<!-- See WP:SDNONE for list articles -->
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the principal minister of the crown of His Majesty's Government, and the head of the British Cabinet.
There is no specific date for when the office of prime minister first appeared, as the role was not created but rather evolved over time through a merger of duties. The term was regularly, if informally, used by Robert Walpole by the 1730s. It was used in the House of Commons as early as 1805, and it was certainly in parliamentary use by the 1880s, but did not become the official title until 1905, when Henry Campbell-Bannerman was prime minister.
Historians generally consider Robert Walpole, who led the government of the Kingdom of Great Britain for over twenty years from 1721, to be the first prime minister. Walpole is also the longest-serving British prime minister by this definition. The first prime minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was William Pitt the Younger at its creation on 1 January 1801. The first to use the title in an official act was Benjamin Disraeli who signed the 1878 Treaty of Berlin as "Prime Minister of Her Britannic Majesty".
In 1905, the post of prime minister was officially given recognition in the order of precedence, with the incumbent Henry Campbell-Bannerman the first officially referred to as "prime minister". The first prime minister of the current United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland upon its creation in 1922 (when 26 Irish counties seceded and created the Irish Free State) was Andrew Bonar Law, although the country was not renamed officially until 1927, when Stanley Baldwin was the serving prime minister.
The current prime minister is Keir Starmer, who assumed the office on 5 July 2024.
Before the Kingdom of Great Britain
Before the Union of England and Scotland in 1707, the Treasury of England was led by the Lord High Treasurer. By the late Tudor period, the Lord High Treasurer was regarded as one of the Great Officers of State, and was often (though not always) the dominant figure in government: Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (lord high treasurer, 1547–1549), served as lord protector to his young nephew King Edward VI; William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (lord high treasurer, 1572–1598), was the dominant minister to Queen Elizabeth I; Burghley's son Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, succeeded his father as Chief Minister to Elizabeth (1598–1603) and was eventually appointed by King James I as lord high treasurer (1608–1612).
By the late Stuart period, the Treasury was often run not by a single individual (i.e., the lord high treasurer) but by a commission of lords of the Treasury, led by the first lord of the Treasury. The last lords high treasurer, Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin (1702–1710) and Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford (1711–1714), ran the government of Queen Anne.
From 1707 to 1721
Following the succession of George I in 1714, the arrangement of a commission of lords of the Treasury (as opposed to a single lord high treasurer) became permanent. For the next three years, the government was headed by Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend, who was appointed Secretary of State for the Northern Department. Subsequently, Lords Stanhope and Sunderland ran the government jointly, with Stanhope managing foreign affairs and Sunderland domestic. Stanhope died in February 1721 and Sunderland resigned two months later; Townshend and Robert Walpole were then invited to form the next government. From that point, the holder of the of first lord also usually (albeit unofficially) held the status of prime minister. It was not until the Edwardian era that the title was constitutionally recognised. The prime minister still holds the office of first lord by constitutional convention, the only exceptions being the Earl of Chatham and the Marquess of Salisbury.
Since 1721
Prime ministers
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible sticky-header-multi" style="line-height:1.4em; text-align:center;"
|+ List of prime ministers of Great Britain or the United Kingdom since 1721
|-
! rowspan=2 colspan=2 scope="col" class="unsortable" | Portrait
! rowspan=2 scope="col" class="unsortable" | Prime minister
! colspan=3 scope="colgroup" | Term of office
! rowspan=2 scope="col" | Mandate
! rowspan=2 style="font-size:small; line-height:normal" scope="col" class="unsortable" | Ministerial offices held as prime minister
! rowspan=2 scope="col" | Party
! rowspan=2 scope="col" | Government
! rowspan=2 scope="col" | Monarch
|-
! scope="col" | Start
! scope="col" | End
! scope="col" | Duration
|-
| rowspan=12 style="background:" |
| rowspan=4 | frameless|upright=0.5|Robert Walpole
| rowspan=4 |
| class=nowrap rowspan=4 | 1721
| class=nowrap rowspan=4 | 1742
| rowspan=4 |
| | 1722 British general election|
| rowspan=4 |
| rowspan=12 | Whig
| class=nowrap rowspan=2 | Walpole–Townshend
| style="vertical-align: top;" | George Ialt=George I of Great Britain|frameless|none|upright=0.4
|-
| | 1727 British general election|
| rowspan=10 style="vertical-align: top;" | George IIalt=George II of Great Britain|frameless|none|upright=0.4
|-
| | 1734 British general election|
| rowspan=2 | Walpole
|-
| | 1741 British general election|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|Spencer Compton
|
| class=nowrap | 1742
| class=nowrap | 1743
|
| | —
| |
| | Carteret
|-
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|Henry Pelham
| rowspan=2 |
| class=nowrap rowspan=2 | 1743
| class=nowrap rowspan=2 | 1754
| rowspan=2 |
| | —
| rowspan=2 |
| | Broad Bottom I
|-
| | 1747 British general election|
| | Broad Bottom II
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|Thomas Pelham-Holles
|
| class=nowrap | 1754
| class=nowrap | 1756
|
| | 1754 British general election|
| |
| | Newcastle I
|-
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|William Cavendish
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1756
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1757
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | —
| rowspan=2 |
| | Pitt–Devonshire
|-
| | 1757 Caretaker
|-
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|Thomas Pelham-Holles
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1757
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1762
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | 1761 British general election|
| rowspan=2 |
| | Pitt–Newcastle
|-
| | Bute–Newcastle
| rowspan=21 style="vertical-align: top;" | George IIIalt=George III of Great Britain|frameless|none|upright=0.4
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|John Stuart
| style="text-align:center" |
| class=nowrap | 1762
| class=nowrap | 1763
|
| | —
| |
| | Tory
| | Bute
|-
| rowspan=4 style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|George Grenville
|
| class=nowrap | 1763
| class=nowrap | 1765
|
| | —
| |
| | Whig
| | Grenville
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|Charles Watson-Wentworth
|
| class=nowrap | 1765
| class=nowrap | 1766
|
| | —
| |
| | Whig
| | Rockingham I
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|William Pitt the Elder
|
| class=nowrap | 1766
| class=nowrap | 1768
|
| | 1768 British general election|
| |
| rowspan=2 | Whig
| | Chatham
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|Augustus FitzRoy
|
| class=nowrap | 1768
| class=nowrap | 1770
|
| | —
| |
| | Grafton
|-
| rowspan=2 style="background:" |
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|Frederick North, Lord North
| rowspan=2 |
| class=nowrap rowspan=2 | 1770
| class=nowrap rowspan=2 | 1782
| rowspan=2 |
| | 1774 British general election|
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Tory
| rowspan=2 | North
|-
| | 1780 British general election|
|-
| rowspan=3 style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|Charles Watson-Wentworth
|
| class=nowrap | 1782
| class=nowrap | 1782
|
| | —
| |
| | Whig
| | Rockingham II
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|William Petty
|
| class=nowrap | 1782
| class=nowrap | 1783
|
| | —
| |
| | Whig
| | Shelburne
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|William Cavendish-Bentinck
|
| class=nowrap | 1783
| class=nowrap | 1783
|
| | —
| |
| | Whig
| | Fox–North
|-
| rowspan=6 style="background:" |
| rowspan=3 | frameless|upright=0.5|William Pitt the Younger
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=3 class=nowrap | 1783
| rowspan=3 class=nowrap | 1801
| rowspan=3 |
| | 1784 British general election|
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=3 | Tory
| rowspan=3 | Pitt I
|-
| | 1790 British general election|
|-
| | 1796 British general election|
|-
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|Henry Addington
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1801
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1804
| rowspan=2 |
| | First Parliament of the United Kingdom|
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Tory
| rowspan=2 | Addington
|-
| | 1802 United Kingdom general election|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|William Pitt the Younger
|
| class=nowrap | 1804
| class=nowrap | 1806
|
| | —
| |
| | Tory
| | Pitt II
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|William Grenville
|
| class=nowrap | 1806
| class=nowrap | 1807
|
| | 1806 United Kingdom general election|
| |
| | Whig
| | All the Talents
|-
| rowspan=10 style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|William Cavendish-Bentinck
|
| class=nowrap | 1807
| class=nowrap | 1809
|
| | 1807 United Kingdom general election|
| |
| rowspan=6 | Tory
| | Portland II
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|Spencer Perceval
|
| class=nowrap | 1809
| class=nowrap | 1812
|
| | —
| |
| | Perceval
|-
| rowspan=4 | frameless|upright=0.5|Robert Jenkinson
| rowspan=4 |
| rowspan=4 class=nowrap | 1812
| rowspan=4 class=nowrap | 1827
| rowspan=4 |
| | 1812 United Kingdom general election|
| rowspan=4 |
| rowspan=4 | Liverpool
|-
| | 1818 United Kingdom general election|
| rowspan=6 style="vertical-align: top;" | George IValt=George IV of Great Britain|frameless|none|upright=0.4
|-
| | 1820 United Kingdom general election|
|-
| | 1826 United Kingdom general election|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|George Canning
|
| class=nowrap | 1827
| class=nowrap | 1827
|
| | —
| |
| | Tory
| | Canning
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|F. J. Robinson
|
| class=nowrap | 1827
| class=nowrap | 1828
|
| | —
| |
| | Tory
| | Goderich
|-
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1828
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1830
| rowspan=2 |
| | —
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Tory
| rowspan=2 | Wellington–Peel
|-
| | ()
| rowspan=7 style="vertical-align: top;" | William IValt=William IV of Great Britain|frameless|none|upright=0.4
|-
| rowspan=3 style="background:" |
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1830
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1834
| rowspan=2 |
| | 1831 United Kingdom general election|
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=3 | Whig
| rowspan=2 | Grey
|-
| | 1832 United Kingdom general election|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
|
| class=nowrap | 1834
| class=nowrap | 1834
|
| | —
| |
| | Melbourne I
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1834
| class=nowrap | 1834
|
| | (—)
| |
| | Tory
| | Wellington Caretaker
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|Robert Peel
|
| class=nowrap | 1834
| class=nowrap | 1835
|
| | (—)
| |
| | Conservative
| | Peel I
|-
| rowspan=2 style="background:" |
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1835
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1841
| rowspan=2 |
| | 1835 United Kingdom general election|
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Whig
| rowspan=2 | Melbourne II
|-
| | 1837 United Kingdom general election|
| rowspan=22 style="vertical-align: top;" | Victoriaalt=Queen Victoria|frameless|none|upright=0.4
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|Robert Peel
|
| class=nowrap | 1841
| class=nowrap | 1846
|
| | 1841 United Kingdom general election|
| |
| | Conservative
| | Peel II
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1846
| class=nowrap | 1852
|
| | ()
| |
| | Whig
| | Russell I
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|painting
|
| class=nowrap | 1852
| class=nowrap | 1852
|
| | 1852 United Kingdom general election|
| |
| | Conservative
| | Who? Who?
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|engraving
|
| class=nowrap | 1852
| class=nowrap | 1855
|
| | (—)
| |
| | Peelite
| | Aberdeen
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1855
| class=nowrap | 1858
|
| | 1857 United Kingdom general election|
| |
| | Whig
| | Palmerston I
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|engraving
|
| class=nowrap | 1858
| class=nowrap | 1859
|
| | (—)
| |
| | Conservative
| | Derby–Disraeli II
|-
| rowspan=3 style="background:" |
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=2 |
| class=nowrap rowspan=2 | 1859
| class=nowrap rowspan=2 | 1865
| rowspan=2 |
| | 1859 United Kingdom general election|
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=3 | Liberal
| rowspan=2 | Palmerston II
|-
| | 1865 United Kingdom general election|
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1865
| class=nowrap | 1866
|
| | —
| |
| | Russell II
|-
| rowspan=2 style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|engraving
|
| class=nowrap | 1866
| class=nowrap | 1868
|
| | (—)
| |
| rowspan=2 | Conservative
| rowspan=2 | Derby–Disraeli III
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class="nowrap" | 1868
| class="nowrap" | 1868
|
| | (—)
| |
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1868
| class=nowrap | 1874
|
| | 1868 United Kingdom general election|
| |
| | Liberal
| | Gladstone I
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1874
| class=nowrap | 1880
|
| | 1874 United Kingdom general election|
| |
| | Conservative
| | Disraeli II
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1880
| class=nowrap | 1885
|
| | 1880 United Kingdom general election|
| |
| | Liberal
| | Gladstone II
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1885
| class=nowrap | 1886
|
| | (—)
| |
| | Conservative
| | Salisbury I
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1886
| class=nowrap | 1886
|
| | ()
| |
| | Liberal
| | Gladstone III
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1886
| class=nowrap | 1892
|
| | ()
| |
| | Conservative
| | Salisbury II
|-
| rowspan=2 style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1892
| class=nowrap | 1894
|
| | ()
| |
| rowspan=2 | Liberal
| | Gladstone IV
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1894
| class=nowrap | 1895
|
| | (—)
| |
| | Rosebery
|-
| rowspan=4 style="background:" |
| rowspan=3 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=3 class=nowrap | 1895
| rowspan=3 class=nowrap | 1902
| rowspan=3 |
| | 1895 United Kingdom general election|
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=4 | Conservative
| | Salisbury III
|- style="height:4ex" <!-- to enable correct break with change of monarch -->
| rowspan=2 | 1900 United Kingdom general election|
| rowspan=2 | Salisbury IV
|-
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align: top;" | Edward VIIalt=Edward VII|frameless|none|upright=0.4
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1902
| class=nowrap | 1905
|
| | —
| |
| | Balfour
|-
| rowspan=5 style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1905
| class=nowrap | 1908
|
| | 1906 United Kingdom general election|
| |
| rowspan=5 | Liberal
| | Campbell-Bannerman
|-
| rowspan=4 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=4 |
| rowspan=4 class=nowrap | 1908
| rowspan=4 class=nowrap | 1916
| rowspan=4 |
| | —
| rowspan=4 |
| | Asquith I
|-
| | ()
| | Asquith II
| rowspan=13 style="vertical-align: top;" | George Valt=George V|frameless|none|upright=0.4
|-
| | ()
| | Asquith III
|-
| | (—)
| | Asquith Coalition
|-
| rowspan=2 style="background:" |
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1916
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1922
| rowspan=2 |
| | (—)
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Coalition Liberal (1916–1922)<br>National Liberal (1922)
| | Lloyd George War
|-
| | 1918 United Kingdom general election|
| | Lloyd George II
|-
| rowspan=2 style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1922
| class=nowrap | 1923
|
| | 1922 United Kingdom general election|
| |
| | Conservative
| | Law
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1923
| class=nowrap | 1924
|
| | —
| |
| | Conservative
| | Baldwin I
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1924
| class=nowrap | 1924
|
| | ()
| |
| | Labour
| | MacDonald I
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1924
| class=nowrap | 1929
|
| | 1924 United Kingdom general election|
| |
| | Conservative
| | Baldwin II
|-
| style="background:" |
| rowspan=3 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=3 |
| class=nowrap rowspan=3 | 1929
| class=nowrap rowspan=3 | 1935
| rowspan=3 |
| | ()
| rowspan=3 |
| | Labour
| | MacDonald II
|-
| rowspan=2 style="background:" |
| | (—)
| rowspan=2 | National Labour
| | National I
|-
| | 1931 United Kingdom general election|
| | National II
|- style="height:2ex" <!-- to enable correct break with change of monarch -->
| rowspan=7 style="background:" |
| rowspan=3 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=3 class="nowrap" | 1935
| rowspan=3 class="nowrap" | 1937
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=3 | 1935 United Kingdom general election|
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=7 | Conservative
| rowspan=3 | National III
|-
| style="vertical-align: top;" | Edward VIIIalt=Edward VIII|frameless|none|upright=0.4
|- style="height:2ex" <!-- to enable correct break with change of monarch -->
| rowspan=8 style="vertical-align: top;" | George VIalt=George VI|frameless|none|upright=0.4
|-
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class="nowrap" | 1937
| rowspan=2 class="nowrap" | 1940
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | —
| rowspan=2 |
| | National IV
|-
| | Chamberlain War
|-
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class="nowrap" | 1940
| rowspan=2 class="nowrap" | 1945
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | —
| rowspan=2 |
| | Churchill War
|-
| | Churchill Caretaker
|-
| rowspan=2 style="background:" |
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1945
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1951
| rowspan=2 |
| | 1945 United Kingdom general election|
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Labour
| | Attlee I
|-
| | 1950 United Kingdom general election|
| | Attlee II
|- style="height:4ex" <!-- to enable correct break with change of monarch -->
| rowspan=6 style="background:" |
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1951
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1955
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | 1951 United Kingdom general election|
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=5 | Conservative
| rowspan=2 | Churchill III
|-
| rowspan="27" style="vertical-align: top;" | Elizabeth IIalt=Elizabeth II|frameless|none|upright=0.4
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1955
| class=nowrap | 1957
|
| | 1955 United Kingdom general election|
| |
| | Eden
|-
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1957
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1963
| rowspan=2 |
| | —
| rowspan=2 |
| | Macmillan I
|-
| | 1959 United Kingdom general election|
| | Macmillan II
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1963
| class=nowrap | 1964
|
| | —
| |
| | Conservative
| | Douglas-Home
|-
| rowspan=2 style="background:" |
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1964
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1970
| rowspan=2 |
| | 1964 United Kingdom general election|
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Labour
| | Wilson I
|-
| | 1966 United Kingdom general election|
| | Wilson II
|-
| style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1970
| class=nowrap | 1974
|
| | 1970 United Kingdom general election|
| |
| | Conservative
| | Heath
|-
| rowspan=3 style="background:" |
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1974
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1976
| rowspan=2 |
| | )
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=3 | Labour
| | Wilson III
|-
| | October 1974 United Kingdom general election|
| | Wilson IV
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 1976
| class=nowrap | 1979
|
| | —
| |
| | Callaghan
|-
| rowspan=5 style="background:" |
| rowspan=3 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=3 class=nowrap | 1979
| rowspan=3 class=nowrap | 1990
| rowspan=3 |
| | 1979 United Kingdom general election|
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=5 | Conservative
| | Thatcher I
|-
| | 1983 United Kingdom general election|
| | Thatcher II
|-
| | 1987 United Kingdom general election|
| | Thatcher III
|-
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1990
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 1997
| rowspan=2 |
| | —
| rowspan=2 |
| | Major I
|-
| | 1992 United Kingdom general election|
| | Major II
|-
| rowspan=4 style="background:" |
| rowspan=3 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=3 class=nowrap | 1997
| rowspan=3 class=nowrap | 2007
| rowspan=3 |
| | 1997 United Kingdom general election|
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=4 | Labour
| | Blair I
|-
| | 2001 United Kingdom general election|
| | Blair II
|-
| | 2005 United Kingdom general election|
| | Blair III
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 2007
| class=nowrap | 2010
|
| | —
| |
| | Brown
|-
| rowspan=9 style="background:" |
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 2010
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 2016
| rowspan=2 |
| | ()
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=9 | Conservative
| | Cameron–Clegg
|-
| | 2015 United Kingdom general election|
| | Cameron II
|-
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 2016
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 2019
| rowspan=2 |
| | —
| rowspan=2 |
| | May I
|-
| | ()
| | May II<br><small>(DUP confidence & supply)</small>
|-
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 2019
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 2022
| rowspan=2 |
| | (—)
| rowspan=2 |
| | Johnson I<br><small>(DUP confidence & supply)</small>
|-
| | 2019 United Kingdom general election|
| | Johnson II
|- style="height:1ex" <!-- to enable correct break with change of monarch -->
| rowspan=2 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 2022
| rowspan=2 class=nowrap | 2022
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | —
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Truss
|-
| rowspan=3 style="vertical-align: top;" | Charles IIIframeless|none|upright=0.4
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
|
| class=nowrap | 2022
| class=nowrap | 2024
|
| | —
| |
| | Sunak
|-
| rowspan=4 style="background:" |
| rowspan=3 | frameless|upright=0.5|photograph
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=3 class=nowrap | 2024
| rowspan=3 class=nowrap | Incumbent
| rowspan=3 |
| | 2024 United Kingdom general election|
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=4 | Labour
| | Starmer
|}
Living former prime ministers
<gallery widths="170" heights="170" class="center" caption="Living former prime ministers showing periods in office with dates of birth and age">
File:0O2A1317 (54138449867) (cropped).jpg|John Major<br />(1990–1997)<br />
File:Tony Blair - Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph 2025.jpg|Tony Blair<br />(1997–2007)<br />
File:Gordon Brown - Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph 2025 (cropped closer).jpg|Gordon Brown<br />(2007–2010)<br />
File:David Cameron at SXSW London June 2025 (cropped).jpg|David Cameron<br />(2010–2016)<br />
File:Official portrait of Baroness May of Maidenhead crop 3 (cropped) (cropped).jpg|Theresa May<br />(2016–2019)<br />
File:Remembrance Sunday in Whitehall 2024-11-10-11-26-D (cropped).jpg|Boris Johnson<br />(2019–2022)<br />
File:Liz Truss (54346036307) (cropped).jpg|Liz Truss<br />(2022)<br />
File:Remembrance Sunday in Whitehall 2024-11-10-11-26-C (cropped).jpg|Rishi Sunak<br />(2022–2024)<br/>
</gallery>
Currently, there are eight living former prime ministers of the United Kingdom. The most recent death of a former prime minister was that of Margaret Thatcher (1979–1990) on 8 April 2013.
Disputed prime ministers
Due to the gradual evolution of the post of prime minister, the title is applied to early prime ministers only retrospectively; this has sometimes given rise to academic dispute. William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath, and James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave, are sometimes listed as prime ministers. Bath was invited to form a ministry by George II of Great Britain| when Henry Pelham resigned in 1746, as was Waldegrave in 1757 after the dismissal of William Pitt the Elder, who dominated the affairs of government during the Seven Years' War. Neither was able to command sufficient parliamentary support to form a government; Bath stepped down after two days and Waldegrave after four. Modern academic consensus does not consider either man to have held office as prime minister; they are therefore listed separately.
{| class="wikitable" style="line-height:1.4em; text-align:center"
|+List of disputed prime ministers of the United Kingdom since 1721
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" scope="col" | Portrait
! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Prime minister
! colspan="3" scope="colgroup" | Term of office
! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Mandate
! rowspan="2" style="font-size:small; line-height:normal" scope="col" | Ministerial offices held as prime minister
! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Party
! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Government
! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Monarch
|-
!Start
!End
!Duration
|-
| rowspan=2 style="background:" |
| frameless|upright=0.5|[[William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath|William Pulteney]]
|
| class=nowrap | 1746
| class=nowrap | 1746
|
| | –
|
| rowspan=2 | Whig
| class=nowrap | Short-lived
| rowspan=2 style="vertical-align: top;" | George IIalt=George II of Great Britain|frameless|none|upright=0.4
|-
| frameless|upright=0.5|James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave
|
| class=nowrap | 1757
| class=nowrap | 1757
|
| | –
|
| class=nowrap | Waldegrave
|}
List notes
Timeline
See also
- :Category:British premierships
- List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom by length of tenure
- List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom by education
- Assassination of Spencer Perceval
- Downing Street
- 10 Downing Street
- List of British governments
- List of current heads of government in the United Kingdom and dependencies
- List of prime ministers of Queen Victoria (for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the British Empire)
- Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- List of United Kingdom general elections
- Royal prerogative in the United Kingdom
- List of government ministers of the United Kingdom
References
Citations
Works cited
- Alt URL