The Lord President of the Council is the presiding officer of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom and the fourth of the Great Officers of State, ranking above the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends and is responsible for chairing the meetings of the Privy Council, presenting business for the approval of the Sovereign.
The office and its history
The Privy Council meets once a month, wherever the sovereign may be residing at the time, to give formal approval to Orders in Council. Only a few privy counsellors need attend such meetings, and only when invited to do so at the government's request. As the duties of the Lord President are not onerous, the post has often been given to a government minister whose responsibilities are not department-specific. In recent years it has been most typical for the Lord President also to serve as Leader of the House of Commons or Leader of the House of Lords. The Lord President has no role in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
In the history of British government, the President of the Council is a relatively recent creation. The first certain appointment to the office was that of the Duke of Suffolk in 1529. Although there is a reference to Edmund Dudley serving as 'president of the council' in 1497, it was only in 1529 that the role was given the style and precedence of a Great Officer of State by the (21 Hen. 8. c. 20). Prior to 1679 there were several periods in which the office was left vacant. During coronations of the monarch, the Lord President carries the Sword of State.
In the 19th century, the Lord President was generally the cabinet member responsible for the education system, amongst his other duties. This role was gradually scaled back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries but remnants of it remain, such as the oversight of the governance of various universities.
During times of National or coalition government the office of Lord President has sometimes been held by the leader of a minority party (e.g. Baldwin 1931–1935, MacDonald 1935–1937, Attlee 1943–1945, Clegg 2010–2015). It has been suggested that the office has been intermittently used for Prime Ministerial deputies in the past.
A particularly important role was played by the Lord President of the Council during the Second World War. At this time the Lord President served as chairman of the Lord President's Committee. This committee acted as a central clearing house which dealt with the country's economic problems. This was vital to the smooth running of the British war economy and consequently the entire British war effort.
Winston Churchill, clearly believing that this wartime co-ordinating role was beneficial, introduced a similar but expanded system in the first few years of his post-war premiership. The so-called 'overlord ministers' included Frederick Leathers as Secretary of State for the Co-ordination of Transport, Fuel and Power and Lord Woolton as Lord President. Woolton's job was to co-ordinate the then separate ministries of agriculture and food. The historian Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield quotes a PhD thesis by Michael Kandiah saying that Woolton was "arguably the most successful of the Overlords" partly because his ministries were quite closely related; indeed, they were merged in 1955 as the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
On several occasions since 1954, non-British Ministers have served briefly as acting Lords President of the Council, solely to preside over a meeting of the Privy Council held in a Commonwealth realm. Examples of this practice are the meetings in New Zealand in 1990 and 1995, when Geoffrey Palmer and James Bolger respectively were acting Lords President.
Andrea Leadsom's appointment in June 2017 was the first in some time where the post holder was not a full Cabinet member.
Role and responsibilities
Routine functions
The routine functions of the lord president are as follows:
- Preside at Privy Council meetings, including any emergency meetings, and attend to both ministerial correspondence and parliamentary questions relating to Privy Council business.
- Consider for approval prerogative and statutory Orders in Council. Prerogative orders deal with the basic functioning of the British state and are thus applicable under a number of circumstances, including but not limited to the prorogation of Parliament, the granting, amendment, and revocation of royal charters, the appointment of high sheriffs, or the governance of British Overseas Territories. On the other hand, statutory orders are a form of delegated legislation conferred on His Majesty's Government by Parliament for the purposes of creating detailed regulations through rulemaking. Unlike prerogative orders, statutory Orders in Council are subject to parliamentary scrutiny. As a consequence, most Orders in Council operate on statutory footing as opposed to the common law authorities conferred by the royal prerogative.
- Consider for approval Orders of Council concerning various matters of state, namely appointments to and regulation of professional bodies and institutions of higher education. Unlike Orders in Council which are enacted by the sovereign on the advice of the Privy Council, Orders of Council are enacted by the Privy Council itself pursuant to statutory authority conferred by Parliament.
- As a member of the Privy Council's Committee for the Affairs of Jersey and Guernsey, review laws passed by the bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey, and make recommendations to the sovereign concerning their approval.
Visitorial functions
In addition to his or her routine functions, the lord president also serves as the visitor for several English universities, including:
- University of Birmingham
- University of Bristol
- University of Hull
- Imperial College London
- Keele University
- University of Leeds
- University of Leicester
- University of Liverpool
- University of London (but not King's College London or University College London)
- University of Nottingham
- University of Reading
- University of Sheffield (but not Sheffield Hallam University)
- University of Southampton
- University of Sussex
- University of Wales
Partial list of Lords President of the Council
Lords President of the Council (c. 1530–1702)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Lord President of the Council
! colspan=2 | Lord President
! colspan=2 | Term of office
|-
| 75px
| Charles Brandon<br/>1st Duke of Suffolk
| 1530
| <br/>1545
|-
| 75px
| William Paulet<br/>1st Marquess of Winchester
| <br/>1546
| <br/>1550
|-
| 75px
| John Dudley<br/>1st Duke of Northumberland
| <br/>1550
| <br/>1553
|-
| 75px
| Henry Montagu<br/>1st Earl of Manchester
| <br/>1621
| <br/>1628
|-
| 75px
| James Ley<br/>1st Earl of Marlborough
| <br/>1628
| <br/>1628
|-
| 75px
| Edward Conway<br/>1st Viscount Conway
| <br/>1628
| <br/>1631
|-
| 75px
| Anthony Ashley-Cooper<br/>1st Earl of Shaftesbury
| <br/>1679
| <br/>1679
|-
| 75px
| John Robartes<br/>1st Earl of Radnor
| <br/>1679
| <br/>1684
|-
| 75px
| Laurence Hyde<br/>1st Earl of Rochester
| <br/>1684
| <br/>1685
|-
| 75px
| George Savile<br/>1st Marquess of Halifax
| <br/>1685
| <br/>1685
|-
| 75px
| Robert Spencer<br/>2nd Earl of Sunderland
| <br/>1685
| <br/>1688
|-
| 75px
| Richard Graham<br/>1st Viscount Preston
| <br/>1688
| <br/>1688
|-
| 75px
| Thomas Osborne<br/>1st Duke of Leeds<br/>
| <br/>1689
| <br/>1699
|-
| 75px
| Thomas Herbert<br/>8th Earl of Pembroke
| <br/>1699
| <br/>1702
|-
| 75px
| Charles Seymour<br/>6th Duke of Somerset
| <br/>1702
| <br/>1702
|}
Lords President of the Council (1702–present)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan=3 | Lord President
! colspan=2 | Term of office
! Other ministerial portfolios held during tenure
! Party
! Ministry
! Monarch
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| |
| 75px
| Thomas Herbert<br/>8th Earl of Pembroke
| <br/>1702
| <br/>1708
|
| | —
| rowspan=2 | Godolphin–Marlborough<br/>
! rowspan=4 | Anne<br/>60px
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| John Somers<br/>1st Baron Somers
| <br/>1708
| <br/>1710
|
| | Whig
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Laurence Hyde<br/>1st Earl of Rochester
| <br/>1710
| <br/>1711
|
| | Tory
| rowspan=3 | Oxford–Bolingbroke
|-
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | John Sheffield<br/>1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1711
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1714
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | —
|-
! rowspan=10 | George I<br/>60px
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Daniel Finch<br/>2nd Earl of Nottingham
| <br/>1714
| <br/>1716
|
| | Tory
| rowspan=2 | Townshend
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | William Cavendish<br/>2nd Duke of Devonshire
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1716
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1718
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Whig
|-
| | Stanhope–Sunderland I
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Charles Spencer<br/>3rd Earl of Sunderland
| <br/>1718
| <br/>1719
| |
| | Whig
| rowspan=3 | Stanhope–Sunderland II
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Evelyn Pierrepont<br/>1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull
| <br/>1719
| <br/>1720
|
| | Whig
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Charles Townshend<br/>2nd Viscount Townshend
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1720
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1721
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Whig
|-
| rowspan=5 | Walpole–Townshend
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Henry Boyle<br/>1st Baron Carleton
| <br/>1721
| <br/>1725
|
| | Whig
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | William Cavendish<br/>2nd Duke of Devonshire
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1725
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1729
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Whig
|-
! rowspan=11 | George II<br/>60px
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Thomas Trevor<br/>1st Baron Trevor
| <br/>1730
| <br/>1730
|
| | Tory
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Spencer Compton<br/>1st Earl of Wilmington
| <br/>1730
| <br/>1742
|
| | Whig
| | Walpole
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | William Stanhope<br/>1st Earl of Harrington
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1742
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1745
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Whig
| | Carteret
|-
| rowspan=3 | Broad Bottom<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Lionel Sackville<br/>1st Duke of Dorset
| <br/>1745
| <br/>1751
| |
| | Whig
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| rowspan=7 style="background-color:" |
| rowspan=7 | 75px
| rowspan=7 | John Carteret<br/>2nd Earl Granville
| rowspan=7 | <br/>1751
| rowspan=7 | <br/>1763
| rowspan=7 |
| rowspan=7 | Whig
|-
| | Newcastle I
|-
| | Pitt–Devonshire
|-
| | 1757 Caretaker
|-
| rowspan=2 | Pitt–Newcastle
|-
! rowspan=28 | George III<br/>60px
|-
| | Bute
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| John Russell<br/>4th Duke of Bedford
| <br/>1763
| <br/>1765
|
| | Whig
| | Grenville<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Daniel Finch<br/>8th Earl of Winchilsea
| <br/>1765
| <br/>1766
|
| | Whig
| | Rockingham I
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Robert Henley<br/>1st Earl of Northington
| <br/>1766
| <br/>1767
|
| | Whig
| rowspan=2 | Chatham<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=3 | 75px
| rowspan=3 | Granville Leveson-Gower<br/>2nd Earl Gower
| rowspan=3 | <br/>1767
| rowspan=3 | <br/>1779
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=3 | Tory
|-
| | Grafton<br/>
|-
| rowspan=2 | North
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Henry Bathurst<br/>2nd Earl Bathurst
| <br/>1779
| <br/>1782
|
| | Tory
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Charles Pratt<br/>1st Baron Camden
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1782
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1783
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Whig
| | Rockingham II
|-
| | Shelburne<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| David Murray<br/>7th Viscount Stormont
| <br/>1783
| <br/>1783
|
| | Tory
| | Fox–North<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Granville Leveson-Gower<br/>2nd Earl Gower
| <br/>1783
| <br/>1784
|
| | Tory
| rowspan=5 | Pitt I
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Charles Pratt<br/>1st Earl Camden
| <br/>1784
| <br/>1794
|
| | Tory
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam<br/>4th Earl Fitzwilliam
| <br/>1794
| <br/>1794
|
| | Whig
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| David Murray<br/>2nd Earl of Mansfield
| <br/>1794
| <br/>1796
|
| | Tory
|-
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | John Pitt<br/>2nd Earl of Chatham
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1796
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1801
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | —
|-
| rowspan=2 | Addington
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | William Cavendish-Bentinck<br/>3rd Duke of Portland
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1801
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1805
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Tory
|-
| rowspan=3 | Pitt II
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Henry Addington<br/>1st Viscount Sidmouth
| <br/>1805
| <br/>1805
|
| | Tory
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| John Pratt<br/>2nd Earl Camden
| <br/>1805
| <br/>1806
|
| | Tory
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam<br/>4th Earl Fitzwilliam
| <br/>1806
| <br/>1806
|
| | Whig
| rowspan=2 | All the Talents<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Henry Addington<br/>1st Viscount Sidmouth
| <br/>1806
| <br/>1807
|
| | Tory
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | John Pratt<br/>2nd Earl Camden
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1807
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1812
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Tory
| | Portland II
|-
| rowspan=2 | Perceval
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Henry Addington<br/>1st Viscount Sidmouth
| <br/>1812
| <br/>1812
|
| | Tory
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| rowspan=3 style="background-color:" |
| rowspan=3 | 75px
| rowspan=3 | Dudley Ryder<br/>1st Earl of Harrowby
| rowspan=3 | <br/>1812
| rowspan=3 | <br/>1827
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=3 | Tory
| rowspan=2 | Liverpool
|-
! rowspan=4 | George IV<br/>60px
|-
| | Canning<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck<br/>4th Duke of Portland
| <br/>1827
| <br/>1828
|
| | Tory
| | Goderich<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Henry Bathurst<br/>3rd Earl Bathurst
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1828
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1830
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Tory
| rowspan=2 | Wellington–Peel
|-
! rowspan=5 | William IV<br/>60px
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice<br/>3rd Marquess of Lansdowne
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1830
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1834
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Whig
| | Grey
|-
| | Melbourne I
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| James St Clair-Erskine<br/>2nd Earl of Rosslyn
| <br/>1834
| <br/>1835
|
| | Conservative
| | Peel I
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice<br/>3rd Marquess of Lansdowne
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1835
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1841
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Whig
| rowspan=2 | Melbourne II
|-
! rowspan=24 | Victoria<br/>60px
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| James Stuart-Wortley<br/>1st Baron Wharncliffe
| <br/>1841
| <br/>1845
|
| | Conservative
| rowspan=2 | Peel II
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Walter Montagu Douglas Scott<br/>5th Duke of Buccleuch
| <br/>1846
| <br/>1846
|
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice<br/>3rd Marquess of Lansdowne
| <br/>1846
| <br/>1852
| |
| | Whig
| | Russell I
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| William Lowther<br/>2nd Earl of Lonsdale
| <br/>1852
| <br/>1852
|
| | Conservative
| | Who? Who?
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Granville Leveson-Gower<br/>2nd Earl Granville
| <br/>1852
| <br/>1854
|
| | Whig
| rowspan=2 | Aberdeen<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Lord John Russell<br/>
| <br/>1854
| <br/>1855
| |
| | Whig
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Granville Leveson-Gower<br/>2nd Earl Granville
| <br/>1855
| <br/>1858
| |
| | Whig
| | Palmerston I
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| James Gascoyne-Cecil<br/>2nd Marquess of Salisbury
| <br/>1858
| <br/>1859
|
| | Conservative
| | Derby–Disraeli II
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Granville Leveson-Gower<br/>2nd Earl Granville
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1859
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1866
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Liberal
| | Palmerston II
|-
| | Russell II
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville<br/>3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
| <br/>1866
| <br/>1867
|
| | Conservative
| rowspan=2 | Derby–Disraeli III
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| John Spencer-Churchill<br/>7th Duke of Marlborough
| <br/>1867
| <br/>1868
|
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| George Robinson<br/>1st Marquess of Ripon
| <br/>1868
| <br/>1873
|
| | Liberal
| rowspan=2 | Gladstone I
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Henry Bruce<br/>1st Baron Aberdare
| <br/>1873
| <br/>1874
|
| | Liberal
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Charles Gordon-Lennox<br/>6th Duke of Richmond
| <br/>1874
| <br/>1880
| |
| | Conservative
| | Disraeli II
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| John Spencer<br/>5th Earl Spencer
| <br/>1880
| <br/>1883
| |
| | Liberal
| rowspan=2 | Gladstone II
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue<br/>1st Baron Carlingford
| <br/>1883
| <br/>1885
| |
| | Liberal
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy<br/>1st Viscount Cranbrook
| <br/>1885
| <br/>1886
| |
| | Conservative
| | Salisbury I
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| John Spencer<br/>5th Earl Spencer
| <br/>1886
| <br/>1886
|
| | Liberal
| | Gladstone III
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy<br/>1st Viscount Cranbrook
| <br/>1886
| <br/>1892
|
| | Conservative
| | Salisbury II
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| John Wodehouse<br/>1st Earl of Kimberley
| <br/>1892
| <br/>1894
| |
| | Liberal
| | Gladstone IV
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color: |
| 75px
| Archibald Primrose<br/>5th Earl of Rosebery
| <br/>1894
| <br/>1895
| |
| | Liberal
| | Rosebery
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| rowspan=3 style="background-color:" |
| rowspan=3 | 75px
| rowspan=3 | Spencer Cavendish<br/>8th Duke of Devonshire
| rowspan=3 | <br/>1895
| rowspan=3 | <br/>1903
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=3 | Liberal Unionist
| rowspan=2 | Salisbury<br/><br/>
|-
! rowspan=6 | Edward VII<br/>60px
|-
| rowspan=2 | Balfour<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart<br/>6th Marquess of Londonderry
| <br/>1903
| <br/>1905
| |
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Robert Crewe-Milnes<br/>1st Earl of Crewe
| <br/>1905
| <br/>1908
|
| | Liberal
| | Campbell-Bannerman
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Edward Marjoribanks<br/>2nd Baron Tweedmouth
| <br/>1908
| <br/>1908
|
| | Liberal
| rowspan=6 | Asquith<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Henry Fowler<br/>1st Viscount Wolverhampton
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1908
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1910
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Liberal
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
! rowspan=16 | George V<br/>60px
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| William Lygon<br/>7th Earl Beauchamp
| <br/>1910
| <br/>1910
|
| | Liberal
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| John Morley<br/>1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn
| <br/>1910
| <br/>1914
| |
| | Liberal
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| William Lygon<br/>7th Earl Beauchamp
| <br/>1914
| <br/>1915
|
| | Liberal
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Robert Crewe-Milnes<br/>1st Marquess of Crewe
| <br/>1915
| <br/>1916
| |
| | Liberal
| | Asquith Coalition<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| George Curzon<br/>1st Earl Curzon of Kedleston
| <br/>1916
| <br/>1919
| |
| | Conservative
| rowspan=2 | Lloyd George<br/>(I & II)<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Arthur Balfour<br/>1st Earl of Balfour
| <br/>1919
| <br/>1922
|
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | James Gascoyne-Cecil<br/>4th Marquess of Salisbury
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1922
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1924
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Conservative
| | Law
|-
| | Baldwin I
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Charles Cripps<br/>1st Baron Parmoor
| <br/>1924
| <br/>1924
|
| | Labour
| | MacDonald I
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| George Curzon<br/>1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston
| <br/>1924
| <br/>1925
| |
| | Conservative
| rowspan=2 | Baldwin II
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Arthur Balfour<br/>1st Earl of Balfour
| <br/>1925
| <br/>1929
|
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Charles Cripps<br/>1st Baron Parmoor
| <br/>1929
| <br/>1931
| |
| | Labour
| | MacDonald II
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Stanley Baldwin<br/>
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1931
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1935
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Conservative
| | National I<br/>
|-
| | National II<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:; border: none" |
| rowspan=3 | 75px
| rowspan=3 | Ramsay MacDonald<br/>
| rowspan=3 | <br/>1935
| rowspan=3 | <br/>1937
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=3 | National Labour
| rowspan=3 | National III<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:; border: none" |
! Edward VIII<br/>60px
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:; border: none" |
! rowspan=12 | George VI<br/>60px
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Edward Wood<br/>3rd Viscount Halifax
| <br/>1937
| <br/>1938
| |
| | Conservative
| rowspan=3 | National IV<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Douglas Hogg<br/>1st Viscount Hailsham
| <br/>1938
| <br/>1938
|
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Walter Runciman<br/>1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford
| <br/>1938
| <br/>1939
|
| | National Liberal
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| James Stanhope<br/>7th Earl Stanhope
| <br/>1939
| <br/>1940
| |
| | Conservative
| | Chamberlain War<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Neville Chamberlain<br/>
| <br/>1940
| <br/>1940
|
| | Conservative
| rowspan=3 | Churchill War<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| John Anderson<br/>
| <br/>1940
| <br/>1943
|
| | National
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Clement Attlee<br/>
| <br/>1943
| <br/>1945
| |
| | Labour
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Frederick Marquis<br/>1st Baron Woolton
| <br/>1945
| <br/>1945
|
| | National
| | Churchill Caretaker<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
|
| Herbert Morrison<br/>
| <br/>1945
| <br/>1951
| |
| | Labour
| rowspan=2 | Attlee<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Christopher Addison<br/>1st Viscount Addison
| <br/>1951
| <br/>1951
| |
| | Labour
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Frederick Marquis<br/>1st Baron Woolton
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1951
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1952
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Conservative
| rowspan=3 | Churchill III
|-
! rowspan=46 | Elizabeth II<br/>60px
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| rowspan=3 style="background-color:" |
| rowspan=3 | 75px
| rowspan=3 | Robert Gascoyne-Cecil<br/>5th Marquess of Salisbury
| rowspan=3 | <br/>1952
| rowspan=3 | <br/>1957
| rowspan="4" |
| rowspan=3 | Conservative
|-
| | Eden
|-
| rowspan=5 | Macmillan<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Alec Douglas-Home<br/>14th Earl of Home
| <br/>1957
| <br/>1957
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Quintin Hogg<br/>2nd Viscount Hailsham
| <br/>1957
| <br/>1959
|
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Alec Douglas-Home<br/>14th Earl of Home
| <br/>1959
| <br/>1960
| |
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Quintin Hogg<br/>
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1960
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1964
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Conservative
|-
| |Douglas-Home
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
|
| Herbert Bowden<br/>
| <br/>1964
| <br/>1966
| rowspan="8"|
| | Labour
| rowspan=3 | Wilson<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Richard Crossman<br/>
| <br/>1966
| <br/>1968
| | Labour
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
|
| Fred Peart<br/>
| <br/>1968
| <br/>1970
| | Labour
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| William Whitelaw<br/>
| <br/>1970
| <br/>1972
| | Conservative
| rowspan=3 | Heath
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Robert Carr<br/>
| <br/>1972
| <br/>1972
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
|
| Jim Prior<br/>
| <br/>1972
| <br/>1974
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Edward Short<br/>
| <br/>1974
| <br/>1976
| | Labour
| | Wilson<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Michael Foot<br/>
| <br/>1976
| <br/>1979
| | Labour
| | Callaghan
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Christopher Soames<br/>Baron Soames
| <br/>1979
| <br/>1981
| |
| | Conservative
| rowspan=3 | Thatcher I
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Francis Pym<br/>
| <br/>1981
| <br/>1982
| rowspan="2"|
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
|
| John Biffen<br/>
| <br/>1982
| <br/>1983
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | William Whitelaw<br/>1st Viscount Whitelaw
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1983
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1988
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Conservative
| | Thatcher II
|-
| rowspan=4 | Thatcher III
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| John Wakeham<br/>
| <br/>1988
| <br/>1989
| |
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Geoffrey Howe<br/>
| <br/>1989
| <br/>1990
| |
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | John MacGregor<br/>
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1990
| rowspan=2 | <br/>1992
| rowspan="7" |
| rowspan=2 | Conservative
|-
| | Major I
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
|
| Tony Newton<br/>
| <br/>1992
| <br/>1997
| | Conservative
| | Major II
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Ann Taylor<br/>
| <br/>1997
| <br/>1998
| | Labour
| rowspan=2 | Blair I
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 100x100px
| Margaret Beckett<br/>
| <br/>1998
| <br/>2001
| | Labour
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Robin Cook<br/>
| <br/>2001
| <br/>2003
| | Labour
| rowspan=4 | Blair II
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 90x90px
| John Reid<br/>
| <br/>2003
| <br/>2003
| | Labour
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Gareth Williams<br/>Baron Williams of Mostyn
| <br/>2003
| <br/>2003
| rowspan="5"|
| | Labour
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:" |
| rowspan=2 | 75px
| rowspan=2 | Valerie Amos<br/>Baroness Amos
| rowspan=2 | <br/>2003
| rowspan=2 | <br/>2007
| rowspan=2 | Labour
|-
| | Blair III
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 104x104px
| Catherine Ashton<br/>Baroness Ashton of Upholland
| <br/>2007
| <br/>2008
| | Labour
| rowspan=3 | Brown
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 125x125px
| Janet Royall<br/>Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
| <br/>2008
| <br/>2009
| | Labour
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Peter Mandelson<br/>Baron Mandelson
| <br/>2009
| <br/>2010
| |
| | Labour
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| Nick Clegg<br/>
| <br/>2010
| <br/>2015
| |
| | Liberal Democrat
| | Cameron–Clegg<br/>
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 93x93px
| Chris Grayling<br/>
| <br/>2015
| <br/>2016
| rowspan="12"|
| | Conservative
| | Cameron II
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 75px
| David Lidington<br/>
| <br/>2016
| <br/>2017
| | Conservative
| | May I
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 100x100px
| Andrea Leadsom<br/>
| <br/>2017
| <br/>2019
| | Conservative
| rowspan=2 | May II
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| 100x100px
| Mel Stride<br/>
| <br/>2019
| <br/>2019
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:; border:none" |
| rowspan=2 | 99x99px
| rowspan=2 | Jacob Rees-Mogg<br/>
| rowspan=2 | <br/>2019
| rowspan=2 | <br/>2022
| rowspan=2 | Conservative
| | Johnson I
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:; border:none" |
| rowspan=2 | Johnson II
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:" |
| center|99x99px
| Mark Spencer<br/>
| <br/>2022
| <br/>2022
| | Conservative
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:; border:none" |
| rowspan=3 | center|100x100px
| rowspan=3 | Penny Mordaunt<br/>
| rowspan=3 | <br/>2022
| rowspan=3 | <br/>2024
| rowspan=3 | Conservative
| rowspan=2 | Truss
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:; border:none" |
! rowspan=4 | Charles III<br/>60px
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:; border:none" |
| | Sunak
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:; border:none" |
| center|75px
| Lucy Powell <br/>
| <br/>2024
| <br/>2025
| | Labour
| rowspan="2" | Starmer
|- style="height:1em" style="height:1em"
| style="background-color:; border:none" |
|center|99x99px
|Alan Campbell<br/>
|<br/>2025
|Incumbent
| | Labour
|}
Timeline
See also
- Privy Council Office
- Vice-President of the Executive Council
- President of the King's Privy Council for Canada
- Sinecure