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List of British governments facts for kids

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This article is about the different groups of leaders, called ministries, who have run the UK government since 1707. These ministries are like teams of ministers who work together to lead the country. We'll look at these teams from when Great Britain was formed in 1707, through the time of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801-1922), and up to today's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

What is a Ministry?

A "ministry" is the whole group of people who are in charge of the government. This includes the main leaders, called cabinet members, and other important officials. Think of it as the entire team that helps run the country, from making big decisions to managing daily tasks. The only people not part of the ministry are those in the Civil Service, who are permanent government workers.

For a long time, the person leading the British government wasn't officially called the "Prime Minister". Instead, they often held a title like "First Lord of the Treasury". However, people often used the term "prime minister" informally even back in the 1700s. Since 1902, the Prime Minister has always been the First Lord of the Treasury.

A Look at British Governments Through History

Below is a list of the different ministries that have led the UK, showing who was in charge and which political party they belonged to.

Colour key
Dates Government Key event(s) Head Governing party Monarch
1 May 1707 – 8 Aug 1710 Godolphin–Marlborough ministry
The Duke of Marlborough Tory Whig Anne
16 Nov 1710 – Sep 1714 Harley ministry
  • 1710 general election
  • 1713 general election
 Robert Harley Tory
Accession of George I (1714) George I
Sep 1714 – 1717 Townshend ministry 1715 general election The Viscount Townshend Whig
1717 – 1718 First Stanhope–Sunderland ministry The Earl Stanhope
1718 – Feb 1721 Second Stanhope–Sunderland ministry
3 Apr 1721 – 16 May 1730 Walpole–Townshend ministry
  • Death of Stanhope (1721)
  • 1722 general election
 Robert Walpole
  • Accession of George II (1727)
  • 1727 general election
 George II
16 May 1730 – 11 Feb 1742 Walpole ministry
  • Resignation of Townshend (1730)
  • 1734 general election
  • 1741 general election
12 Feb 1742 – 24 Nov 1744 Carteret ministry 1742 vote of no confidence in the Walpole ministry The Earl of Wilmington
Death of Wilmington (1743) Henry Pelham
24 Nov 1744 – 10 Feb 1746 First Broad Bottom ministry
14 Feb 1746 – 6 Mar 1754 Second Broad Bottom ministry
  • Pelham lost power (1746)
  • 1747 general election
16 Mar 1754 – 11 Nov 1756 First Newcastle ministry
  • Death of Pelham (1754)
  • 1754 general election
 The Duke of Newcastle
Nov 1756 – Apr 1757 Pitt–Devonshire ministry Collapse following the Fall of Minorca (1756) The Duke of Devonshire
Apr 1757 – Jun 1757 1757 caretaker ministry Dismissal of Pitt Whig (caretaker)
27 Jun 1757 – 1761 Pitt–Newcastle ministry Pitt reappointed (1757) The Duke of Newcastle Whig
Accession of George III (1760) George III
1761 – 26 May 1762 Bute–Newcastle coalition
  • Resignation of Pitt (1761)
  • 1761 general election
 Tory Whig
1762 – 1763 Bute ministry Resignation of Newcastle (1762) The Earl of Bute
16 Apr 1763 – 13 Jul 1765 Grenville ministry King disliked Grenville to the point of dismissal (1765) George Grenville
13 Jul 1765 – 30 Jul 1766 First Rockingham ministry King disliked Grenville to the point of dismissal (1765) The Marquess of Rockingham Whig
30 Jul 1766 – 14 Oct 1768 Chatham (Pitt) ministry
  • Rockingham resigned after internal dissent within the cabinet (1766)
  • 1768 general election
 The Earl of Chatham Whig Tory
14 Oct 1768 – 28 Jan 1770 Grafton ministry The Duke of Grafton
28 Jan 1770 – 27 Mar 1782 North ministry Lord North Tory Whig
  • 1774 general election
  • 1780 general election
 Tory
27 Mar 1782 – 1 Jul 1782 Second Rockingham ministry Fall of the North ministry The Marquess of Rockingham Whig
4 Jul 1782 – 26 Mar 1783 Shelburne ministry Death of Rockingham (1782) The Earl of Shelburne Whig Tory
2 Apr 1783 – 18 Dec 1783 Fox–North coalition The Duke of Portland
19 Dec 1783 – 14 Mar 1801 First Pitt ministry William Pitt the Younger Tory (minority)
  • 1784 general election
  • 1790 general election
 Tory
  • 1796 general election
 Tory Whig
17 Mar 1801 – 10 May 1804 Addington ministry
  • Resignation of Pitt (1801)
  • 1802 general election
 Henry Addington Tory
10 May 1804 – 23 Jan 1806 Second Pitt ministry William Pitt the Younger
11 Feb 1806 – 31 Mar 1807 Ministry of All the Talents
  • Death of Pitt the Younger (1806)
  • 1806 general election
 The Lord Grenville Whig Tory
31 Mar 1807 – 4 Oct 1809 Second Portland ministry The Duke of Portland Tory (minority)
1807 general election Tory
4 Oct 1809 – 11 May 1812 Perceval ministry Spencer Perceval
8 Jun 1812 – 9 Apr 1827 Liverpool ministry
The Earl of Liverpool
  • Accession of George IV (1820)
  • 1820 general election
  • 1826 general election
 George IV
Apr 1827 – Aug 1827 Canning ministry Cerebral haemorrhage of Liverpool George Canning Tory (Canningite) Whig
Sep 1827 – Jan 1828 Goderich ministry Death of Canning (1827) The Viscount Goderich
22 Jan 1828 – 16 Nov 1830 Wellington–Peel ministry Resignation of Goderich (1828) The Duke of Wellington Tory
Accession of William IV (1830) William IV
1830 general election Tory (minority)
15 Nov 1830 – Jul 1834 Grey ministry Defeat of the Wellington–Peel ministry (1830) The Earl Grey Whig (minority)
  • 1831 general election
  • 1832 general election
 Whig
Jul 1834 – Nov 1834 First Melbourne ministry The Viscount Melbourne
14 Nov 1834 – 10 Dec 1834 Wellington caretaker ministry Melbourne was dismissed and Peel, who was to be appointed, was out of the country The Duke of Wellington Tory (caretaker)
10 Dec 1834 – 8 Apr 1835 First Peel ministry Appointed to lead a short-lived Conservative minority Robert Peel Conservative (minority)
Apr 1835 – Sep 1841 Second Melbourne ministry 1835 general election The Viscount Melbourne Whig
Victoria
30 Aug 1841 – 29 Jun 1846 Second Peel ministry 1841 general election Robert Peel Conservative
Jul 1846 – Feb 1852 First Russell ministry
Lord John Russell Whig (minority)
28 Feb 1852 – 17 Dec 1852 Who? Who? ministry Fall of the Whig government The Earl of Derby Conservative (minority)
1852 general election Conservative
19 Dec 1852 – 30 Jan 1855 Aberdeen ministry The Earl of Aberdeen Coalition (minority)
6 Feb 1855 – 19 Feb 1858 First Palmerston ministry The Viscount Palmerston Whig (minority)
1857 general election Whig
20 Feb 1858 – 11 Jun 1859 Second Derby–Disraeli ministry The Earl of Derby Conservative (minority)
12 Jun 1859 – 18 Oct 1865 Second Palmerston ministry
The Viscount Palmerston Liberal
18 Oct 1865 – 26 Jun 1866 Second Russell ministry The Earl Russell
28 Jun 1866 – 27 Feb 1868 Third Derby–Disraeli ministry The Earl of Derby Conservative (minority)
27 Feb 1868 – 1 Dec 1868 Resignation of Derby due to ill health Benjamin Disraeli
3 Dec 1868 – 17 Feb 1874 First Gladstone ministry 1868 general election William Ewart Gladstone Liberal
20 Feb 1874 – 21 Apr 1880 Second Disraeli ministry 1874 general election Benjamin Disraeli Conservative
23 Apr 1880 – 9 Jun 1885 Second Gladstone ministry 1880 general election William Ewart Gladstone Liberal
23 Jun 1885 – 28 Jan 1886 First Salisbury ministry The Marquess of Salisbury Conservative (minority)
1885 general election Conservative (caretaker)
1 Feb 1886 – 20 Jul 1886 Third Gladstone ministry First Salisbury defeat William Ewart Gladstone Liberal (minority)
25 Jul 1886 – 11 Aug 1892 Second Salisbury ministry 1886 general election The Marquess of Salisbury Conservative (minority)
1892 general election Conservative (caretaker)
15 Aug 1892 – 2 Mar 1894 Fourth Gladstone ministry 1892 vote of no confidence in the Salisbury ministry William Ewart Gladstone Liberal (minority)
5 Mar 1894 – 22 Jun 1895 Rosebery ministry Resignation of Gladstone over the rejection of his Home Rule Bill (1894) The Earl of Rosebery
25 Jun 1895 – 24 Oct 1900 Third Salisbury ministry The Marquess of Salisbury Conservative (minority)
1895 general election Conservative Liberal Unionist
1900 general election
24 Oct 1900 – 11 Jul 1902 Fourth Salisbury ministry
Accession of Edward VII (1901) Edward VII
12 Jul 1902 – 4 Dec 1905 Balfour ministry Arthur Balfour
5 Dec 1905 – 5 Apr 1908 Campbell-Bannerman ministry Henry Campbell-Bannerman Liberal (minority)
1906 general election Liberal
5 Apr 1908 – 9 Feb 1910 First Asquith ministry H. H. Asquith
9 Feb 1910 – 19 Dec 1910 Second Asquith ministry Jan 1910 general election Liberal (minority)
Accession of George V (May 1910) George V
19 Dec 1910 – 25 May 1915 Third Asquith ministry Dec 1910 general election
25 May 1915 – 5 Dec 1916 Asquith coalition ministry Coalition
6 Dec 1916 – 14 Dec 1918 Lloyd George war ministry David Lloyd George
14 Dec 1918 – 19 Oct 1922 Second Lloyd George ministry 1918 general election
23 Oct 1922 – 20 May 1923 Law ministry
Bonar Law Conservative
22 May 1923 – 22 Jan 1924 First Baldwin ministry Stanley Baldwin
1923 general election Conservative (caretaker)
22 Jan 1924 – 4 Nov 1924 First MacDonald ministry Defeat of the Baldwin ministry Ramsay MacDonald Labour (minority)
4 Nov 1924 – 4 Jun 1929 Second Baldwin ministry 1924 general election Stanley Baldwin
1929 general election Conservative (caretaker)
5 Jun 1929 – 24 Aug 1931 Second MacDonald ministry 1929 Lib–Lab pact Ramsay MacDonald Labour (minority)
24 Aug 1931 – 27 Oct 1931 First National Government National
27 Oct 1931 – 7 Jun 1935 Second National Government 1931 general election
7 Jun 1935 – 28 May 1937 Third National Government
  • Resignation of MacDonald (1935)
  • 1935 general election
 Stanley Baldwin
Accession of Edward VIII (1936) Edward VIII
Abdication of Edward VIII and accession of George VI (1936) George VI
28 May 1937 – 3 Sep 1939 Fourth National Government Resignation of Baldwin (1937) Neville Chamberlain
3 Sep 1939 – 10 May 1940 Chamberlain war ministry Restructuring for World War II
10 May 1940 – 23 May 1945 Churchill war ministry Fall of Chamberlain after the Norway Debate (1940) Winston Churchill Coalition
23 May 1945 – 26 Jul 1945 Churchill caretaker ministry Coalition broke up over whether it should remain through Japanese defeat in World War II National (caretaker)
26 Jul 1945 – 23 Feb 1950 First Attlee ministry 1945 general election Clement Attlee Labour
23 Feb 1950 – 26 Oct 1951 Second Attlee ministry 1950 general election
26 Oct 1951 – 5 Apr 1955 Third Churchill ministry 1951 general election Winston Churchill Conservative
Accession of Elizabeth II (1952) Elizabeth II
6 Apr 1955 – 9 Jan 1957 Eden ministry
  • Resignation of Churchill (1955)
  • 1955 general election
 Anthony Eden
9 Jan 1957 – 8 Oct 1959 First Macmillan ministry Harold Macmillan
8 Oct 1959 – 18 Oct 1963 Second Macmillan ministry 1959 general election
19 Oct 1963 – 16 Oct 1964 Douglas-Home ministry Alec Douglas-Home
16 Oct 1964 – 31 Mar 1966 First Wilson ministry 1964 general election Harold Wilson Labour
31 Mar 1966 – 19 Jun 1970 Second Wilson ministry 1966 general election
19 Jun 1970 – 4 Mar 1974 Heath ministry 1970 general election Edward Heath Conservative
Feb 1974 general election Conservative (caretaker)
4 Mar 1974 – 5 Apr 1976 Third Wilson ministry Fall of the Heath ministry (1974) Harold Wilson Labour (minority)
Fourth Wilson ministry Oct 1974 general election Labour
5 Apr 1976 – 4 May 1979 Callaghan ministry 1976 Labour leadership election James Callaghan
1977 Lib–Lab pact Labour (minority)
4 May 1979 – 10 Jun 1983 First Thatcher ministry 1979 general election Margaret Thatcher Conservative
10 Jun 1983 – 11 Jun 1987 Second Thatcher ministry 1983 general election
11 Jun 1987 – 28 Nov 1990 Third Thatcher ministry 1987 general election
28 Nov 1990 – 10 Apr 1992 First Major ministry 1990 Conservative leadership election John Major
10 Apr 1992 – 13 Dec 1996 Second Major ministry 1992 general election
13 Dec 1996 – 2 May 1997 1996 Barnsley East by-election Conservative (minority)
2 May 1997 – 8 Jun 2001 First Blair ministry 1997 general election Tony Blair Labour
8 Jun 2001 – 6 May 2005 Second Blair ministry 2001 general election
6 May 2005 – 27 Jun 2007 Third Blair ministry 2005 general election
28 Jun 2007 – 11 May 2010 Brown ministry 2007 Labour leadership election Gordon Brown
2010 general election Labour (caretaker)
11 May 2010 – 8 May 2015 Cameron–Clegg coalition 2010 government formation David Cameron Conservative Liberal Democrat
8 May 2015 – 13 Jul 2016 Second Cameron ministry 2015 general election Conservative
13 Jul 2016 – 8 Jun 2017 First May ministry 2016 Conservative leadership election Theresa May
8 Jun 2017 – 11 Jun 2017 2017 general election Conservative (caretaker)
11 Jun 2017 – 24 Jul 2019 Second May ministry Conservative–DUP agreement Conservative (minority)
24 Jul 2019 – 16 Dec 2019 First Johnson ministry 2019 Conservative leadership election Boris Johnson
16 Dec 2019 – 6 Sep 2022 Second Johnson ministry 2019 general election Conservative
6 Sep 2022 – 25 Oct 2022 Truss ministry July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election Liz Truss
Accession of Charles III (2022) Charles III
25 Oct 2022 – present Sunak ministry October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election Rishi Sunak

More About UK Governments

  • List of English ministries: Learn about the governments of the Kingdom of England before 1707.
  • List of Scottish Governments: Discover the governments of modern Scotland.
  • List of Northern Ireland Executives: Find out about the governments in Northern Ireland.
  • List of Welsh Governments: Explore the governments of modern Wales.
  • List of British shadow cabinets: See the "shadow" teams of politicians who are ready to take over if the government changes.
  • List of votes of no confidence in British governments: Read about times when the government's power was challenged.
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