This article lists which other significant offices have been held by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom before and after they have come to power as Prime Minister.[1] The positions and amount of experience a prime minister has acquired has changed over the years, with modern prime ministers having gained experience through leading the opposition, while earlier prime ministers would be more likely to have held roles within the government. Usually a prime minister does not hold high office again after leaving the role. However, there are some cases where individuals have gone on to hold senior roles in future administrations.[2]
| Name | Prime Minister | Cabinet Post | Prime Minister serving under | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Created Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne on 17 November 1756) |
16 March 1754 | 11 November 1756 | Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | 30 July 1765 | 30 July 1766 | The Marquess of Rockingham (first term) |
| 29 June 1757 | 26 May 1762 | |||||
| William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire | 16 November 1756 | 29 June 1757 | Lord Chamberlain of the Household | 1757 | 1762 | The Duke of Newcastle |
| The Earl of Bute | ||||||
| Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton | 14 October 1768 | 28 January 1770 | Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | 12 June 1771 | 4 November 1775 | The Lord North |
| 27 March 1782 | 4 April 1783 | The Marquess of Rockingham (second term) | ||||
| The Earl of Shelburne | ||||||
| Frederick North, Lord North (Became 2nd Earl of Guilford from 4 August 1790) |
28 January 1770 | 27 March 1782 | Home Secretary | 2 April 1783 | 19 December 1783 | The Duke of Portland (first term) |
| Leader of the House of Commons | ||||||
| William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland | 2 April 1783 | 18 December 1783 | Home Secretary | 11 July 1794 | 30 July 1801 | William Pitt the Younger (first term) |
| Henry Addington | ||||||
| 31 March 1807 | 4 October 1809 | Lord President of the Council | 30 July 1801 | 14 January 1805 | Henry Addington | |
| William Pitt the Younger (second term) | ||||||
| Henry Addington (Created Viscount Sidmouth on 12 January 1805) |
17 March 1801 | 10 May 1804 | Lord President of the Council | 14 January 1805 | 10 July 1805 | William Pitt the Younger (second term) |
| Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | 5 February 1806 | 15 October 1806 | The Lord Grenville | |||
| Lord President of the Council | 8 October 1806 | 26 March 1807 | ||||
| 8 April 1812 | 11 June 1812 | Spencer Perceval | ||||
| The Earl of Liverpool | ||||||
| Home Secretary | 11 June 1812 | 17 January 1822 | The Earl of Liverpool | |||
| F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich (Created Earl of Ripon on 13 April 1833) |
31 August 1827 | 21 January 1828 | War and Colonial Secretary | 22 November 1830 | 3 April 1833 | The Earl Grey |
| Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | 3 April 1833 | 5 June 1834 | ||||
| President of the Board of Trade | 3 September 1841 | 15 May 1843 | Sir Robert Peel (second term) | |||
| President of the Board of Control | 17 May 1843 | 30 June 1846 | ||||
| Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington | 22 January 1828 | 16 November 1830 | Foreign Secretary | 17 November 1834 | 8 April 1835 | Himself as interim Prime Minister |
| Leader of the House of Lords | Sir Robert Peel (first term) | |||||
| 17 November 1834 | 9 December 1834 | 3 September 1841 | 27 June 1846 | Sir Robert Peel (second term) | ||
| Lord John Russell (Created Earl Russell on 30 July 1861) |
30 June 1846 | 21 February 1852 | Foreign Secretary | 28 December 1852 | 21 February 1853 | The Earl of Aberdeen |
| 29 October 1865 | 26 June 1866 | Leader of the House of Commons | 30 January 1855 | |||
| Lord President of the Council | 12 June 1854 | 8 February 1855 | ||||
| Colonial Secretary | 23 February 1855 | 21 July 1855 | The Lord Palmerston (first term) | |||
| Foreign Secretary | 18 June 1859 | 3 November 1865 | The Lord Palmerston (second term) | |||
| Arthur Balfour (Created Earl of Balfour on 5 May 1922) |
12 July 1902 | 4 December 1905 | First Lord of the Admiralty | 25 May 1915 | 10 December 1916 | H. H. Asquith |
| David Lloyd George | ||||||
| Foreign Secretary | 10 December 1916 | 23 October 1919 | David Lloyd George | |||
| Lord President of the Council | 23 October 1919 | 19 October 1922 | ||||
| 27 April 1925 | 4 June 1929 | Stanley Baldwin (second term) | ||||
| Stanley Baldwin (Created Earl Baldwin of Bewdley on 8 June 1937) |
22 May 1923 | 22 January 1924 | Lord President of the Council | 25 August 1931 | 7 June 1935 | Ramsay MacDonald (second term) |
| 4 November 1924 | 4 June 1929 | |||||
| 7 June 1935 | 28 May 1937 | Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | 29 September 1932 | 31 December 1933 | ||
| Ramsay MacDonald | 22 January 1924 | 4 November 1924 | Lord President of the Council | 7 June 1935 | 28 May 1937 | Stanley Baldwin (third term) |
| 5 June 1929 | 7 June 1935 | |||||
| Neville Chamberlain | 28 May 1937 | 10 May 1940 | Lord President of the Council | 10 May 1940 | 29 September 1940 | Winston Churchill (first term) |
| Sir Alec Douglas-Home (Became 14th Earl of Home from 11 July 1951 and disclaimed the title on 23 October 1963) (Created Baron Home of the Hirsel for life on 19 December 1974) |
18 October 1963 | 16 October 1964 | Foreign Secretary | 20 June 1970 | 4 March 1974 | Edward Heath |
| David Cameron (Created Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton for life on 17 November 2023) |
11 May 2010 | 13 July 2016 | Foreign Secretary | 13 November 2023 | Rishi Sunak | |