First Secretary of State facts for kids

Quick facts for kids United Kingdom First Secretary of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
Incumbent Vacant since 15 September 2021
UK Government
Style	The Right Honourable (formal) His/Her Excellency (diplomatic)
Member of	Cabinet Privy Council National Security Council
Reports to	Prime Minister
Residence	None, may use grace and favour residences
Nominator	Prime Minister
Appointer	The King (on the advice of the prime minister)
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Inaugural holder	Rab Butler
Formation	13 July 1962; 62 years ago (1962-07-13)
Salary	£153,022 per annum (including £81,932 MP salary) (2019)

The First Secretary of State is an important job in the UK government. It is held by a senior minister, who is a member of the Cabinet. This role shows that the person holding it is very important, even more so than other secretaries of state.

This job is not always in use. Sometimes, there are long periods when no one holds the title. Currently, the position is empty. Dominic Raab was the last person to hold this job, from 2019 to 2021. After that, he became the Deputy Prime Minister.

What is the First Secretary of State?

The First Secretary of State is a special role that shows a minister is very senior. It is a way for the Prime Minister to show who their most trusted and important minister is.

Does the First Secretary become Prime Minister?

No, the First Secretary of State does not automatically become Prime Minister if the Prime Minister cannot do their job. This is similar to the Deputy Prime Minister.

However, the First Secretary can be asked to step in for the Prime Minister if needed. For example, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson was ill in 2020, First Secretary Dominic Raab was asked to act on his behalf.

History of the Role

The job of First Secretary of State was created in 1962. R.A. Butler was the first person to be given this title. It showed that he was the second most important person in the Cabinet.

Why was the role created?

The role was partly created to give a senior minister a special title. It also helped to show who was second-in-command without using the title of Deputy Prime Minister, which had caused some issues before.

Prime Minister Harold Wilson appointed three different people to this role between 1964 and 1970. Some people have said that the job was sometimes used more to make a minister feel important than for specific duties.

First Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister

Sometimes, the First Secretary of State has also been the Deputy Prime Minister at the same time. Michael Heseltine and John Prescott both held both titles.

In David Cameron's government, the two jobs were held by different people. Nick Clegg was the Deputy Prime Minister, while William Hague was the First Secretary.

What are the Responsibilities?

The official government website says that the First Secretary of State job does not come with extra duties. However, experts believe there are two main reasons a Prime Minister might appoint a First Secretary:

• It allows a senior minister to help with important tasks like leading meetings and coordinating different government departments.
• It sends a clear message about how important that minister is within the government.

Some experts, like Stephen Thornton and Jonathan Kirkup, have said that the importance of the First Secretary of State depends on how important the person holding the job is seen to be. But in certain situations, the role can become very powerful.

List of First Secretaries of State

First Secretary of State			Term of office		Other important jobs	Political Party	Government
		R. A. Butler MP for Saffron Walden	13 July 1962	18 October 1963		Conservative	Macmillan II
		George Brown MP for Belper	16 October 1964	11 August 1966	Secretary of State for Economic Affairs	Labour	Wilson (I & II)
		Michael Stewart MP for Fulham	11 August 1966	6 April 1968	Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs	Labour
		Barbara Castle MP for Blackburn	6 April 1968	19 June 1970	Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity	Labour
		Michael Heseltine MP for Henley	20 July 1995	2 May 1997	Deputy Prime Minister	Conservative	Major II
		John Prescott MP for Kingston upon Hull East	8 June 2001	27 June 2007	Deputy Prime Minister	Labour	Blair II
							Blair III
		The Lord Mandelson (born 1953)	5 June 2009	11 May 2010	Lord President of the Council Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills President of the Board of Trade	Labour	Brown
		William Hague MP for Richmond (Yorks)	12 May 2010	8 May 2015	Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Leader of the House of Commons	Conservative	Cameron–Clegg (Con.–L.D.)
		George Osborne MP for Tatton	8 May 2015	13 July 2016	Chancellor of the Exchequer	Conservative	Cameron II
		Damian Green MP for Ashford	11 June 2017	20 December 2017	Minister for the Cabinet Office	Conservative	May II
		Dominic Raab MP for Esher and Walton	24 July 2019	15 September 2021	Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs	Conservative	Johnson (I & II)

Timeline of First Secretaries

See also

• Ministerial ranking - This explains the "pecking order" or importance of senior ministers in the UK government.
• Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - A similar job, sometimes used instead of the First Secretary.