Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom facts for kids

Quick facts for kids United Kingdom Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
Incumbent Angela Rayner since 5 July 2024
Government of the United Kingdom Cabinet Office
Style	Deputy Prime Minister (informal) The Right Honourable (within the UK and Commonwealth) Her Excellency (diplomatic)
Member of	Cabinet Privy Council National Security Council Council of the Nations and Regions Mayoral Council for England
Reports to	The Prime Minister
Residence	None, may use grace and favour residences
Seat	Westminster
Formation	1942
First holder	Clement Attlee

The Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is a special title given to a senior government minister. This person is also a member of the British Cabinet, which is a group of important ministers who make big decisions for the country. The title usually goes to a very important minister, the second-in-command of the ruling political party, or a close friend and helper of the Prime Minister.

This role does not come with its own specific laws or duties. However, the Prime Minister usually gives the Deputy Prime Minister some tasks. Recently, this has often included standing in for the Prime Minister in the House of Commons, both in the UK and when traveling abroad. The person holding this title is also usually in charge of a government department, like a secretary of state. Sometimes, the title is not used at all. Prime Ministers might instead appoint a First Secretary of State or just have an informal helper without a special title.

The current Deputy Prime Minister is Angela Rayner. She has been serving in this role under Sir Keir Starmer since 5 July 2024.

What is the Deputy Prime Minister's Role?

The title of Deputy Prime Minister is more of an honor than an official job with its own laws. The person holding this title does not get an extra salary for it. Also, they do not automatically become Prime Minister if the current Prime Minister leaves office.

For a long time, British monarchs did not officially recognize this position. For example, in 1942, when Winston Churchill wanted Anthony Eden to be called Deputy Prime Minister, George VI said the job "does not exist." The King worried that giving someone this title might look like he was choosing the next Prime Minister, which could limit his own power to pick a leader. However, experts like Vernon Bogdanor say this argument is less important today. This is because the monarch no longer truly chooses the Prime Minister; it's usually the leader of the winning political party.

What Does the Deputy Prime Minister Do?

The Deputy Prime Minister's exact duties can change depending on the situation. As of late 2024, the Deputy Prime Minister's jobs include:

• Standing in for the Prime Minister in the House of Commons.
• Representing the Prime Minister both in the UK and internationally.
• Helping and supporting the Prime Minister with their work.
• Taking special responsibility for employment rights.
• Helping different government departments work together on community policies.

Experts say there are a few main reasons why a Prime Minister might appoint a deputy:

• To show who they would prefer to take over if something happened to them.
• To help the government run more smoothly and efficiently.
• To give an important role to the deputy leader of their political party.
• To include a leader from another party in a coalition government.
• To calm down or include a political rival.
• To have a trusted, experienced person ("safe pair of hands") in a key role.

Having a Deputy Prime Minister can also be helpful because they can focus on coordinating different government tasks without being tied to one specific department. It also sends a clear message about how important that person is within the government.

History of the Deputy Prime Minister Role

Before World War II, no one was officially called Deputy Prime Minister. Sometimes, a minister would fill in for the Prime Minister if they were sick or abroad. But this was not a permanent title.

This changed in 1942 when Clement Attlee was called Deputy Prime Minister by Winston Churchill. This happened during the war when different political parties worked together. Churchill wanted to show how important the Labour Party was in this partnership. However, the King did not formally approve this title. Churchill even secretly advised the King to choose Anthony Eden as his successor, not Attlee, if he were to die.

After the war, the title was not formally used again for a long time. This was because people worried it might limit the monarch's power to choose the Prime Minister. However, there was often a senior minister who everyone saw as the unofficial deputy.

In 1995, Michael Heseltine was formally appointed Deputy Prime Minister. Because the title didn't have its own legal power, he was also made First Secretary of State.

John Prescott served as Deputy Prime Minister for the entire time Tony Blair was Prime Minister (1997-2007). He is the longest-serving Deputy Prime Minister. To give him official power, he was also made Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions and later First Secretary of State. An office called the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) was even created for him. The position was empty during Gordon Brown's time as Prime Minister.

In 2010, when the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties formed a coalition government, Nick Clegg became Deputy Prime Minister under David Cameron. He served until 2015. During this time, William Hague was also appointed First Secretary of State, which was unusual because both roles existed at the same time but were held by different people. Cameron even said Hague was his "de facto political deputy."

The role was empty for the rest of Cameron's time and all of Theresa May's time as Prime Minister. During these periods, the Minister for the Cabinet Office usually filled in for the Prime Minister.

In 2020, before he was officially named Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab stepped in for Boris Johnson when Johnson was ill with COVID-19. Raab was formally appointed Deputy Prime Minister in September 2021 and served until September 2022.

Thérèse Coffey was Deputy Prime Minister for a short time in September and October 2022 under Liz Truss, making her the shortest-serving Deputy Prime Minister.

When Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister, he reappointed Dominic Raab as Deputy Prime Minister. Raab later resigned in April 2023 and was replaced by Oliver Dowden. Dowden served until the 2024 general election. After the election, Angela Rayner became Deputy Prime Minister in Keir Starmer's Labour government.

Office and Home

There isn't a specific office building just for the Deputy Prime Minister. They usually have an office within the Cabinet Office headquarters in Whitehall, which is close to 10 Downing Street.

The Prime Minister might also let them use a special country house, known as a "grace and favour" residence. For example, Nick Clegg shared Chevening House as a weekend home, and John Prescott used Dorneywood.

List of Deputy Prime Ministers

The following people have officially held the title of Deputy Prime Minister:

Deputy Prime Ministers

Deputy Prime Minister			Time in Office		How Long	Other Jobs Held	Party	Government
	Clement Attlee	Clement Attlee MP for Limehouse (1883–1967)	19 February 1942	23 May 1945	3 years, 94 days	Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs (1942–1943) Lord President of the Council (1943–1945)	Labour	Churchill War
	Michael Heseltine	Michael Heseltine MP for Henley (born 1933)	5 July 1995	2 May 1997	1 year, 302 days	First Secretary of State	Conservative	Major II
	John Prescott	John Prescott MP for Kingston upon Hull East (1938–2024)	2 May 1997	27 June 2007	10 years, 57 days	Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1997–2001) First Secretary of State (2001–2007)	Labour	Blair I
								Blair II
								Blair III
	Nick Clegg	Nick Clegg MP for Sheffield Hallam (born 1967)	11 May 2010	8 May 2015	4 years, 363 days	Lord President of the Council	Liberal Democrat	Cameron–Clegg
	Dominic Raab	Dominic Raab MP for Esher and Walton (born 1974)	15 September 2021	6 September 2022	357 days	Lord Chancellor Secretary of State for Justice	Conservative	Johnson II
	Thérèse Coffey	Thérèse Coffey MP for Suffolk Coastal (born 1971)	6 September 2022	25 October 2022	50 days	Secretary of State for Health and Social Care		Truss
	Dominic Raab	Dominic Raab MP for Esher and Walton (born 1974)	25 October 2022	21 April 2023	179 days	Lord Chancellor Secretary of State for Justice		Sunak
	Oliver Dowden	Oliver Dowden MP for Hertsmere (born 1978)	21 April 2023	5 July 2024	1 year, 76 days	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Secretary of State in the Cabinet Office
	Angela Rayner	Angela Rayner MP for Ashton-under-Lyne (born 1980)	5 July 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 60 days	Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government	Labour	Starmer

Timeline of Deputy Prime Ministers

Unofficial Deputies

Sometimes, a Prime Minister's second-in-command might be called Deputy Prime Minister, or First Secretary of State, or just an unofficial deputy. Other times, Prime Ministers choose not to have a permanent deputy at all. They might just make arrangements as needed. It has also been suggested that the job of Lord President of the Council (which is a very high-ranking position) has sometimes been used for deputies in the past.

Who Has Been an Unofficial Deputy?

It can be tricky to figure out exactly who has acted as a deputy to the Prime Minister.

In 1995, Vernon Bogdanor wrote that the following people had acted as Deputy Prime Ministers. This meant they led Cabinet meetings when the Prime Minister was away and chaired important government committees:

In 2015, Jonathan Kirkup and Stephen Thornton used five rules to identify deputies:

• Were they officially called Deputy Prime Minister in Parliament?
• Were they officially named Deputy Prime Minister by the Prime Minister?
• Were they widely seen by their colleagues as the Deputy Prime Minister?
• Were they second in the list of important ministers?
• Did they lead Cabinet meetings or answer questions in Parliament when the Prime Minister was absent?

Based on these rules, they said the following people have the strongest claim to being a deputy to the Prime Minister:

They also mentioned three others who have a good claim:

Rodney Brazier has listed these ministers as clearly being deputies or unofficial deputies:

Lord Norton of Louth has listed these people as serving as Deputy Prime Minister without being formally called that:

What Happens if the Prime Minister Can't Work?

No one automatically takes over as Prime Minister. However, if the Prime Minister were to die or become unable to do their job, it's generally thought that an interim (temporary) Prime Minister should be appointed. There's some discussion about how to choose this person.

In 2021, Cabinet Secretary Simon Case suggested that the Cabinet (the group of senior ministers) would likely need to choose someone. This person would need to be able to lead the country and have the support of the House of Commons. The monarch would then need a quick and clear recommendation from the government on who to appoint. It's believed this decision should be made within 48 hours.

When the Prime Minister travels, a senior minister is usually appointed to handle urgent matters. However, the Prime Minister remains in charge and stays updated. For example, on 6 April 2020, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to hospital with COVID-19, he asked Dominic Raab, who was then First Secretary of State, to fill in for him "where necessary."

Images for kids

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  Anthony Eden is often described as Winston Churchill's deputy, though his appointment as deputy prime minister in 1951 was actually rejected by the King.

See also

In Spanish: Vice primer ministro del Reino Unido para niños

• First Secretary of State
• Deputy Leader of the Labour Party (UK)