United Kingdom
Minister without Portfolio
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
Royal Arms as used by His Majesty's Government
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
Incumbent
Vacant
since 29 January 2023
Cabinet Office
StyleThe Right Honourable
Reports toThe Prime Minister
NominatorThe Prime Minister
AppointerThe British Monarch
on the advice of the Prime Minister
Term lengthNo fixed term
WebsiteGOV.UK

In the United Kingdom, the minister without portfolio is often a cabinet position, and is sometimes used to enable people such as the Chairman of the Conservative Party or the Chair of the Labour Party to attend cabinet meetings (if so, they hold the title of "Party chairman"). The sinecure positions of Lord Privy Seal, Paymaster General, and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which have few responsibilities and have a higher rank in the Order of Precedence than Minister without Portfolio can also be used to similar effect. The office is currently vacant.[1]

The corresponding shadow minister is the Shadow Minister without Portfolio.

List of office holders

18th century

19th century

Minister Concurrent office(s) Tenure Political party Prime Minister
3rd Duke of Portland crop.jpg
William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland January 1805 –
February 1806
Whig William Pitt the Younger
2ndEarlFitzwilliam.jpg
William Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam October 1806 –
March 1807
William Grenville
(Ministry of All the Talents)
3rd Duke of Portland crop.jpg
William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland 4 –
30 October 1809
Tory Spencer Perceval
1stEarlOfHarrowby.jpg
Dudley Ryder, 1st Earl of Harrowby November 1809 –
June 1812
Tory (Pittite)
1stMarquessCamden.JPG
John Pratt, 2nd Earl Camden (created 1st Marquess Camden, August 1812) 8 April – December 1812 Tory
Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool
Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave by Sir William Beechey.jpg
Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave January 1819 –
May 1820
Lord Henry Petty.jpg
Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne April – July 1827 Whig George Canning
4th-Duke-of-Portland.gif
William Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland July – September 1827 Tory (Canningite)
Blank.png
George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle 22 November 1830 –
5 June 1834
Whig Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
Sir Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.png
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington 3 September 1841 –
July 1846
Conservative Robert Peel
Lord Henry Petty.jpg
Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne 28 December 1852 –
21 February 1858
Whig George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen
(until February 1855)
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
John-Russell-1st-Earl-Russell (cropped).jpg
Lord John Russell February 1853 –
June 1854
George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen
Spencer Horatio Walpole.JPG
Spencer Horatio Walpole May 1867 –
February 1868
Conservative Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
St Aldwyn Michael Edward Hicks-Beach (1st Earl).jpg
Michael Hicks Beach 7 March 1887 –
20 February 1888
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury

20th century (first half)

Minister Concurrent office(s) Tenure Political party Prime Minister
Marquess of Lansdowne crop.jpg
Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne 25 May 1915 –
December 1916
Liberal Unionist H. H. Asquith
(Coalition)
1910 Arthur Henderson.jpg
Arthur Henderson Member of the War Cabinet 10 December 1916 –
12 August 1917
Labour David Lloyd George
(Coalition)
Lord Milner.jpg
Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner 10 December 1916 –
18 April 1918
Conservative
Jan Smuts 1947.jpg
Jan Smuts 22 June 1917 –
10 January 1919
South African Party
Sir Edward Carson, bw photo portrait seated.jpg
Edward Carson 17 July 1917 –
21 January 1918
Ulster Unionist Party (Irish Unionist)
George Nicoll Barnes in 1916.jpg
George Barnes Member of the War Cabinet (until October 1919) 13 August 1917 –
27 January 1920
Labour
Austen Chamberlain MP.jpg
Austen Chamberlain Member of the War Cabinet 18 April 1918 –
10 January 1919
Conservative
Sir Eric Campbell-Geddes in 1917.jpg
Eric Campbell Geddes 10 January –
31 October 1919
Worthington-Evans MP.jpg
Laming Worthington-Evans Member of the War Cabinet (until October 1919) 10 January 1919 –
13 February 1921
Christopher Addison, 1st Viscount Addison.jpg
Christopher Addison 1 April –
14 July 1921
Liberal
Anthony Eden (retouched).jpg
Anthony Eden Minister for League of Nations affairs 7 June –
22 December 1935
Conservative Stanley Baldwin
(Coalition)
Portrait of Lord Eustace Percy.jpg
Eustace Percy 7 June 1935 –
31 March 1936
Leslie burgin.jpg
Leslie Burgin Minister of Supply-designate 21 April –
14 July 1939
National Liberal Party Neville Chamberlain
(Coalition)
Lord Hankey.jpg
Maurice Hankey Member of the War Cabinet September 1939 –
10 May 1940
no party Neville Chamberlain
(Coalition)
Arthur Greenwood.jpg
Arthur Greenwood 11 May 1940 –
22 February 1942
Labour Winston Churchill
(Coalition)
William Jowitt.png
William Jowitt 30 December 1942 –
8 October 1944

20th century (second half)

Minister Concurrent office(s) Tenure Political party Prime Minister
Albert-Victor-Alexander-Earl-Alexander-of-Hillsborough.jpg
A. V. Alexander 4 October –
20 December 1946
Labour Co-operative Clement Attlee
Arthur Greenwood.jpg
Arthur Greenwood 17 April –
29 September 1947
Labour
Geoffrey FitzClarence, 5th Earl of Munster 18 October 1954 –
1957
Conservative Winston Churchill
Anthony Eden
Blank.png
Stormont Mancroft, 2nd Baron Mancroft 11 June 1957 –
1958
Harold Macmillan
Lord Dundee.jpg
Henry Scrymgeour-Wedderburn, 11th Earl of Dundee 23 October 1958 –
1961
Unionist
Blank.png
Percy Mills, 1st Baron Mills Deputy Leader of the House of Lords 9 October 1961 –
13 July 1962
Conservative
Bill Deedes 13 July 1962
16 October 1964
Alec Douglas-Home
Peter Carington 1984.jpg
Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington Leader of the House of Lords 20 October 1963 –
16 October 1964
Blank.png
Eric Fletcher 19 October 1964 –
6 April 1966
Labour Harold Wilson
Blank.png
Arthur Champion, Baron Champion Deputy Leader of the House of Lords 21 October 1964 –
7 January 1967
Blank.png
Douglas Houghton 6 April 1966 –
7 January 1967
Blank.png
Edward Shackleton, Baron Shackleton Deputy Leader of the House of Lords 7 January 1967 –
16 January 1968
Patrick Gordon Walker.jpg
Patrick Gordon Walker 7 January –
21 August 1967
Blank.png
George Thomson 17 October 1968 –
6 October 1969
Blank.png
Peter Shore 6 October 1969 –
19 June 1970
Blank.png
Niall Macpherson, 1st Baron Drumalbyn 15 October 1970 –
1974
Unionist Edward Heath
Blank.png
Morys Bruce, 4th Baron Aberdare 8 January – March 1974 Conservative
Lord young of Graffham.jpg
David Young, Baron Young of Graffham advising on unemployment 11 September 1984 –
3 September 1985
Margaret Thatcher
Blank.png
Jeremy Hanley Chairman of the Conservative Party 20 July 1994 –
5 July 1995
John Major
Blank.png
Brian Mawhinney 5 July 1995 –
2 May 1997
Peter Mandelson, September 2008.jpg
Peter Mandelson[2] called the "Dome Secretary"[3] 5 May 1997 –
26 July 1998
Labour Tony Blair

21st century

Minister Concurrent office(s) Term of office Political party Prime Minister
CharlesClarke2014.jpg
Charles Clarke[4] Labour Party Chair 8 June 2001 24 October 2002 Labour Tony Blair
Official portrait of Lord Reid of Cardowan, 2020.jpg
John Reid[5] 24 October 2002 4 April 2003
Minister of State for Trade, UK, Mr. Ian McCartney, in New Delhi on November 27, 2006 (cropped).jpg
Ian McCartney[6] 4 April 2003 5 May 2006
Hazel Blears, June 2009 2 cropped.jpg
Hazel Blears[7] 5 May 2006 28 June 2007
no appointment 28 June 2007 12 May 2010 Gordon Brown
Official portrait of Baroness Warsi crop 2.jpg
Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi[8][9] Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party 12 May 2010 6 September 2012 Conservative David Cameron
(Coalition)
Official portrait of Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP crop 2.jpg
Grant Shapps[10] 6 September 2012 8 May 2015
Official portrait of Mr Kenneth Clarke crop 2.jpg
Kenneth Clarke[11] Trade envoy 6 September 2012 14 July 2014
Official portrait of Mr John Hayes crop 2.jpg
John Hayes[12] Senior Parliamentary Adviser to the Prime Minister (Cabinet Office) 28 March 2013 15 July 2014
Official portrait of Robert Halfon crop 2.jpg
Robert Halfon[13] Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party 8 May 2015 17 July 2016 David Cameron
no appointment 17 July 2016 8 January 2018 Theresa May
Official portrait of Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP crop 2.jpg
Brandon Lewis[14] Chairman of the Conservative Party 8 January 2018 24 July 2019
Official portrait of Rt Hon James Cleverly MP crop 2.jpg
James Cleverly[15] 24 July 2019 13 February 2020 Boris Johnson
Official portrait of Amanda Milling MP crop 2.jpg
Amanda Milling[16] 13 February 2020 15 September 2021
Official portrait of Rt Hon Oliver Dowden MP crop 2.jpg
Oliver Dowden[17] 15 September 2021 24 June 2022
no appointment 24 June 2022 7 July 2022
Official portrait of Andrew Stephenson MP crop 2.jpg
Andrew Stephenson Chairman of the Conservative Party 7 July 2022 6 September 2022
Official portrait of Rt Hon Jake Berry MP crop 2.jpg
Sir Jake Berry 6 September 2022 25 October 2022 Liz Truss
Nadhim Zahawi Official Cabinet Portrait, September 2021 (cropped).jpg
Nadhim Zahawi 25 October 2022 29 January 2023 Rishi Sunak

See also

References

  1. ^ "Nadhim Zahawi sacked as Tory chairman over tax affairs row". Sky News. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  2. ^ "Lord Mandelson". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Mandelson and Heseltine defend Dome". BBC News. 28 January 1998. Retrieved 28 July 2021. The Minister without Portfolio, Peter Mandelson, has told MPs the Millennium Dome is "on time and on budget" as he faced Conservative criticisms of "secrecy and arrogance" in the House of Commons. The so-called 'Dome Secretary' was joined by Michael Heseltine in a robust defence of the project...
  4. ^ "Rt Hon Charles Clarke". UK Parliament. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Lord Reid of Cardowan". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Sir Ian McCartney". UK Parliament. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Rt Hon Hazel Blears". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Baroness Warsi". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Ministers Reflect - Minister Baroness Warsi". Institute for Government. 24 April 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2021. Sayeeda Warsi looks back on her time in the Coalition Government, starting with figuring out what exactly was a Minister without Portfolio.
  10. ^ "Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Lord Clarke of Nottingham". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Rt Hon John Hayes MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Rt Hon Robert Halfon MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Rt Hon James Cleverly MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  16. ^ "Rt Hon Amanda Milling MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Rt Hon Oliver Dowdon MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 15 September 2021.