List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom facts for kids

• Top left: Robert Walpole is seen as the first prime minister of Great Britain.
• Top right: Winston Churchill was prime minister during World War II.
• Bottom left: Margaret Thatcher was the first female prime minister.
• Bottom right: Keir Starmer is the current prime minister.

The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the leader of the U.K. government. They are the main advisor to the monarch and in charge of the British Cabinet, which is a team of senior government ministers.

The job of prime minister wasn't created on a single day. Instead, it developed slowly over many years. The name "prime minister" started being used for Sir Robert Walpole in the 1730s, but it was just a nickname then. It didn't become an official title until 1905.

Most historians agree that Robert Walpole was the first prime minister. He led the government for over 20 years, starting in 1721. This makes him the longest-serving prime minister ever.

The first prime minister to officially use the title in a document was Benjamin Disraeli, who signed a treaty in 1878 as "Prime Minister of Her Britannic Majesty".

The current prime minister is Keir Starmer, who took office on 5 July 2024.

How the Job of Prime Minister Began

Before the countries of England and Scotland joined to form the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707, the English government's money was often managed by the Lord High Treasurer. This person was one of the most powerful people in the government.

After 1714, when King George I came to the throne, this system changed. Instead of one person, a team called the Lords of the Treasury managed the country's finances. The leader of this team was called the First Lord of the Treasury.

From 1721, the person who was the First Lord of the Treasury was usually also the most powerful person in government. This is why Robert Walpole, who was First Lord from 1721 to 1742, is seen as the first prime minister. The prime minister today still holds the title of First Lord of the Treasury as part of the job.

List of Prime Ministers Since 1721

• • 18th century
  • 19th century
  • 20th century
  • 21st century

• ---

• • George I
  • George II
  • George III
  • George IV
  • William IV
  • Victoria
  • Edward VII
  • George V
  • Edward VIII
  • George VI
  • Elizabeth II
  • Charles III

• ---

• •      Conservative   (20)
  •      Whig   (16)
  •      Tory   (10)
  •      Labour   (7)
  •      Liberal   (7)
  •      Scottish Unionists   (2)
  •      National Labour   (1)
  •      Peelite   (1)

List of prime ministers of Great Britain or the United Kingdom since 1721

Portrait		Prime minister (lifespan)	Term of office			Mandate	Party	Government	Monarch Reign
			Start	End	Duration
​		Robert Walpole (1676–1745)	3 April 1721	11 February 1742	20 years, 315 days	1722	Whig	Walpole–​Townshend	George I r. 1714 – 1727
						1727			George II r. 1727 – 1760
						1734		Walpole
						1741
		Spencer Compton 1st Earl of Wilmington	16 February 1742	2 July 1743	1 year, 137 days	—		Carteret
		Henry Pelham (1694–1754)	27 August 1743	6 March 1754	10 years, 192 days	—		Broad Bottom I
						1747		Broad Bottom II
		Thomas Pelham-Holles 1st Duke of Newcastle	16 March 1754	11 November 1756	2 years, 241 days	1754		Newcastle I
		William Cavendish 4th Duke of Devonshire	16 November 1756	29 June 1757	226 days	—		Pitt–​Devonshire
								1757 Caretaker
		Thomas Pelham-Holles 1st Duke of Newcastle	29 June 1757	26 May 1762	4 years, 332 days	1761		Pitt–​Newcastle
								Bute–​Newcastle (Tory–​Whig)	George III r. 1760 – 1820
		John Stuart 3rd Earl of Bute	26 May 1762	8 April 1763	318 days	—	Tory	Bute
		George Grenville (1712–1770)	16 April 1763	10 July 1765	2 years, 86 days	—	Whig (Grenvillite)	Grenville (mainly Whig)
		Charles Watson-Wentworth 2nd Marquess of Rockingham	13 July 1765	30 July 1766	1 year, 18 days	—	Whig (Rockinghamite)	Rockingham I
		William Pitt the Elder 1st Earl of Chatham (1708–1778)	30 July 1766	14 October 1768	2 years, 77 days	1768	Whig (Chathamite)	Chatham
		Augustus FitzRoy 3rd Duke of Grafton	14 October 1768	28 January 1770	1 year, 107 days	—		Grafton
		Frederick North Lord North	28 January 1770	27 March 1782	12 years, 59 days	1774	Tory (Northite)	North
						1780
		Charles Watson-Wentworth 2nd Marquess of Rockingham	27 March 1782	1 July 1782	97 days	—	Whig (Rockinghamite)	Rockingham II
		William Petty 2nd Earl of Shelburne	4 July 1782	26 March 1783	266 days	—	Whig (Chathamite)	Shelburne
		William Cavendish-Bentinck 3rd Duke of Portland	2 April 1783	18 December 1783	261 days	—	Whig	Fox–North
		William Pitt the Younger (1759–1806)	19 December 1783	14 March 1801	17 years, 86 days	1784	Tory (Pittite)	Pitt I
						1790
						1796
		Henry Addington (1757–1844)	17 March 1801	10 May 1804	3 years, 55 days	1801	Tory (Addingtonian)	Addington
						1802
		William Pitt the Younger (1759–1806)	10 May 1804	23 January 1806	1 year, 259 days	—	Tory (Pittite)	Pitt II
		William Grenville 1st Baron Grenville	11 February 1806	25 March 1807	1 year, 43 days	1806	Whig	All the Talents (Whig–​Tory)
		William Cavendish-Bentinck 3rd Duke of Portland	31 March 1807	4 October 1809	2 years, 188 days	1807	Tory (Pittite)	Portland II
		Spencer Perceval (1762–1812)	4 October 1809	11 May 1812 (Killed while in office)	2 years, 221 days	—		Perceval
		Robert Jenkinson 2nd Earl of Liverpool	8 June 1812	9 April 1827	14 years, 306 days	1812		Liverpool
						1818			George IV r. 1820 – 1830
						1820
						1826
		George Canning (1770–1827)	12 April 1827	8 August 1827	119 days	—	Tory (Canningite)	Canning (Canningite–​Whig)
		Frederick John Robinson 1st Viscount Goderich	31 August 1827	8 January 1828	131 days	—	Tory (Canningite)	Goderich
		Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke of Wellington	22 January 1828	16 November 1830	2 years, 299 days	—	Tory	Wellington–​Peel
						(1830)			William IV r. 1830 – 1837
		Charles Grey 2nd Earl Grey	22 November 1830	9 July 1834	3 years, 230 days	1831	Whig	Grey
						1832
		William Lamb 2nd Viscount Melbourne	16 July 1834	14 November 1834	122 days	—		Melbourne I
		Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke of Wellington	17 November 1834	9 December 1834	23 days	(—)	Tory	Wellington Caretaker
		Robert Peel (1788–1850)	10 December 1834	8 April 1835	120 days	(—)	Conservative	Peel I
		William Lamb 2nd Viscount Melbourne	18 April 1835	30 August 1841	6 years, 135 days	1835	Whig	Melbourne II
						1837			Victoria r. 1837 – 1901
		Robert Peel (1788–1850)	30 August 1841	29 June 1846	4 years, 304 days	1841	Conservative	Peel II
		John Russell (1792–1878)	30 June 1846	21 February 1852	5 years, 237 days	(1847)	Whig	Russell I
		Edward Smith-Stanley 14th Earl of Derby	23 February 1852	17 December 1852	299 days	1852	Conservative	Who? Who?
		George Hamilton-Gordon 4th Earl of Aberdeen	19 December 1852	30 January 1855	2 years, 43 days	(—)	Peelite	Aberdeen (Peelite–​Whig–​others)
		Henry John Temple 3rd Viscount Palmerston	6 February 1855	19 February 1858	3 years, 14 days	1857	Whig	Palmerston I
		Edward Smith-Stanley 14th Earl of Derby	20 February 1858	11 June 1859	1 year, 112 days	(—)	Conservative	Derby–​Disraeli II
		Henry John Temple 3rd Viscount Palmerston	12 June 1859	18 October 1865	6 years, 129 days	1859	Liberal	Palmerston II
						1865
		John Russell 1st Earl Russell	29 October 1865	26 June 1866	241 days	—		Russell II
		Edward Smith-Stanley 14th Earl of Derby	28 June 1866	25 February 1868	1 year, 243 days	(—)	Conservative	Derby–​Disraeli III
		Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) Premierships	27 February 1868	1 December 1868	279 days	(—)
		William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898) Premierships	3 December 1868	17 February 1874	5 years, 77 days	1868	Liberal	Gladstone I
		Benjamin Disraeli Earl of Beaconsfield (from 1876) (1804–1881) Premierships	20 February 1874	21 April 1880	6 years, 62 days	1874	Conservative	Disraeli II
		William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898) Premierships	23 April 1880	9 June 1885	5 years, 48 days	1880	Liberal	Gladstone II
		Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury	23 June 1885	28 January 1886	220 days	(—)	Conservative	Salisbury I
		William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898) Premierships	1 February 1886	20 July 1886	170 days	(1885)	Liberal	Gladstone III
		Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury	25 July 1886	11 August 1892	6 years, 18 days	(1886)	Conservative	Salisbury II
		William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898) Premierships	15 August 1892	2 March 1894	1 year, 200 days	(1892)	Liberal	Gladstone IV
		Archibald Primrose 5th Earl of Rosebery	5 March 1894	22 June 1895	1 year, 110 days	(—)		Rosebery
		Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury	25 June 1895	11 July 1902	7 years, 17 days	1895	Conservative	Salisbury III (Con–​Lib.U)
						1900		Salisbury IV (Con–​Lib.U)
									Edward VII r. 1901 – 1910
		Arthur Balfour (1848–1930)	12 July 1902	4 December 1905	3 years, 146 days	—		Balfour (Con–​Lib.U)
		Henry Campbell-Bannerman (1836–1908)	5 December 1905	3 April 1908	2 years, 121 days	1906	Liberal	Campbell-Bannerman
		H. H. Asquith (1852–1928)	8 April 1908	5 December 1916	8 years, 243 days	—		Asquith I
						(Jan.1910)		Asquith II	George V r. 1910 – 1936
						(Dec.1910)		Asquith III
						(—)		Asquith Coalition (Lib–​Con–​others)
		David Lloyd George (1863–1945)	6 December 1916	19 October 1922	5 years, 318 days	(—)		Lloyd George War
						1918		Lloyd George II (Lib–​Con)
		Bonar Law (1858–1923)	23 October 1922	20 May 1923	210 days	1922	Conservative (Scot.U.)	Law
		Stanley Baldwin (1867–1947)	22 May 1923	22 January 1924	246 days	—	Conservative	Baldwin I
		Ramsay MacDonald (1866–1937)	22 January 1924	4 November 1924	288 days	(1923)	Labour	MacDonald I
		Stanley Baldwin (1867–1947)	4 November 1924	4 June 1929	4 years, 213 days	1924	Conservative	Baldwin II
		Ramsay MacDonald (1866–1937)	5 June 1929	7 June 1935	6 years, 3 days	(1929)	Labour	MacDonald II
						(—)	National Labour	National I (Nat.Lab–​Con–​others)
						1931		National II
​		Stanley Baldwin (1867–1947)	7 June 1935	28 May 1937	1 year, 356 days	1935	Conservative	National III
									Edward VIII r.
									George VI r. 1936 – 1952
		Neville Chamberlain (1869–1940)	28 May 1937	10 May 1940	2 years, 349 days	—		National IV
								Chamberlain War
		Winston Churchill (1874–1965)	10 May 1940	26 July 1945	5 years, 78 days	—		Churchill War
								Churchill Caretaker (Con–​Nat.Lib)
		Clement Attlee (1883–1967)	26 July 1945	26 October 1951	6 years, 93 days	1945	Labour	Attlee I
						1950		Attlee II
		Winston Churchill (1874–1965)	26 October 1951	5 April 1955	3 years, 162 days	1951	Conservative	Churchill III
									Elizabeth II r. 1952 – 2022
		Anthony Eden (1897–1977)	6 April 1955	9 January 1957	1 year, 279 days	1955		Eden
		Harold Macmillan (1894–1986)	10 January 1957	18 October 1963	6 years, 282 days	—		Macmillan I
						1959		Macmillan II
		Alec Douglas-Home (1903–1995)	18 October 1963	16 October 1964	365 days	—	Conservative (Scot.U.)	Douglas-Home
		Harold Wilson (1916–1995)	16 October 1964	19 June 1970	5 years, 247 days	1964	Labour	Wilson I
						1966		Wilson II
		Edward Heath (1916–2005)	19 June 1970	4 March 1974	3 years, 259 days	1970	Conservative	Heath
		Harold Wilson (1916–1995)	4 March 1974	5 April 1976	2 years, 33 days	(Feb.1974)	Labour	Wilson III
						Oct.1974		Wilson IV
		James Callaghan (1912–2005)	5 April 1976	4 May 1979	3 years, 30 days	—		Callaghan
		Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013) Premiership	4 May 1979	28 November 1990	11 years, 209 days	1979	Conservative	Thatcher I
						1983		Thatcher II
						1987		Thatcher III
		John Major (born 1943) Premiership	28 November 1990	2 May 1997	6 years, 156 days	—		Major I
						1992		Major II
		Tony Blair (born 1953) Premiership	2 May 1997	27 June 2007	10 years, 57 days	1997	Labour	Blair I
						2001		Blair II
						2005		Blair III
		Gordon Brown (born 1951) Premiership	27 June 2007	11 May 2010	2 years, 319 days	—		Brown
		David Cameron (born 1966) Premiership	11 May 2010	13 July 2016	6 years, 64 days	(2010)	Conservative	Cameron–Clegg (Con–​Lib.Dem)
						2015		Cameron II
		Theresa May (born 1956) Premiership	13 July 2016	24 July 2019	3 years, 12 days	—		May I
						(2017)		May II (DUP confidence & supply)
		Boris Johnson (born 1964) Premiership	24 July 2019	6 September 2022	3 years, 45 days	(—)		Johnson I (DUP confidence & supply)
						2019		Johnson II
		Liz Truss (born 1975) Premiership	6 September 2022	25 October 2022	50 days	—		Truss
									Charles III r. 2022 – present
		Rishi Sunak (born 1980) Premiership	25 October 2022	5 July 2024	1 year, 255 days	—		Sunak
		Keir Starmer (born 1962) Premiership	5 July 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 52 days	2024	Labour	Starmer

A Question of History: Disputed Prime Ministers

Because the job of prime minister grew over time, historians sometimes disagree on exactly who should be on the list. For example, William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath, and James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave, are sometimes mentioned.

King George II asked both men to form a government at different times. However, neither of them could get enough support from other politicians to actually run the country. Bath gave up after two days, and Waldegrave after four. Because their time in charge was so short and they held no real power, most experts do not count them as official prime ministers.

List of disputed prime ministers

Portrait		Name (lifespan)	Term of office			Mandate	Party	Government	Monarch Reign
			Start	End	Duration
​		William Pulteney  1st Earl of Bath	10 February 1746	12 February 1746	3 days	–	Whig	Short Lived	George II r. 1727 – 1760
		James Waldegrave  2nd Earl Waldegrave	8 June 1757	12 June 1757	5 days	–		Waldegrave

Timeline

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Primeros ministros del Reino Unido para niños