Cabinet of the United Kingdom facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

For the current Cabinet, see Cabinet of the United Kingdom#Current Cabinet. For a list of former Cabinets, see List of British governments.

Quick facts for kids
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Cabinet overview
Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
Cabinet Room, 10 Downing Street
Formed	1644 (381 years ago) (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.

History of the UK Cabinet
Who is in the Cabinet?
- Choosing Cabinet Members
- Members from Parliament
Cabinet Meetings
Importance of the Cabinet
Current Cabinet Members
Images for kids
See also

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

The Cabinet table, where important decisions are made.

A 19th-century trade card showing "Her Majesty's Cabinet."

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:

Minister		Office(s)	Department	Took office
Starmer ministry
Cabinet ministers
	Sir Keir Starmer MP for Holborn and St Pancras	Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Minister for the Civil Service Minister for the Union	Cabinet Office	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	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 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Rachel Reeves MP for Leeds West and Pudsey	Chancellor of the Exchequer Second Lord of the Treasury	HM Treasury	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Pat McFadden MP for Wolverhampton South East	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Minister for Intergovernmental Relations	Cabinet Office	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	David Lammy MP for Tottenham	Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Yvette Cooper MP for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley	Secretary of State for the Home Department	Home Office	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	John Healey MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough	Secretary of State for Defence	Ministry of Defence	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Shabana Mahmood MP for Birmingham Ladywood	Lord Chancellor Secretary of State for Justice	Ministry of Justice	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Wes Streeting MP for Ilford North	Secretary of State for Health and Social Care	Department of Health and Social Care	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Bridget Phillipson MP for Houghton and Sunderland South	Secretary of State for Education Minister for Women and Equalities	Department for Education	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	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 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Liz Kendall MP for Leicester West	Secretary of State for Work and Pensions	Department for Work and Pensions	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Jonathan Reynolds MP for Stalybridge and Hyde	Secretary of State for Business and Trade President of the Board of Trade	Department for Business and Trade	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Peter Kyle MP for Hove and Portslade	Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Heidi Alexander MP for Swindon South	Secretary of State for Transport	Department for Transport	29 November 2024 (8 months ago) (2024-11-29)
	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 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Lisa Nandy MP for Wigan	Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport	Department for Culture, Media and Sport	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Hilary Benn MP for Leeds South	Secretary of State for Northern Ireland	Northern Ireland Office	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Ian Murray MP for Edinburgh South	Secretary of State for Scotland	Scotland Office	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Jo Stevens MP for Cardiff East	Secretary of State for Wales	Wales Office	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Lucy Powell MP for Manchester Central	Leader of the House of Commons Lord President of the Council	Office of the Leader of the House of Commons	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Angela Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon Life peer	Leader of the House of Lords Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal	Office of the Leader of the House of Lords	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
Ministers who also attend Cabinet
	Sir Alan Campbell MP for Tynemouth	Government Chief Whip Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury	HM Treasury	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Darren Jones MP for Bristol North West	Chief Secretary to the Treasury	HM Treasury	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Richard Hermer, Baron Hermer Life peer	Attorney General for England and Wales Advocate General for Northern Ireland	Attorney General's Office	5 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-05)
	Ellie Reeves MP for Lewisham West and East Dulwich	Minister without Portfolio	Cabinet Office	6 July 2024 (12 months ago) (2024-07-06)
	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 (5 months ago) (2025-02-28)