President of the Board of Trade facts for kids

Quick facts for kids United Kingdom President of the Board of Trade
Royal Arms as used by His Majesty's Government
Incumbent Jonathan Reynolds since 5 July 2024
Board of Trade
Style	The Right Honourable (Formal prefix) President of the Board of Trade
Member of	British Cabinet Privy Council
Reports to	The Prime Minister
Seat	Westminster, London
Appointer	The Sovereign on advice of the Prime Minister
Term length	No fixed term

The president of the Board of Trade is head of the Board of Trade. A committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, it was first established as a temporary committee of inquiry in the 17th century, that evolved gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions. The current holder of the post is Jonathan Reynolds, who is concurrently the secretary of state for business and trade.

History

The idea of a Board of Trade was first translated into action by Oliver Cromwell in 1655 when he appointed his son Richard Cromwell to head a body of Lords of the Privy Council, judges and merchants to consider measures to promote trade. Charles II established a Council of Trade on 7 November 1660 followed by a Council of Foreign Plantations on 1 December that year. The two were united on 16 September 1672 as the Board of Trade and Plantations.

After the Board was re-established in 1696, there were 15 (and later 16) members of the Board – the 7 (later 8) great officers of state, and 8 unofficial members, who did the majority of the work. The senior unofficial member of the board was the president of the board, commonly known as the first lord of trade. The board was abolished on 11 July 1782, but a Committee of the Privy Council was established on 5 March 1784 for the same purposes. On 23 August 1786 a new committee was set up, more strongly focused on commercial functions than the previous boards of trade. At first the president of the Board of Trade only occasionally sat in the Cabinet, but from the early 19th century it was usually a cabinet-level position.

In 2020, there was an unusual appointment of a deputy president to assist the president, but the holder remained only an adviser to the Board. This appears to have been a one-off appointment, and this role no longer exists. However, the president was previously assisted by the vice president.

List of presidents of the Board of Trade

First Lord of Trade (1672–1782)

First Lord			Term of office		Monarch
		Anthony Ashley Cooper 1st Earl of Shaftesbury	16 September 1672	1676	Charles II (1660–1685)
		John Egerton 3rd Earl of Bridgewater	16 December 1695	9 June 1699	William III (1689–1702)
		Thomas Grey 2nd Earl of Stamford	9 June 1699	19 June 1702
					Anne (1702–1714
		Thomas Thynne 1st Viscount Weymouth	19 June 1702	1705
		Thomas Grey 2nd Earl of Stamford	1705	12 June 1711
		Charles Finch 4th Earl of Winchilsea	12 June 1711	15 September 1713
		Francis North 2nd Baron Guilford	15 September 1713	September 1714
					George I (1714–1727
		William Berkeley 4th Baron Berkeley of Stratton	September 1714	12 May 1715
		Henry Howard 6th Earl of Suffolk	12 May 1715	31 January 1718
		Robert Darcy 3rd Earl of Holderness	31 January 1718	11 May 1719
		Thomas Fane 6th Earl of Westmorland	11 May 1719	May 1735
					George II (1727–1760
		Benjamin Mildmay 1st Earl Fitzwalter	May 1735	June 1737
		John Monson 1st Baron Monson	June 1737	1 November 1748
		George Montagu-Dunk 2nd Earl of Halifax	1 November 1748	21 March 1761
					George III (1760–1820)
		Samuel Sandys 1st Baron Sandys	21 March 1761	1 March 1763
		Charles Townshend	1 March 1763	20 April 1763
		William Petty 2nd Earl of Shelburne	20 April 1763	9 September 1763
		Wills Hill Earl of Hillsborough	9 September 1763	20 July 1765
		William Legge 2nd Earl of Dartmouth	20 July 1765	16 August 1766
		Wills Hill Earl of Hillsborough	16 August 1766	December 1766
		Robert Nugent Viscount Clare	19 January 1767	20 January 1768
		Wills Hill Earl of Hillsborough	20 January 1768	31 August 1772
		William Legge 2nd Earl of Dartmouth	31 August 1772	10 November 1775
		George Germain 1st Viscount Sackville	10 November 1775	6 November 1779
		Frederick Howard 5th Earl of Carlisle	6 November 1779	9 December 1780
		Thomas Robinson 2nd Baron Grantham	9 December 1780	11 July 1782

President of the Committee on Trade and Foreign Plantations (1784–1786)

President of the Committee			Term of office		Party	Ministry	Monarch
		Thomas Townshend 1st Viscount Sydney	5 March 1784	23 August 1786	Whig	Pitt I	George III (1760–1820)

President of the Board of Trade (1786–1963)

President of the Board Constituency			Term of office		Party	Ministry	Monarch	Ref
		Charles Jenkinson 1st Earl of Liverpool	23 August 1786	7 June 1804	Tory	Pitt I	George III (1760–1820)
						Addington
		James Graham 3rd Duke of Montrose	7 June 1804	5 February 1806	Tory	Pitt II
		William Eden 1st Baron Auckland	5 February 1806	31 March 1807	Independent	All the Talents
		Henry Bathurst 3rd Earl Bathurst	31 March 1807	29 September 1812	Tory	Portland II
						Perceval
						Liverpool
		Richard Trench 2nd Earl of Clancarty	29 September 1812	24 January 1818	Tory
		F. J. Robinson MP for Ripon	24 January 1818	21 February 1823	Tory
							George IV (1820–1830)
		William Huskisson MP for Liverpool	21 February 1823	4 September 1827	Tory
						Canning
		Charles Grant MP for Inverness-shire	4 September 1827	11 June 1828	Tory	Goderich
						Wellington–Peel
		William Vesey-FitzGerald MP for Newport (Cornwall)	11 June 1828	2 February 1830	Tory
		John Charles Herries MP for Harwich	2 February 1830	22 November 1830	Tory
							William IV (1830–1837)
		George Eden Lord Auckland	22 November 1830	5 June 1834	Whig	Grey
						Melbourne I
		Charles Poulett Thomson MP for Manchester	5 June 1834	14 November 1834	Whig
		Alexander Baring MP for North Essex	15 December 1834	8 April 1835	Tory	Wellington Caretaker
						Peel I
		Charles Poulett Thomson MP for Manchester	8 April 1835	29 August 1839	Whig	Melbourne II
							Victoria (1837–1901)
		Henry Labouchere MP for Taunton	29 August 1839	30 August 1841	Whig
		F. J. Robinson Earl of Ripon	3 September 1841	15 May 1843	Conservative	Peel II
		William Ewart Gladstone MP for Newark	15 May 1843	5 February 1845	Conservative
		James Broun-Ramsay Earl of Dalhousie	5 February 1845	27 June 1846	Conservative
		George Villiers 4th Earl of Clarendon	6 July 1846	22 July 1847	Whig	Russell I
		Henry Labouchere MP for Taunton	22 July 1847	21 February 1852	Whig
		J. W. Henley MP for Oxfordshire	27 February 1852	17 December 1852	Conservative	Derby–Disraeli I
		Edward Cardwell MP for Oxford	28 December 1852	31 March 1855	Peelite	Aberdeen
		Edward Stanley 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley	31 March 1855	21 February 1858	Whig	Palmerston
		J. W. Henley MP for Oxfordshire	26 February 1858	3 March 1859	Conservative	Derby–Disraeli II
		Richard Hely-Hutchinson 4th Earl of Donoughmore	3 March 1859	11 June 1859	Conservative
		Thomas Milner Gibson MP for Ashton-under-Lyne	6 July 1859	26 June 1866	Liberal	Palmerston II
						Russell III
		Stafford Northcote 1st Earl of Iddesleigh	6 July 1866	8 March 1867	Conservative	Derby–Disraeli III
		Charles Gordon-Lennox 6th Duke of Richmond	8 March 1867	1 December 1868	Conservative
		John Bright MP for Birmingham	9 December 1868	14 January 1871	Liberal	Gladstone I
		Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue MP for County Louth	14 January 1871	17 February 1874	Liberal
		Charles Adderley 1st Baron Norton	21 February 1874	4 April 1878	Conservative	Disraeli II
		Viscount Sandon MP for Liverpool	4 April 1878	21 April 1880	Conservative
		Joseph Chamberlain MP for Birmingham	3 May 1880	9 June 1885	Liberal	Gladstone II
		Charles Gordon-Lennox 6th Duke of Richmond	24 June 1885	19 August 1885	Conservative	Salisbury I
		Edward Stanhope MP for Horncastle	19 August 1885	28 January 1886	Conservative
		A. J. Mundella MP for Sheffield Brightside	17 February 1886	20 July 1886	Liberal	Gladstone III
		Frederick Stanley Lord Stanley of Preston	3 August 1886	21 February 1888	Conservative	Salisbury II
		Michael Hicks Beach 1st Earl St Aldwyn	21 February 1888	11 August 1892	Conservative
		A. J. Mundella MP for Sheffield Brightside	18 August 1892	28 May 1894	Liberal	Gladstone IV
		James Bryce MP for Aberdeen South	28 May 1894	21 June 1895	Liberal	Rosebery
		Charles Ritchie MP for Croydon	29 June 1895	7 November 1900	Conservative	Salisbury III
		Gerald Balfour MP for Leeds Central	7 November 1900	12 March 1905	Conservative	Salisbury IV
							Edward VII (1901–1910)
						Balfour
		James Gascoyne-Cecil 4th Marquess of Salisbury	12 March 1905	4 December 1905	Conservative
		David Lloyd George MP for Carnarvon Boroughs	10 December 1905	12 April 1908	Liberal	Campbell-Bannerman
		Winston Churchill MP for Dundee	12 April 1908	14 February 1910	Liberal	Asquith I
		Sydney Buxton MP for Poplar	14 February 1910	11 February 1914	Liberal	Asquith II
							George V (1910–1936)
						Asquith III
		John Burns MP for Battersea	11 February 1914	5 August 1914	Liberal
		Walter Runciman MP for Dewsbury	5 August 1914	5 December 1916	Liberal
						Asquith Coalition
		Albert Stanley MP for Ashton-under-Lyne	10 December 1916	26 May 1919	Conservative	Lloyd George I
						Lloyd George II
		Auckland Geddes MP for Basingstoke	26 May 1919	19 March 1920	Conservative
		Robert Horne MP for Glasgow Hillhead	19 March 1920	1 April 1921	Conservative
		Stanley Baldwin MP for Bewdley	1 April 1921	19 October 1922	Conservative
		Philip Cunliffe-Lister MP for Hendon	24 October 1922	22 January 1924	Conservative	Law
						Baldwin I
		Sidney Webb MP for Seaham	22 January 1924	3 November 1924	Labour	MacDonald I
		Philip Cunliffe-Lister MP for Hendon	6 November 1924	4 June 1929	Conservative	Baldwin II
		William Graham MP for Edinburgh Central	7 June 1929	24 August 1931	Labour	MacDonald II
		Philip Cunliffe-Lister MP for Hendon	25 August 1931	5 November 1931	Conservative	National I
		Walter Runciman MP for St Ives	5 November 1931	28 May 1937	Liberal National	National II
							Edward VIII (1936)
							George VI (1936–1952)
						National III
		Oliver Stanley MP for Westmorland	28 May 1937	5 January 1940	Conservative	National IV
						Chamberlain War
		Andrew Rae Duncan MP for City of London	5 January 1940	3 October 1940	Independent
						Churchill War
		Oliver Lyttelton MP for Aldershot	3 October 1940	29 June 1941	Conservative
		Andrew Rae Duncan MP for City of London	29 June 1941	4 February 1942	Independent
		John Jestyn Llewellin MP for Uxbridge	4 February 1942	22 February 1942	Conservative
		Hugh Dalton MP for Peckham	22 February 1942	23 May 1945	Labour
		Oliver Lyttelton MP for Aldershot	25 May 1945	26 July 1945	Conservative	Churchill Caretaker
		Stafford Cripps MP for Bristol East	27 July 1945	29 September 1947	Labour	Attlee I
		Harold Wilson MP for Ormskirk → Huyton	29 September 1947	23 April 1951	Labour
						Attlee II
		Hartley Shawcross MP for St Helens	24 April 1951	26 October 1951	Labour
		Peter Thorneycroft MP for Monmouth	30 October 1951	13 January 1957	Conservative	Churchill III
							Elizabeth II (1952–2022)
						Eden
		David Eccles MP for Chippenham	13 January 1957	14 October 1959	Conservative	Macmillan I
		Reginald Maudling MP for Barnet	14 October 1959	9 October 1961	Conservative	Macmillan II
		Frederick Erroll MP for Altrincham and Sale	9 October 1961	20 October 1963	Conservative

President of the Board of Trade (1963–present)

President of the Board Constituency			Term of office		Concurrent office(s)	Party	Ministry	Monarch	Ref
		Edward Heath MP for Bexley	20 October 1963	16 October 1964	Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development	Conservative	Douglas-Home	Elizabeth II (1952–2022)
		Douglas Jay MP for Battersea North	18 October 1964	29 August 1967	None	Labour	Wilson I
							Wilson II
		Anthony Crosland MP for Great Grimsby	29 August 1967	6 October 1969		Labour
		Roy Mason MP for Barnsley Central	6 October 1969	19 June 1970		Labour
		Michael Noble MP for Argyll	20 June 1970	15 October 1970		Conservative	Heath
		John Davies MP for Knutsford	15 October 1970	5 November 1972	Secretary of State for Trade and Industry	Conservative
		Peter Walker MP for Worcester	5 November 1972	4 March 1974		Conservative
		Peter Shore MP for Stepney and Poplar	5 March 1974	8 April 1976	Secretary of State for Trade	Labour	Wilson III
							Wilson IV
		Edmund Dell MP for Birkenhead	8 April 1976	11 November 1978		Labour	Callaghan
		John Smith MP for North Lanarkshire	11 November 1978	4 May 1979		Labour
		John Nott MP for St Ives	5 May 1979	5 January 1981		Conservative	Thatcher I
		John Biffen MP for Oswestry	5 January 1981	6 April 1982		Conservative
		Arthur Cockfield Baron Cockfield	6 April 1982	12 June 1983		Conservative
		Cecil Parkinson MP for Hertsmere	12 June 1983	11 October 1983	Secretary of State for Trade and Industry	Conservative	Thatcher II
		Norman Tebbit MP for Chingford	16 October 1983	2 September 1985		Conservative
		Leon Brittan MP for Richmond (Yorks)	2 September 1985	22 January 1986		Conservative
		Paul Channon MP for Southend West	24 January 1986	13 June 1987		Conservative
		David Young Baron Young of Graffham	13 June 1987	24 July 1989		Conservative	Thatcher III
		Nicholas Ridley MP for Cirencester and Tewkesbury	24 July 1989	13 July 1990		Conservative
		Peter Lilley MP for St Albans	14 July 1990	10 April 1992		Conservative
						Conservative	Major I
		Michael Heseltine MP for Henley	10 April 1992	5 July 1995		Conservative	Major II
		Ian Lang MP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale	5 July 1995	2 May 1997		Conservative
		Margaret Beckett MP for Derby South	2 May 1997	27 July 1998		Labour	Blair I
		Peter Mandelson MP for Hartlepool	27 July 1998	23 December 1998		Labour
		Stephen Byers MP for North Tyneside	23 December 1998	8 June 2001		Labour
		Patricia Hewitt MP for Leicester West	8 June 2001	6 May 2005		Labour	Blair II
		Alan Johnson MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle	6 May 2005	5 May 2006		Labour	Blair III
		Alistair Darling MP for Edinburgh South West	5 May 2006	28 June 2007		Labour
		John Hutton MP for Barrow and Furness	28 June 2007	3 October 2008	Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform	Labour	Brown
		Peter Mandelson MP for Hartlepool	3 October 2008	12 May 2010		Labour
					Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
		Vince Cable MP for Twickenham	12 May 2010	8 May 2015		Liberal Democrats	Cameron–Clegg
		Sajid Javid MP for Bromsgrove	11 May 2015	15 July 2016		Conservative	Cameron II
		Greg Clark MP for Tunbridge Wells	15 July 2016	19 July 2016	Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy	Conservative	May I
		Liam Fox MP for North Somerset	19 July 2016	24 July 2019	Secretary of State for International Trade	Conservative
							May II
		Liz Truss MP for South West Norfolk	24 July 2019	15 September 2021		Conservative	Johnson I
							Johnson II
		Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed	15 September 2021	6 September 2022		Conservative
		Kemi Badenoch MP for Saffron Walden	6 September 2022	5 July 2024		Conservative	Truss
								Charles III (2022–)
							Sunak
					Secretary of State for Business and Trade
		Jonathan Reynolds MP for Stalybridge and Hyde	5 July 2024	Incumbent		Labour	Starmer

Timeline