War to First World War (1987).
- Ziegner, Graham, ed. British Diplomacy: Foreign Secretaries Reflect (Politico's, 1907).
External links
- FCDO website