Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids United Kingdom Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
Incumbent Pat McFadden since 5 September 2025
Department for Work and Pensions
Style	Work and Pensions Secretary (informal) The Right Honourable (within the UK and Commonwealth)
Member of	Cabinet Privy Council
Reports to	The Prime Minister
Seat	Westminster
Nominator	The Prime Minister
Appointer	The Monarch (on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term length	At His Majesty's Pleasure
Formation	10 December 1916: (as Minister for Pensions) 8 June 2001: (as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions)
First holder	George Barnes (as Minister for Pensions)
Deputy	Minister of State for Employment
Salary	£159,038 per annum (2022) (including £86,584 MP salary)

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is a very important job in the UK Government. This person is in charge of the Department for Work and Pensions, which helps people with jobs, money, and support. Think of them as the main leader for all things related to work and pensions in the country. The person holding this job is also a member of the Cabinet, which is a group of senior ministers who make big decisions for the country.

The current Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is Pat McFadden. He started this role on 5 September 2025. This person works closely with other ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions. Another important role is the Shadow Secretary of State, who is from the opposition party and checks on the work of the Secretary. The Work and Pensions Select Committee also looks closely at how the Secretary of State is doing their job.

What Does the Secretary Do?
A Look Back: How the Role Started
Secretaries of State Since 2001
Timeline of Secretaries of State
Images for kids
See also

What Does the Secretary Do?

This job is similar to what many other countries call a "labour minister." The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has several key tasks:

Helping people of working age find jobs and get support.
Looking after pensions, which are savings for when people retire.
Managing government spending related to work and pensions.
Providing support for people with disabilities.
Offering help and support to families and children.

A Look Back: How the Role Started

The job of Secretary of State for Work and Pensions was created on 8 June 2001. It was formed by combining parts of two older government departments: one that dealt with education and employment, and another that handled social security.

Before 2001, there were different departments that looked after these areas. For example, a "Ministry of Pensions" was set up in 1916 to help soldiers and their families after wars. Later, a "Ministry of National Insurance" was created in 1944 to manage other types of social support. These two ministries eventually merged and changed names several times, like the "Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance" (in 1953) and the "Ministry of Social Security" (in 1966). In 1968, it merged with the Ministry of Health to form the Department of Health and Social Security. This department then split in 1988, creating the separate Department of Health and Department of Social Security. Finally, in 2001, the current Department for Work and Pensions was formed, and with it, the role of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Secretaries of State Since 2001

This section lists the people who have held the important role of Secretary of State for Work and Pensions since it was created.

	Term of office		Political party	Cabinet
Alistair Darling	8 June 2001	29 May 2002	Labour	Blair II
Andrew Smith	29 May 2002	8 September 2004	Labour
Alan Johnson	8 September 2004	6 May 2005	Labour
David Blunkett	6 May 2005	2 November 2005	Labour	Blair III
John Hutton	2 November 2005	28 June 2007	Labour	Blair III
Peter Hain	28 June 2007	24 January 2008	Labour	Brown
James Purnell MP for Stalybridge and Hyde	24 January 2008	5 June 2009	Labour
Yvette Cooper MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford	6 June 2009	6 May 2010	Labour
Iain Duncan Smith MP for Chingford and Woodford Green (Tenure)	12 May 2010	18 March 2016	Conservative	Cameron-Clegg
	12 May 2010	18 March 2016	Conservative	Cameron II
Stephen Crabb MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire	19 March 2016	14 July 2016	Conservative	Cameron II
Damian Green MP for Ashford	14 July 2016	11 June 2017	Conservative	May I
David Gauke MP for South West Hertfordshire	11 June 2017	8 January 2018	Conservative	May II
Esther McVey MP for Tatton	8 January 2018	15 November 2018	Conservative
Amber Rudd MP for Hastings and Rye	16 November 2018	7 September 2019	Conservative
Amber Rudd MP for Hastings and Rye	16 November 2018	7 September 2019	Conservative	Johnson I
Thérèse Coffey MP for Coastal Suffolk	8 September 2019	6 September 2022	Conservative	Johnson I
Thérèse Coffey MP for Coastal Suffolk	8 September 2019	6 September 2022	Conservative	Johnson II
Chloe Smith MP for Norwich North	6 September 2022	25 October 2022	Conservative	Truss
Mel Stride MP for Central Devon	25 October 2022	5 July 2024	Conservative	Sunak
Liz Kendall MP for Leicester West	5 July 2024	5 September 2025	Labour	Starmer
Pat McFadden MP for Wolverhampton South East	5 September 2025	Incumbent	Labour	Starmer

* Incumbent's length of term last updated: 27 September 2025.

Timeline of Secretaries of State

This timeline shows all the people who have held the role of Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, or similar roles, over the years. It helps us see how the job has changed and who has been in charge.