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United Kingdom
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Second Lord of the Treasury
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government) (2022).svg
Rachel Reeves Official Cabinet Portrait, July 2024 (cropped 2).jpg
Incumbent
Rachel Reeves

since 5 July 2024
His Majesty's Treasury
Style The Chancellor
(informal)
The Right Honourable
(within the UK and Commonwealth)
Member of
Reports to First Lord of the Treasury
(Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)
Residence 11 Downing Street
Seat Westminster
Nominator The Prime Minister
Appointer The Monarch
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term length At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation 22 June 1316
First holder Hervey de Stanton
(in the Kingdom of England only)
Deputy Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Salary £159,038 per annum (2022)
(including £86,584 MP salary)

The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to Chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the chancellor is a high-ranking member of the British Cabinet.

Responsible for all economic and financial matters, the role is equivalent to that of a finance minister in other countries. The chancellor is now always second lord of the Treasury as one of at least six lords commissioners of the Treasury, responsible for executing the office of the Treasurer of the Exchequer – the others are the prime minister and Commons government whips. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, it was common for the prime minister also to serve as Chancellor of the Exchequer if he sat in the Commons; the last Chancellor who was simultaneously prime minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer was Stanley Baldwin in 1923. Formerly, in cases when the chancellorship was vacant, the lord chief justice of the King's Bench would act as chancellor pro tempore. The last lord chief justice to serve in this way was Lord Denman in 1834.

The chancellor is the third-oldest major state office in English and British history, and in recent times has come to be the most powerful office in British politics after the prime minister. It originally carried responsibility for the Exchequer, the medieval English institution for the collection and auditing of royal revenues. The earliest surviving records which are the results of the exchequer's audit, date from 1129 to 1130 under King Henry I and show continuity from previous years. The chancellor has oversight of fiscal policy, therefore of taxation and public spending across government departments. It previously controlled monetary policy as well until 1997, when the Bank of England was granted independent control of its interest rates.

Since 1718, all chancellors of the exchequer, except at times the lord chief justice as interim holders, have been members of the House of Commons with Lord Stanhope being the last chancellor from the House of Lords.

The office holder works alongside the other Treasury ministers and the permanent secretary to the Treasury. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow chancellor of the Exchequer, and the chancellor is also scrutinised by the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson and the Treasury Select Committee.

The current chancellor is Rachel Reeves, succeeding Jeremy Hunt following Labour victory in the 2024 general election. Hunt held the position from October 2022 to July 2024 under prime ministers Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. Reeves is the first female to serve as the chancellor of the exchequer over the role's eight hundred years of history. She is also the first Labour chancellor since 2010.

Second Lord of the Treasury

The holder of the office of chancellor of the exchequer is ex officio second lord of the Treasury as a member of the commission exercising the ancient office of treasurer of the exchequer. As second lord, her official residence is 11 Downing Street in London, next door to the residence of the first lord of the Treasury (a title that has for many years been held by the prime minister), who resides in 10 Downing Street. While in the past both houses were private residences, today they serve as interlinked offices, with the occupant living in an apartment made from attic rooms previously resided in by servants.

Since 1827, the chancellor has always simultaneously held the office of second lord of the Treasury when that person has not also been the prime minister.

Roles and responsibilities

A previous chancellor, Robert Lowe, described the office in the following terms in the House of Commons, on 11 April 1870: "The Chancellor of the Exchequer is a man whose duties make him more or less of a taxing machine. He is entrusted with a certain amount of misery which it is his duty to distribute as fairly as he can."

Fiscal policy

The chancellor has considerable control over other departments as it is the Treasury that sets Departmental Expenditure Limits. The amount of power this gives to an individual chancellor depends on their personal forcefulness, their status within their party and their relationship with the prime minister. Gordon Brown, who became chancellor when Labour came into Government in 1997, had a large personal power base in the party. Perhaps as a result, Tony Blair chose to keep him in the same position throughout his ten years as prime minister; making Brown an unusually dominant figure and the longest-serving chancellor since the Reform Act of 1832. This has strengthened a pre-existing trend towards the chancellor occupying a clear second position among government ministers, elevated above his traditional peers, the foreign secretary and home secretary.

One part of the chancellor's key roles involves the framing of the annual year budget. As of 2017, the first is the Autumn Budget, also known as Budget Day which forecasts government spending in the next financial year and also announces new financial measures. The second is a Spring Statement, also known as a "mini-Budget". Britain's tax year has retained the old Julian end of year: 24 March (Old Style) / 5 April (New Style, i.e. Gregorian). From 1993, the Budget was in spring, preceded by an annual autumn statement. This was then called Pre-Budget Report. The Autumn Statement usually took place in November or December. The 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012 and 2016 budgets were all delivered on a Wednesday, summarised in a speech to the House of Commons.

The budget is a state secret until the chancellor reveals it in his speech to Parliament. Hugh Dalton, on his way to giving the budget speech in 1947, inadvertently blurted out key details to a newspaper reporter, and they appeared in print before he made his speech. Dalton was forced to resign.

Monetary policy

Although the Bank of England is responsible for setting interest rates, the chancellor also plays an important part in the monetary policy structure. He sets the inflation target which the Bank must set interest rates to meet. Under the Bank of England Act 1998 the chancellor has the power of appointment of four out of nine members of the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee – the so-called 'external' members. He also has a high level of influence over the appointment of the Bank's Governor and Deputy Governors, and has the right of consultation over the appointment of the two remaining MPC members from within the Bank. The Act also provides that the Government has the power to give instructions to the Bank on interest rates for a limited period in extreme circumstances. This power has never been officially used.

Ministerial arrangements

At HM Treasury the chancellor is supported by a political team of four junior ministers and by permanent civil servants. The most important junior minister is the chief secretary to the Treasury, a member of the Cabinet, to whom the negotiations with other government departments on the details of government spending are delegated, followed by the paymaster general, the financial secretary to the Treasury and the economic secretary to the Treasury. Whilst not continuously in use, there can also be appointed a commercial secretary to the Treasury and an exchequer secretary to the Treasury. Two other officials are given the title of a secretary to the Treasury, although neither is a government minister in the Treasury: the parliamentary secretary to the Treasury is the Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons; the permanent secretary to the Treasury is not a minister but the senior civil servant in the Treasury.

The chancellor is obliged to be a member of the Privy Council, and thus is styled the Right Honourable (Rt. Hon.). Because the House of Lords is excluded from financial matters by tradition confirmed by the Parliament Acts, the office is effectively limited to members of the House of Commons; apart from the occasions when the lord chief justice of the King's Bench has acted as interim Chancellor. The last peer to hold the office was Henry Booth, 2nd Baron Delamer (created Earl of Warrington shortly after leaving office) from 9 April 1689 to 18 March 1690. The chancellor holds the formerly independent office of Master of the Mint as a subsidiary office.

Perquisites of the office

Official residence

The chancellor of the Exchequer has no official London residence as such but since 1828 in his role as Second Lord of the Treasury he lives in the second lord's official residence, No. 11 Downing Street. In 1997, the then first and second Lords, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown respectively, swapped apartments, as the chancellor's larger apartment in No. 11 accommodated Blair's family and Brown was then unmarried.

Dorneywood

Dorneywood is the summer residence that is traditionally made available to the chancellor, though it is the prime minister who ultimately decides who may use it. Gordon Brown, on becoming chancellor in 1997, refused to use it and the house, which is set in 215 acres (87 ha) of parkland, was allocated to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. It reverted to the chancellor in 2007, then Alistair Darling.

Budget box

Cropped Gladstone's Red Box
Budget box or Gladstone box, c. 1860

The chancellor traditionally carries his budget speech to the House of Commons in a particular red despatch box. The so-called ‘Budget Box’ is identical to the cases used by all other government ministers (known as ministerial boxes or "despatch boxes") to transport their official papers, but is better known because the chancellor traditionally displays the box, containing the budget speech, to the press before leaving 11 Downing Street for the House of Commons.

The original budget box was first used by William Ewart Gladstone in 1853 and continued in use until 1965 when James Callaghan was the first chancellor to break with tradition when he used a newer box. Prior to Gladstone, a generic red despatch box of varying design and specification was used. The practice is said to have begun in the late 16th century, when Queen Elizabeth I's representative Francis Throckmorton presented the Spanish Ambassador, Bernardino de Mendoza, with a specially constructed red briefcase filled with black puddings.

In July 1997, Gordon Brown became the second chancellor to use a new box for the Budget. Made by industrial trainees at Babcock Rosyth Defence Ltd ship and submarine dockyard in Fife, the new box is made of yellow pine, with a brass handle and lock, covered in scarlet leather and embossed with the Royal cypher and crest and the chancellor's title. In his first Budget, in March 2008, Alistair Darling reverted to using the original budget box and his successor, George Osborne, continued this tradition for his first budget, before announcing that it would be retired due to its fragile condition. The key to the original budget box has been lost.

Robe of office

The chancellor, as Master of the Mint, has a robe of office, similar to that of the lord chancellor (as seen in several of the portraits depicted below). In recent times, it has only regularly been worn at coronations, but some chancellors (at least until the 1990s) have also worn it when attending the Trial of the Pyx as Master of the Mint. According to George Osborne, the robe (dating from Gladstone's time in office, and worn by the likes of Lloyd George and Churchill) 'went missing' during Gordon Brown's time as chancellor.

List of chancellors of the Exchequer

Chancellors of the Exchequer of England (c. 1221c. 1558)

Chancellor of the Exchequer Term of office Monarch
(Reign)
No image.svg Eustace of Fauconberg
Bishop of London
c. 1221 N/A Henry III
Coat of Arms of England (-1340).svg
(1216–1272)
No image.svg John Maunsell
Secretary of State
c. 1234 N/A
Ralph de Leicester before 1248
Edward of Westminster 1248 N/A
Albric de Fiscamp before 1263
No image.svg John Chishull
Lord Chancellor
1263 1265
No image.svg Walter Giffard
Bishop of Bath and Wells
1265 1266
No image.svg Godfrey Giffard
Lord Chancellor
1266 1268
No image.svg John Chishull
Lord Chancellor
1268 1269
No image.svg Richard of Middleton
Archdeacon of Northumberland
1269 1272
Roger de la Leye before 1283
Geoffrey de Neuband Edward I
Coat of Arms of England (-1340).svg
(1272–1307)
Philip de Willoughby 1283 1305
No image.svg John Benstead
Secretary of State
1305 1306
No image.svg John Sandale
Bishop of Winchester
c. July
1307
1308 Edward II
Coat of Arms of England (-1340).svg
(1307–1327)
John of Markenfield 1309 1312
No image.svg John Hotham
Bishop of Ely
1312 1316
No image.svg Hervey de Stanton 1316 c. 1323
BishopWalterStapledon ExeterCathedral.JPG Walter Stapledon
Lord High Treasurer
1323 c. 1324
No image.svg Hervey de Stanton
Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
1324 c. January
1327
No image.svg Adam de Harvington c. January
1327
1330 Edward III
Coat of Arms of Edward III of England (1327-1377) (Attributed).svg
(1327–1377)
No image.svg Robert Wodehouse 1330 1331
Chichestercathedralrobertstratfordtomb.jpg Robert de Stratford
Bishop of Chichester
1331 1334
John Hildesle c. 1338 N/A
William de Everdon 1341 N/A
William Askeby
Archdeacon of Northampton
1363 N/A
No image.svg Robert de Ashton 1375 c. June
1377
Sir Walter Barnham c. June
1377
c. September
1399
Richard II
Coat of Arms of Richard II of England (1377-1399).svg
(1377–1399)
No image.svg Henry Somer
MP for Middlesex
1410 1437 Henry IV
Coat of Arms of Henry IV of England (1399-1413).svg
(1399–1413)
Henry V
Coat of Arms of Henry IV & V of England (1413-1422).svg
(1413–1422)
Henry VI
Coat of Arms of Henry VI of England (1422-1471).svg
(1422–1461)
No image.svg John Somerset 1441 1447
No image.svg Thomas Browne
MP for Dover
1440? 1450?
No image.svg Thomas Witham 1454 N/A
No image.svg Thomas Thwaites c. March
1461
N/A Edward IV
Coat of Arms of Edward IV of England (1461-1483).svg
(1461–1470)
No image.svg Thomas Witham 1465 1469
Richard Fowler 1469 c. April
1471
Henry VI
Coat of Arms of Henry VI of England (1422-1471).svg
(1470–1471)
No image.svg Thomas Thwaites
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
c. April
1471
c. April
1483
Edward IV
Coat of Arms of Edward IV of England (1461-1483).svg
(1471–1483)
William Catesby, memorial brass.jpg William Catesby
Speaker of the House of Commons
c. April
1483
c. 1484 Edward V
Coat of Arms of Edward V of England (1483).svg
(1483)
Richard III
Coat of Arms of Richard III of England (1483-1485).svg
(1483–1485)
Sir Thomas Lovell, bronze medallion.jpg Thomas Lovell
Speaker of the House of Commons
c. August
1485
1524 Henry VII
Coat of Arms of Henry VII of England (1485-1509).svg
(1485–1509)
Henry VIII
Coat of Arms of England (1509-1554) - Dragon with pizzle.png
(1509–1547)
John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners by Ambrosius Benson.jpg John Bourchier
2nd Baron Berners
1524 1533?
Cromwell,Thomas(1EEssex)01.jpg Thomas Cromwell
1st Earl of Essex

Secretary of State
12 April
1533
10 June
1540
John Baker
MP for Kent
1545 c. November
1558
SirJohnBaker.jpg
Edward VI
Coat of Arms of England (1509-1554) - Dragon with pizzle.png
(1547–1553)
Mary I
Coat of Arms of England (1554-1558).svg
(1553–1558)
Died in office.

Chancellors of the Exchequer of England (c. 1558 – 1708)

Chancellor of the Exchequer Term of office Monarch
(Reign)
No image.svg Richard Sackville
MP for Sussex
February
1559
21 April
1566
Elizabeth I
Coat of Arms of England (1558-1603).svg
(1558–1603)
Walter Mildmay.jpg Walter Mildmay
MP for Northamptonshire
1566 31 May
1589
Sir John Fortescue by Sidney Hunt.jpg John Fortescue
MP for Buckinghamshire →Middlesex
1589 1603
George Home 1st Earl of Dunbar.jpg George Home
1st Earl of Dunbar
24 May
1603
April
1606
James I
Coat of Arms of England (1603-1649).svg
(1603–1625)
Unknown man, formerly known as Sir Julius Caesar from NPG.jpg Julius Caesar
MP for Middlesex
11 April
1606
1614
Fulkegrevillee.jpg Fulke Greville
MP for Warwickshire
15 October
1614
1621
RichardWeston.jpg Richard Weston
MP for 7 constituencies successively
29 January
1621
15 July
1628
Charles I
Coat of Arms of England (1603-1649).svg
(1625–1649)
No image.svg Edward Barrett
1st Lord Barrett of Newburgh
14 August
1628
1629
Francis Cottington, 1st Baron Cottington from NPG.jpg Francis Cottington
1st Baron Cottington
18 April
1629
6 January
1642
1stLordColepeper.jpg John Colepeper
MP for Kent
6 January
1642
22 February
1643
Peter Lely (1618-1680) (after) - Sir Edward Hyde (1609–1674), 1st Earl of Clarendon - 1257076 - National Trust.jpg Edward Hyde February
1643
1646
Vacancy during the Interregnum (1649–1660)
Chancellor of the Exchequer Term of office Ministry Monarch
(Reign)
Peter Lely (1618-1680) (after) - Sir Edward Hyde (1609–1674), 1st Earl of Clarendon - 1257076 - National Trust.jpg Edward Hyde
1st Baron Hyde
1660 13 May
1661
Clarendon Charles II
Coat of Arms of England (1660-1689).svg
(1660–1685)
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury.jpg Anthony Ashley Cooper
1st Baron Ashley
13 May
1661
22 November
1672
Cabal
No image.svg John Duncombe
MP for Bury St Edmunds
22 November
1672
2 May
1676
Danby I
John Ernle
MP for 4 constituencies successively
2 May
1676
9 April
1689
Privy Council
Chits
James II
Coat of Arms of England (1660-1689).svg
(1685–1688)
William III
&
Mary II
Coat of Arms of England (1689-1694).svg
(1689–1694)
Henrybooth.jpg Henry Booth
2nd Baron Delamer
9 April
1689
18 March
1690
Carmarthen–Halifax
No image.svg Richard Hampden
MP for Buckinghamshire
18 March
1690
10 May
1694
Carmarthen
Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt.jpg Charles Montagu
MP for Maldon → Westminster
10 May
1694
31 May
1699
Whig Junto I
William III
Coat of Arms of England (1694-1702).svg
(1694–1702)
John Smith, Speaker of the House of Commons.jpg John Smith
MP for Andover
31 May
1699
23 March
1701
Pembroke
Henry Boyle
MP for Cambridge University → Westminster
27 March
1701
22 April
1708
Henry Boyle Lord Carleton by Godfrey Kneller.jpg Godolphin–Marlborough
(ToryWhig)
Anne
Coat of Arms of Great Britain (1707-1714).svg
(1702–1714)

Chancellors of the Exchequer of Great Britain (1708–1817)

Chancellor of the Exchequer Term of office Party Ministry Monarch
(Reign)
John Smith, Speaker of the House of Commons.jpg John Smith
MP for Andover
22 April
1708
11 August
1710
Whig Godolphin–Marlborough
(ToryWhig)
Anne
Coat of Arms of Great Britain (1707-1714).svg
(1702–1714)
Robert Harley Chancellor of the Exchequer by Kneller.jpg Robert Harley
MP for Radnor
11 August
1710
4 June
1711
Tory Oxford–Bolingbroke
Bingley.jpg Robert Benson
MP for York
4 June
1711
21 August
1713
Tory
Sir William Wyndham, 3rd Bt by Jonathan Richardson.jpg William Wyndham
MP for Somerset
21 August
1713
13 October
1714
Tory
George I
Coat of Arms of Great Britain (1714-1801).svg
(1714–1727)
Richardonslow.jpg Richard Onslow
MP for Surrey
13 October
1714
12 October
1715
Whig Townshend
Robertwalpole cropped.jpg Robert Walpole
MP for King's Lynn
12 October
1715
15 April
1717
Whig
James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt.jpg James Stanhope
1st Earl Stanhope
15 April
1717
20 March
1718
Whig Stanhope–Sunderland I
JohnAislabie.jpg John Aislabie
MP for Ripon
20 March
1718
23 January
1721
Whig Stanhope–Sunderland II
Sir John Pratt by Michael Dahl.jpg John Pratt
Lord Chief Justice (interim)
2 February
1721
3 April
1721
Whig
Robertwalpole cropped.jpg Robert Walpole
1st Earl of Orford

MP for King's Lynn
3 April
1721
12 February
1742
Whig Walpole–Townshend
George II
Coat of Arms of Great Britain (1714-1801).svg
(1727–1760)
Walpole
1stLordSandys.jpg Samuel Sandys
MP for Worcester
12 February
1742
12 December
1743
Whig Carteret
Henry Pelham by William Hoare.jpg Henry Pelham
MP for Sussex
12 December
1743
8 March
1754
Whig
Broad Bottom
(I & II)
Sir William Lee by C.F. Barker.jpg William Lee
Lord Chief Justice (interim)
8 March
1754
6 April
1754
Whig Newcastle I
HenryBilsonLegge.jpg Henry Bilson-Legge
MP for Orford
6 April
1754
25 November
1755
Whig
Lyttlelton.jpg George Lyttelton
MP for Okehampton
25 November
1755
16 November
1756
Whig
HenryBilsonLegge.jpg Henry Bilson-Legge
MP for Orford
16 November
1756
13 April
1757
Whig Pitt–Devonshire
William Murray, Earl of Mansfield LCJ.jpg William Murray
1st Earl of Mansfield

Lord Chief Justice (interim)
13 April
1757
2 July
1757
Whig
1757 Caretaker
HenryBilsonLegge.jpg Henry Bilson-Legge
MP for Orford → Hampshire
2 July
1757
19 March
1761
Whig Pitt–Newcastle
George III
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1801-1816).svg
(1760–1820)
2ndViscountBarrington.jpg William Barrington
2nd Viscount Barrington

MP for Plymouth
19 March
1761
29 May
1762
Whig
Francis Baron le Despencer by Nathaniel Dance-Holland.jpg Francis Dashwood
MP for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis
29 May
1762
16 April
1763
Tory Bute
(ToryWhig)
George Grenville (1712–1770) by William Hoare (1707-1792) Cropped.jpg George Grenville
MP for Buckingham
16 April
1763
16 July
1765
Whig Grenville
(WhigTory)
No image.svg William Dowdeswell
MP for Worcestershire
16 July
1765
2 August
1766
Whig Rockingham I
Charles Townshend after Reynolds.jpg Charles Townshend
MP for Harwich
2 August
1766
4 September
1767
Whig Chatham
(WhigTory)
Nathaniel Dance Lord North cropped cropped.jpg Frederick North
Lord North

MP for Banbury
11 September
1767
27 March
1782
Tory
Grafton
North
Lord John Cavendish by GD Tomlinson.jpg Lord John Cavendish
MP for York
27 March
1782
10 July
1782
Whig Rockingham II
William Pitt the Younger.jpg William Pitt the Younger
MP for Appleby
10 July
1782
31 March
1783
Whig Shelburne
(WhigTory)
Lord John Cavendish by GD Tomlinson.jpg Lord John Cavendish
MP for York
2 April
1783
19 December
1783
Whig Fox–North
William Pitt the Younger.jpg William Pitt the Younger
MP for Appleby → Cambridge University
19 December
1783
14 March
1801
Tory Pitt I
Henry Addington by Beechey.jpg Henry Addington
MP for Devizes
14 March
1801
10 May
1804
Tory Addington
William Pitt the Younger.jpg William Pitt the Younger
MP for Cambridge University
10 May
1804
23 January
1806
Tory Pitt II
Lord-ellenborough.jpg Edward Law
1st Baron Ellenborough

Lord Chief Justice (interim)
23 January
1806
5 February
1806
Tory All the Talents
(WhigTory)
Henry Walton (1746-1813) - Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne - NPG 178 - National Portrait Gallery.jpg Lord Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice
MP for Cambridge University
5 February
1806
26 March
1807
Whig
Spencer PercevalCE.jpg Spencer Perceval
MP for Northampton
26 March
1807
11 May
1812
Tory Portland II
Perceval
Nicholas Vansittart by William Owen.jpg Nicholas Vansittart
MP for East Grinstead → Harwich
9 June
1812
12 July
1817
Tory Liverpool

Chancellors of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom (1817–present)

Although the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland had been united by the Acts of Union 1800, the Exchequers of the two Kingdoms were not consolidated until 1817 under the Consolidated Fund Act 1816 (56 Geo. 3. c. 98). For the holders of the Irish office before this date, see Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Term of office Party Ministry Monarch
(Reign)
Nicholas Vansittart by William Owen.jpg Nicholas Vansittart
MP for Harwich
12 July 1817 31 January 1823 Tory Liverpool George III
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1801-1816).svg
(1760–1820)
George IV
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1816-1837).svg
(1820–1830)
Frederick John Robinson, 1st Earl of Ripon by Sir Thomas Lawrence cropped.jpg Frederick John Robinson
MP for Ripon
31 January 1823 27 April 1827 Tory
George Canning by Richard Evans - detail.jpg George Canning
MP for Seaford
27 April 1827 8 August 1827 Tory Canning
(Canningite–Whig)
Lord Tenterden LCJ by William Owen.jpg Charles Abbott
1st Baron Tenterden
Lord Chief Justice (interim)
8 August 1827 5 September 1827 Tory Goderich
John Charles Herries.jpg John Charles Herries
MP for Harwich
5 September 1827 26 January 1828 Tory
HenryGoulburn.jpg Henry Goulburn
MP for Armagh
26 January 1828 22 November 1830 Tory Wellington–Peel
William IV
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1816-1837).svg
(1830–1837)
JC Spencer, Viscount Althorp by HP Bone cropped.jpg John Spencer
Viscount Althorp

MP for Northamptonshire →
South Northamptonshire
22 November 1830 14 November 1834 Whig Grey
Melbourne I
Thomas Denman, 1st Baron Denman by Sir Martin Archer Shee crop.jpg Thomas Denman
1st Baron Denman

Lord Chief Justice (interim)
14 November 1834 15 December 1834 Whig Wellington Caretaker
Robert Peel by RR Scanlan detail.jpg Robert Peel
MP for Tamworth
15 December 1834 8 April 1835 Conservative Peel I
1stBaronMonteagle.jpg Thomas Spring Rice
MP for Cambridge
18 April 1835 26 August 1839 Whig Melbourne II
Victoria
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg
(1837–1901)
Francis Baring, 1st Baron Northbrook by Sir George Hayter.jpg Francis Baring
MP for Portsmouth
26 August 1839 30 August 1841 Whig
HenryGoulburn.jpg Henry Goulburn
MP for Cambridge University
3 September 1841 27 June 1846 Conservative Peel II
1stViscountHalifax.jpg Charles Wood
MP for Halifax
6 July 1846 21 February 1852 Whig Russell I
Disraeli.jpg Benjamin Disraeli
MP for Buckinghamshire
27 February 1852 17 December 1852 Conservative Who? Who?
WE Gladstone robed NPG.jpg William Ewart Gladstone
MP for Oxford University
28 December 1852 28 February 1855 Peelite Aberdeen
(Peelite–Whig)
Sir George Cornewall Lewis, 2nd Bt.jpg George Cornewall Lewis
MP for Radnor
28 February 1855 21 February 1858 Whig Palmerston I
Disraeli.jpg Benjamin Disraeli
MP for Buckinghamshire
26 February 1858 11 June 1859 Conservative Derby–Disraeli II
WE Gladstone robed NPG.jpg William Ewart Gladstone
MP for Oxford University →
South Lancashire
18 June 1859 26 June 1866 Liberal Palmerston II
Russell II
Disraeli.jpg Benjamin Disraeli
MP for Buckinghamshire
6 July 1866 29 February 1868 Conservative Derby–Disraeli III
George Ward Hunt (30 July 1825 – 29 July 1877) .jpg George Ward Hunt
MP for North Northamptonshire
29 February 1868 1 December 1868 Conservative
Robert Lowe, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke by George Frederic Watts.jpg Robert Lowe
MP for London University
9 December 1868 11 August 1873 Liberal Gladstone I
WE Gladstone robed NPG.jpg William Ewart Gladstone
MP for Greenwich
11 August 1873 17 February 1874 Liberal
Stafford Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh.jpg Stafford Northcote
MP for North Devonshire
21 February 1874 21 April 1880 Conservative Disraeli II
WE Gladstone robed NPG.jpg William Ewart Gladstone
MP for Midlothian
28 April 1880 16 December 1882 Liberal Gladstone II
Hugh Childers, Lock & Whitfield woodburytype, 1876-83 crop.jpg Hugh Childers
MP for Pontefract
16 December 1882 9 June 1885 Liberal
St Aldwyn Michael Edward Hicks-Beach (1st Earl).jpg Michael Hicks Beach
MP for Bristol West
24 June 1885 28 January 1886 Conservative Salisbury I
Sir William Harcourt.jpg William Harcourt
MP for Derby
6 February 1886 20 July 1886 Liberal Gladstone III
Randolph churchill.jpg Lord Randolph Churchill
MP for Paddington South
3 August 1886 22 December 1886 Conservative Salisbury II
George Goschen by Bassano.jpg George Goschen
MP for St George Hanover Square
14 January 1887 11 August 1892 Liberal Unionist
Sir William Harcourt.jpg William Harcourt
MP for Derby
18 August 1892 21 June 1895 Liberal Gladstone IV
Rosebery
St Aldwyn Michael Edward Hicks-Beach (1st Earl).jpg Michael Hicks Beach
MP for Bristol West
29 June 1895 11 August 1902 Conservative Salisbury
(III & IV)

(Con.–Lib.U.)
Edward VII
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg
(1901–1910)
Charles Thomson Ritchie headshot.jpg Charles Ritchie
MP for Croydon
11 August 1902 9 October 1903 Conservative Balfour
Austen Chamberlain MP.jpg Austen Chamberlain
MP for East Worcestershire
9 October 1903 4 December 1905 Liberal Unionist
H H Asquith 1908.jpg Herbert Henry Asquith
MP for East Fife
10 December 1905 16 April 1908 Liberal Campbell-Bannerman
David Lloyd George 1911.jpg David Lloyd George
MP for Caernarvon Boroughs
16 April 1908 25 May 1915 Liberal Asquith
(I–III)
George V
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg
(1910–1936)
Reginald McKenna photo.jpg Reginald McKenna
MP for North Monmouthshire
25 May 1915 10 December 1916 Liberal Asquith Coalition
(Lib.Con.–et al.)
Andrew Bonar Law 02.jpg Bonar Law
MP for Bootle →
Glasgow Central
10 December 1916 10 January 1919 Conservative Lloyd George
(I & II)
Austen Chamberlain MP.jpg Austen Chamberlain
MP for Birmingham West
10 January 1919 1 April 1921 Conservative
Viscount Horne.jpg Robert Horne
MP for Glasgow Hillhead
1 April 1921 19 October 1922 Conservative
Stanley Baldwin ggbain.35233 (cropped).jpg Stanley Baldwin
MP for Bewdley
27 October 1922 27 August 1923 Conservative Law
Baldwin I
Chamberlain Neville.jpg Neville Chamberlain
MP for Birmingham Ladywood
27 August 1923 22 January 1924 Conservative
Lord Snowden.jpg Philip Snowden
MP for Colne Valley
22 January 1924 3 November 1924 Labour MacDonald I
Winston Churchill cph.3a49758.jpg Winston Churchill
MP for Epping
6 November 1924 4 June 1929 Conservative Baldwin II
Lord Snowden.jpg Philip Snowden
MP for Colne Valley
7 June 1929 5 November 1931 Labour MacDonald II
National Labour National I
(N.Lab.–Con.–et al.)
Chamberlain Neville.jpg Neville Chamberlain
MP for Birmingham Edgbaston
5 November 1931 28 May 1937 Conservative National II
National III
(Con.–N.Lab.–et al.)
Edward VIII
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg
(1936)
George VI
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg
(1936–1952)
Viscount Simon.jpg John Simon
MP for Spen Valley
28 May 1937 12 May 1940 Liberal National National IV
Chamberlain War
Kinglsey Wood.jpg Kingsley Wood
MP for Woolwich West
12 May 1940 21 September 1943 Conservative Churchill War
(All parties)
John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley 1947.jpg John Anderson
MP for Combined Scottish Universities
24 September 1943 26 July 1945 Independent
(National)
Churchill Caretaker
(Con.–Lib.N.)
Hugh Dalton.png Hugh Dalton
MP for Bishop Auckland
27 July 1945 13 November 1947 Labour Attlee
(I & II)
Stafford Cripps 1947.jpg Stafford Cripps
MP for Bristol East →
Bristol South East
13 November 1947 19 October 1950 Labour
Hugh Gaitskell MP.PNG Hugh Gaitskell
MP for Leeds South
19 October 1950 26 October 1951 Labour
Richard-Austen-Rab-Butler-1st-Baron-Butler-of-Saffron-Walden.jpg Richard Austen Butler
MP for Saffron Walden
26 October 1951 20 December 1955 Conservative Churchill III
Elizabeth II
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1952-2022).svg
(1952–2022)
Eden
Harold Macmillan in 1942.jpg Harold Macmillan
MP for Bromley
20 December 1955 13 January 1957 Conservative
Peter Thorneycroft cropped.png Peter Thorneycroft
MP for Monmouth
13 January 1957 6 January 1958 Conservative Macmillan
(I & II)
Derick Heathcoat-Amory.png Derick Heathcoat-Amory
MP for Tiverton
6 January 1958 27 July 1960 Conservative
SelwynLloyd1960.jpg Selwyn Lloyd
MP for Wirral
27 July 1960 13 July 1962 Conservative
Reginald Maudling
MP for Barnet
16 July 1962 16 October 1964 Conservative
Douglas-Home
James Callaghan 1970 (cropped).jpg James Callaghan
MP for Cardiff South East
17 October 1964 29 November 1967 Labour Wilson
(I & II)
Roy Jenkins 1977b.jpg Roy Jenkins
MP for Birmingham Stechford
29 November 1967 19 June 1970 Labour
The National Archives UK - CO 1069-166-17 Macleod crop.jpg Iain Macleod
MP for Enfield West
20 June 1970 20 July 1970 Conservative Heath
Anthony Barber
MP for Altrincham and Sale
25 July 1970 4 March 1974 Conservative
Denis Healey.jpg Denis Healey
MP for Leeds East
5 March 1974 4 May 1979 Labour Wilson
(III & IV)
Callaghan
Geoffrey Howe (1985).jpg Geoffrey Howe
MP for East Surrey
4 May 1979 11 June 1983 Conservative Thatcher I
Official portrait of Lord Lawson of Blaby crop 2.jpg Nigel Lawson
MP for Blaby
11 June 1983 26 October 1989 Conservative Thatcher II
Thatcher III
Major PM full (cropped).jpg John Major
MP for Huntingdon
26 October 1989 28 November 1990 Conservative
Official portrait of Lord Lamont of Lerwick 2020 crop 2.jpg Norman Lamont
MP for Kingston-upon-Thames
28 November 1990 27 May 1993 Conservative Major I
Major II
Kenneth Clarke (2011).jpg Kenneth Clarke
MP for Rushcliffe
27 May 1993 2 May 1997 Conservative
Chancellor Gordon Brown official portrait.jpg Gordon Brown
MP for Dunfermline East →
Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath
2 May 1997 27 June 2007 Labour Blair
(I, II & III)
Alistair Darling official portrait.jpg Alistair Darling
MP for Edinburgh South West
28 June 2007 11 May 2010 Labour Brown
George Osborne HM Treasury.jpg George Osborne
MP for Tatton
11 May 2010 13 July 2016 Conservative Cameron–Clegg
(Con.L.D.)
Cameron II
Official portrait of Mr Philip Hammond crop 2.jpg Philip Hammond
MP for Runnymede and Weybridge
13 July 2016 24 July 2019 Conservative May I
May II
Sajid Javid Official Cabinet Portrait, September 2021 (cropped).jpg Sajid Javid
MP for Bromsgrove
24 July 2019 13 February 2020 Conservative Johnson I
Johnson II
Rishi Sunak Official Cabinet Portrait, September 2021 (cropped).jpg Rishi Sunak
MP for Richmond (Yorks)
13 February 2020 5 July 2022 Conservative
Nadhim Zahawi Official Cabinet Portrait, September 2021 (cropped).jpg Nadhim Zahawi
MP for Stratford-on-Avon
5 July 2022 6 September 2022 Conservative
Kwasi Kwarteng Official Cabinet Portrait, September 2022 (seated) (cropped).jpg Kwasi Kwarteng
MP for Spelthorne
6 September 2022 14 October 2022 Conservative Truss
Charles III
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (2022).svg
(2022–present)
Official portrait of the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, 2022 (cropped).jpg Jeremy Hunt
MP for South West Surrey
14 October 2022 5 July 2024 Conservative
Sunak
Rachel Reeves Official Cabinet Portrait, July 2024 (cropped 2) (cropped).jpg Rachel Reeves
MP for Leeds West
5 July 2024 Incumbent Labour Starmer

Timeline

1817–present

Rachel Reeves Jeremy Hunt Kwasi Kwarteng Nadhim Zahawi Rishi Sunak Sajid Javid Philip Hammond George Osborne Alistair Darling Gordon Brown Kenneth Clarke Norman Lamont John Major Nigel Lawson Geoffrey Howe Denis Healey Anthony Barber Iain Macleod Roy Jenkins James Callaghan Reginald Maudling Selwyn Lloyd Derick Heathcoat-Amory Peter Thorneycroft Harold Macmillan Rab Butler Hugh Gaitskell Stafford Cripps Hugh Dalton John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley Kingsley Wood John Simon, 1st Viscount Simon Winston Churchill Philip Snowden Neville Chamberlain Stanley Baldwin Robert Horne, 1st Viscount Horne of Slamannan Bonar Law Reginald McKenna David Lloyd George H. H. Asquith Austin Chamberlain Charles Ritchie, 1st Baron Ritchie of Dundee George Goschen, 1st Viscount Goschen Lord Randolph Churchill William Hardcourt (politician) Michael Hicks Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn Hugh Childers Stafford Northcote Robert Lowe George Ward Hunt George Cornewall Lewis William Ewart Gladstone Benjamin Disraeli Charles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax Francis Baring, 1st Baron Northbrook Thomas Spring Rice, 1st Baron Monteagle of Brandon Robert Peel Thomas Denman, 1st Baron Denman John Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer Henry Goulburn John Charles Herries Charles Abbott, 1st Baron Tenterden George Canning Frederick John Robinson Nicholas Vansittart

See also

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