Cabinet of the United Kingdom facts for kids
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Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
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.jpg) Cabinet Room, 10 Downing Street |
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| Cabinet overview | |
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| Formed | 1644 |
| Type | Committee of the Privy Council |
| Jurisdiction | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | Cabinet Room, 10 Downing Street |
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the main group of top decision-makers in the Government of the United Kingdom. Think of it as the most important team that helps run the country. It's a special committee of the Privy Council.
The Cabinet is led by the Prime Minister. Its members include important people like Secretaries of State and other senior Ministers. The Prime Minister chooses who gets to be in the Cabinet. These members are usually chosen from people who are already part of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, either from the House of Commons or the House of Lords.
The Cabinet's main job is to discuss and decide on big policy issues. They also handle important public matters and solve disagreements between different government departments. The work of the Cabinet is watched closely by the Shadow Cabinet, which is made up of members from the main opposition party.
Contents
History of the UK Cabinet
How the Cabinet Began
For a long time, individual government officials had their own separate jobs and powers given by the King or Queen. The King or Queen and the Privy Council were the only groups that brought everything together. In England, people started using phrases like "cabinet counsel" in the late 1500s. This meant advice given privately to the monarch in a small room, like a "cabinet."
The first time "Cabinet Council" was formally used was in 1625 by King Charles I. The word "cabinet" by itself for this group first appeared in 1644.
The Rise of the Cabinet System
Before the modern Cabinet, there were "ministries" in England led by a "chief minister." This person led the government for the monarch. These early groups of ministers helped run the country and were like an early version of today's Cabinet.
The Cabinet became the main executive group of the British government during the time of King George I. Both he and King George II relied a lot on chosen groups of advisers. This was because they weren't native English speakers and didn't know much about British politics. The word "minister" came from the idea that these royal officers "served" the King or Queen.
Modern Cabinet Changes
The way the modern Cabinet works was really shaped by Prime Minister David Lloyd George between 1916 and 1922. He created the Cabinet Office and a special team to support the Cabinet. He also set up clear ways for committees to work and for decisions to be recorded.
These changes happened because of the First World War. During the war, it was very important to make faster and more coordinated decisions across the government. This helped with things like getting people to join the army, working with other countries, and making weapons. After the war, the country faced many challenges, like the general strike and the Great Depression. These events showed how important a strong and organized Cabinet was.
Who is in the Cabinet?
Choosing Cabinet Members
The Prime Minister decides who will be a member of the Cabinet and who will attend its meetings. There's a law that limits the number of Cabinet ministers who can get a salary to 21, plus the Lord Chancellor.
All Cabinet ministers must be "privy counsellors." This is a special title that allows them to be part of the Privy Council, which the Cabinet is a committee of.
Members from Parliament
Usually, Cabinet members are chosen from people who are already elected to the House of Commons or are members of the House of Lords. This is a long-standing tradition. However, this rule has been broken a few times for short periods. For example, Patrick Gordon Walker was appointed to the Cabinet even though he lost his seat in an election. Today, almost all Cabinet members are from the House of Commons.
Other people, like civil servants from the Cabinet Office and special advisers, can attend Cabinet meetings. But they don't take part in the discussions or decision-making.
Some people think the modern Cabinet has become too big. They have suggested combining some government roles to make it smaller and more efficient.
Cabinet Meetings
Most Cabinet meetings happen in the Cabinet Room at 10 Downing Street in London. However, sometimes they meet in other places.
The day of the week for meetings has changed over time. For a while, they met on Thursdays. Then, when Gordon Brown became Prime Minister, he switched meetings to Tuesdays. David Cameron changed it back to Thursdays, and Theresa May switched it back to Tuesdays again.
How long meetings last depends on the Prime Minister's style and what's happening in politics. But today, meetings can be as short as 30 minutes. All ministers in the Cabinet must follow a rule called "collective ministerial responsibility." This means that once the Cabinet makes a decision, all ministers must support it publicly, even if they disagreed with it in private.
Importance of the Cabinet
The Prime Minister's Role
The monarch officially appoints and can dismiss Cabinet ministers. However, they do this on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister also decides which ministers are responsible for which government departments.
The Prime Minister has always led the Cabinet. In the past, the Prime Minister was seen as "primus inter pares" (first among equals). But today, the Prime Minister is the most important head of government. They have the power to choose and remove Cabinet ministers and control what the Cabinet discusses. How much power the Prime Minister has compared to the rest of the Cabinet can change depending on political situations and the personalities involved.
Decision-Making Power
In theory, the Cabinet is the top decision-making group for the government's executive branch. This idea was explained by Walter Bagehot in his 19th-century book The English Constitution. He called the Cabinet the "efficient secret" of the British political system.
However, over the last few decades, some people believe the Cabinet's power to make decisions has decreased. They think the Prime Minister has taken on more of this role, leading to a "prime ministerial" government. Today, the Prime Minister often publishes a list showing the order of importance of all Cabinet ministers.
The way the Cabinet became more organized in the early 1900s actually made the Prime Minister's power stronger. Leaders like David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill became very dominant figures.
Some experts, like the Institute for Government, say that fewer full Cabinet meetings mean the Cabinet is less important as a formal decision-making body. But others, like Vernon Bogdanor, disagree. He thinks that fewer full meetings actually make the Cabinet stronger because more work can be done efficiently in smaller Cabinet committees.
"Kitchen Cabinet" and Power
Most Prime Ministers have had a small group of trusted advisers, sometimes called a "kitchen cabinet." These advisers might be Cabinet members, or they could be personal staff who are not officially in the Cabinet. In recent governments, especially under Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, some people have said that many big decisions were made before the actual Cabinet meetings. This was even mentioned in the Butler Review, which criticized Blair's "sofa government" style.
Some people argue that the Prime Minister's power has grown so much that it's like an "elective dictatorship." This means the Prime Minister has a lot of control because they can influence Cabinet discussions and the Parliament. The media often questions the government strongly because Parliament sometimes struggles to hold the government accountable.
The idea that the Prime Minister is "first among equals" was challenged by Richard Crossman and Tony Benn in the 1970s. They were part of Labour governments and believed the Prime Minister had gained more power. They thought "prime ministerial government" was a better description. Crossman suggested this increase in power came from stronger political parties, a more unified civil service, and the growth of the Prime Minister's private office.
However, a Prime Minister's power over their Cabinet also depends on how much support they have from their own political party. If the party is divided, the Prime Minister might have to include other powerful party members in the Cabinet to keep the party together. Also, if the Prime Minister's party is sharing power or in a formal coalition with another party, like the Cameron–Clegg coalition from 2010 to 2015, their personal power is reduced.
Current Cabinet Members
The current Cabinet is led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer. This is his first Cabinet, formed after the 2024 General Election.
As of July 2025, here are the members of the current Cabinet:
Starmer ministry |
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| Minister |
Office(s) | Department | Took office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabinet ministers | ||||
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Sir Keir Starmer MP for Holborn and St Pancras |
Prime Minister
First Lord of the Treasury |
Cabinet Office | 5 July 2024 |
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Angela Rayner MP for Ashton-under-Lyne |
Deputy Prime Minister
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government |
Cabinet Office Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government |
5 July 2024 |
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Rachel Reeves MP for Leeds West and Pudsey |
Chancellor of the Exchequer Second Lord of the Treasury |
HM Treasury | 5 July 2024 |
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Pat McFadden MP for Wolverhampton South East |
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Minister for Intergovernmental Relations |
Cabinet Office | 5 July 2024 |
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David Lammy MP for Tottenham |
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 5 July 2024 |
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Yvette Cooper MP for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley |
Secretary of State for the Home Department | Home Office | 5 July 2024 |
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John Healey MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough |
Secretary of State for Defence | Ministry of Defence | 5 July 2024 |
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Shabana Mahmood MP for Birmingham Ladywood |
Lord Chancellor
Secretary of State for Justice |
Ministry of Justice | 5 July 2024 |
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Wes Streeting MP for Ilford North |
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care | Department of Health and Social Care | 5 July 2024 |
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Bridget Phillipson MP for Houghton and Sunderland South |
Secretary of State for Education
Minister for Women and Equalities |
Department for Education | 5 July 2024 |
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Ed Miliband MP for Doncaster North |
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | 5 July 2024 |
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Liz Kendall MP for Leicester West |
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions | Department for Work and Pensions | 5 July 2024 |
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Jonathan Reynolds MP for Stalybridge and Hyde |
Secretary of State for Business and Trade | Department for Business and Trade |
5 July 2024 |
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Peter Kyle MP for Hove and Portslade |
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | 5 July 2024 |
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Heidi Alexander MP for Swindon South |
Secretary of State for Transport | Department for Transport | 29 November 2024 |
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Steve Reed MP for Streatham and Croydon North |
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 5 July 2024 |
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Lisa Nandy MP for Wigan |
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | 5 July 2024 |
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Hilary Benn MP for Leeds South |
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | Northern Ireland Office | 5 July 2024 |
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Ian Murray MP for Edinburgh South |
Secretary of State for Scotland | Scotland Office | 5 July 2024 |
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Jo Stevens MP for Cardiff East |
Secretary of State for Wales | Wales Office | 5 July 2024 |
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Lucy Powell MP for Manchester Central |
Leader of the House of Commons | Office of the Leader of the House of Commons | 5 July 2024 |
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Angela Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon Life peer |
Leader of the House of Lords | Office of the Leader of the House of Lords | 5 July 2024 |
| Ministers who also attend Cabinet | ||||
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Sir Alan Campbell MP for Tynemouth |
Government Chief Whip
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury |
HM Treasury | 5 July 2024 |
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Darren Jones MP for Bristol North West |
Chief Secretary to the Treasury | HM Treasury | 5 July 2024 |
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Richard Hermer, Baron Hermer Life peer |
Attorney General for England and Wales
Advocate General for Northern Ireland |
Attorney General's Office | 5 July 2024 |
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Ellie Reeves MP for Lewisham West and East Dulwich |
Minister without Portfolio | Cabinet Office | 6 July 2024 |
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Jenny Chapman, Baroness Chapman of Darlington Life peer |
Minister of State for International Development, Latin America and Caribbean | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 28 February 2025 |
Images for kids
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The Cabinet Office building in London.
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See also
In Spanish: Gabinete del Reino Unido para niños
- British Government frontbench
- List of female cabinet members of the United Kingdom
- Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet
- United Kingdom cabinet committee
