First Secretary of State

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Incumbent Dominic Raab

First Secretary of State is a title held by a UK office holder . It implies a higher seniority than the other Secretaries of State with cabinet rank . But he has no greater powers. If no vice prime minister has been appointed, he de facto takes second place in government. However, neither of the two posts entitles him to succeed as prime minister. In the absence of a First Secretary of State, the Chancellor of the Exchequer usually represents the Prime Minister.

The office is not always occupied. The post was vacant for 25 years between 1970 and 1995.

tasks

The tasks have changed several times over the years. The incumbent is currently responsible for:

  • Assisting the Prime Minister in running the UK Government
  • Representation of the Prime Minister
  • Advising the Prime Minister on the development and implementation of government policy
  • Answering the Prime Minister's Questions in the absence of the Prime Minister

Relationship with the Vice Prime Minister

The post of Deputy Prime Minister in 1942 for Clement Attlee , leader of the Labor Party in the war government of Winston Churchill created. The post took second place in government, but had no cabinet rank and was not paid. Because of this, the vice-prime minister held another office in government that gave him cabinet rank.

The title of First Secretary of State given to the holder was a Secretary of State with cabinet rank. The title was created for Rab Butler in 1962 . Harold Macmillan decided after his night of long knives that he should give up the home office . In return, he received the post of Vice Prime Minister and the rank of First Secretary of State, which gave him cabinet rank. Although the position sounded high-profile, it had no portfolio of its own. Michael Heseltine and John Prescott were also released from their agendas as Vice Prime Ministers, and he held the title of First Secretary of State in order to maintain their cabinet rank. In 1964, Prime Minister Harold Wilson established the use of the office without appointment as Vice Prime Minister.

So far, both offices existed only in the coalition cabinet of David Cameron simultaneously with different incumbents. Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats , became Vice Prime Minister while former Conservative leader William Hague was First Secretary of State.

List of incumbents

First Secretary of State
image Surname Term of office Further cabinet positions Political party cabinet Ref.
Rab Butler.png Rab Butler
MP for Saffron Walden
(1902–1982)
July 13, 1962 October 18, 1963 Conservative Macmillan II
Title vacant 1963-1964
George Brown, 1967.jpg George Brown
MP for Belper
(1914–1985)
October 16, 1964 August 11, 1966 Labor Wilson ( I & II )
Michael Stewart (1966) .jpg Michael Stewart
MP for Fulham
(1906–1990)
August 11, 1966 April 6, 1968 Labor
Mme Barbara Castle, Ministre britannique du développement outre-mer.jpg Barbara Castle
MP for Blackburn
(1910-2002)
April 6, 1968 June 19, 1970 Labor
Title vacant 1970-1995
Lord Heseltine (6969083278) .jpg Michael Heseltine
MP for Henley
(* 1933)
July 20, 1995 May 2, 1997 Conservative Major II
Title vacant 1997-2001
John Prescott on his last day as Deputy Prime Minister, June 2007.jpg John Prescott
MP for Kingston upon Hull East
(* 1938)
June 8, 2001 June 27, 2007 Labor Blair II & III
Title vacant 2007-2009
Peter Mandelson at Politics of Climate Change 3.jpg Peter Mandelson
Baron Mandelson
(* 1953)
June 5, 2009 May 11, 2010 Labor Brown
William Hague, Foreign Sec (crop) .jpg William Hague
MP for Richmond (Yorks)
(* 1961)
May 12, 2010 May 8, 2015 Conservative Cameron I
George osborne hi.jpg George Osborne
MP for Tatton
(* 1971)
May 8, 2015 July 13, 2016 Conservative Cameron ii
Title vacant 2016-2017
Official portrait of Rt Hon Damian Green MP crop 2.jpg Damian Green
MP for Ashford
(* 1956)
June 11, 2017 20th December 2017 Conservative May II
Title vacant 2017-2019
Official portrait of Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP crop 2.jpg Dominic Raab
MP for Esher and Walton
(* 1974)
July 24, 2019 Conservative Johnson ( I & II )

Timeline

Dominic Raab Damian Green George Osborne William Hague Peter Mandelson John Prescott Michael Heseltine Barbara Castle Michael Stewart George Brown Rab Butler

Individual evidence

  1. Nicholas Watt: George Osborne made first secretary of state in cabinet reshuffle . In: The Guardian , May 8, 2015. 
  2. Damian Green sacked after 'misleading statements' on porn claims . In: BBC News , December 21, 2017. 
  3. Damian Green sacked over porn cover-up as Theresa May suffers third Cabinet departure in two months . In: The Telegraph . 
  4. Dominic Raab appointed UK foreign secretary, first secretary of state: statement . In: Reuters , July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019. 
  5. First Secretary of State - GOV.UK . Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  6. Anthony Howard: RAB: The Life of RA Butler . In: A&C Black . February 7, 2013.
  7. ^ A b c d David Butler and Gareth Butler, British Political Facts 1900–1994 (7th edn, Macmillan 1994) 62.
  8. Lord Heseltine . UK Parliament. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  9. Lord Prescott . UK Parliament. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  10. Lord Hague of Richmond . UK Parliament. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  11. Rt Hon George Osborne . UK Parliament. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  12. ^ Rt Hon Damian Green MP . UK Parliament. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  13. Damian Green sacked as first secretary of state after porn allegations . In: The Guardian . Accessed December 31, 2017. 
  14. https://www.reuters.com/article/britain-eu-leader-raab/dominic-raab-appointed-uk-foreign-secretary-first-secretary-of-state-statement-idUSS8N23H00F