Home Secretary

United Kingdom
Secretary of State
for the Home Department
Royal Arms as used by the Home Office
Incumbent
James Cleverly
since 13 November 2023
Home Office
StyleHome Secretary
(informal)
The Right Honourable
(within the UK and Commonwealth)
TypeMinister of the Crown
StatusSecretary of State
Great Office of State
Member of
Reports toThe Prime Minister
SeatWestminster
NominatorThe Prime Minister
AppointerThe Monarch
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
Formation27 March 1782
First holderEarl of Shelburne
Salary£159,038 per annum (2022)
(including £86,584 MP salary)
WebsiteHome Secretary

The Secretary of State for the Home Department, more commonly known as the Home Secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office. The position is a Great Office of State, making the home secretary one of the most senior and influential ministers in the government. The incumbent is a statutory member of the British Cabinet and National Security Council.

The position, which may be known as interior minister in other nations, was created in 1782, though its responsibilities have changed many times. Past office holders have included the prime ministers Lord North, Robert Peel, the Duke of Wellington, Lord Palmerston, Winston Churchill, James Callaghan and Theresa May. The shortest-serving Home Secretary is Grant Shapps, who served in the position for the final six days of the premiership of Liz Truss. In 2007, Jacqui Smith became the first female home secretary. The incumbent Home Secretary is James Cleverly.

The office holder works alongside the other Home Office ministers and the permanent under-secretary of state of the Home Office. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow home secretary, and the performance of the home secretary is also scrutinized by the Home Affairs Select Committee in the House of Commons and the Justice and Home Affairs Committee in the House of Lords.

Responsibilities

Corresponding to what is generally known as an interior minister in many other countries, the home secretary's remit includes:

Formerly, the home secretary was the minister responsible for prisons and probation in England and Wales; however in 2007 those responsibilities were transferred to the Ministry of Justice under the lord chancellor.

History

The title Secretary of State in the government of England dates back to the early 17th century. The position of Secretary of State for the Home Department was created in the British governmental reorganisation of 1782, in which the responsibilities of the Northern and Southern Departments were reformed into the Foreign Office and Home Office.

In 2007, the new Ministry of Justice took on the criminal justice functions of the Home Office and its agencies.

List of home secretaries

Secretary of State for the Home Department
Including constituencies for elected MPs.
Term of office Party Ministry Monarch
(Reign)
William Petty
2nd Earl of Shelburne
27 March 1782 10 July 1782 Whig Rockingham II George III

(1760–1820)
Thomas Townsend
MP for Whitchurch
10 July 1782 2 April 1783 Whig Shelburne
(WhigTory)
Frederick North
Lord North

MP for Banbury
2 April 1783 19 December 1783 Tory Fox–North
George Nugent-Temple-Grenville
3rd Earl Temple
19 December 1783 23 December 1783 Tory Pitt I
Thomas Townsend
1st Baron Sydney
23 December 1783 5 June 1789 Whig
William Grenville
1st Baron Grenville

MP for Buckinghamshire
(1759–1834)
5 June 1789 8 June 1791 Tory
Henry Dundas
MP for Edinburgh
8 June 1791 11 July 1794 Tory
William Cavendish-Bentinck
3rd Duke of Portland
11 July 1794 30 July 1801 Tory
Addington
Thomas Pelham
4th Baron Pelham of Stanmer
30 July 1801 17 August 1803 Whig
Charles Philip Yorke
MP for Cambridgeshire
17 August 1803 12 May 1804 Tory
Robert Jenkinson
2nd Baron Hawkesbury
12 May 1804 5 February 1806 Tory Pitt II
George Spencer
2nd Earl Spencer
5 February 1806 25 March 1807 Whig All the Talents
(WhigTory)
Robert Jenkinson
2nd Earl of Liverpool
25 March 1807 1 November 1809 Tory Portland II
Richard Ryder
MP for Tiverton
1 November 1809 8 June 1812 Tory Perceval
Henry Addington
1st Viscount Sidmouth
11 June 1812 17 January 1822 Tory Liverpool
George IV

(1820–1830)
Robert Peel
MP for Oxford University
17 January 1822 10 April 1827 Tory
William Sturges Bourne
MP for Ashburton
30 April 1827 16 July 1827 Tory Canning
(CanningiteWhig)
Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice
3rd Marquess of Lansdowne
16 July 1827 22 January 1828 Whig
Goderich
Robert Peel
MP for 3 constituencies respectively
(1788–1850)
26 January 1828 22 November 1830 Tory Wellington–Peel
William IV

(1830–1837)
William Lamb
2nd Viscount Melbourne
22 November 1830 16 July 1834 Whig Grey
John Ponsonby
1st Baron Duncannon
19 July 1834 15 November 1834 Whig Melbourne I
Arthur Wellesley
1st Duke of Wellington
15 November 1834 15 December 1834 Tory Wellington Caretaker
Henry Goulburn
MP for Cambridge University
15 December 1834 18 April 1835 Conservative Peel I
Lord John Russell
MP for Stroud
18 April 1835 30 August 1839 Whig Melbourne II
Victoria

(1837–1901)
Constantine Phipps
1st Marquess of Normanby
30 August 1839 30 August 1841 Whig
James Graham
MP for Dorchester
6 September 1841 30 June 1846 Conservative Peel II
George Grey
(1799–1882)
8 July 1846 23 February 1852 Whig Russell I
Spencer Horatio Walpole
MP for Midhurst
27 February 1852 19 December 1852 Conservative Who? Who?
Henry John Temple
3rd Viscount Palmerston

MP for Tiverton
28 December 1852 6 February 1855 Whig Aberdeen
(PeeliteWhig)
George Grey
MP for Morpeth
8 February 1855 26 February 1858 Whig Palmerston I
Spencer Horatio Walpole
MP for Cambridge University
26 February 1858 3 March 1859 Conservative Derby–Disraeli II
Thomas Henry Sutton Sotheron-Estcourt
MP for North Wiltshire
3 March 1859 18 June 1859 Conservative
George Cornewall Lewis
MP for Radnor
18 June 1859 25 July 1861 Liberal Palmerston II
George Grey
MP for Morpeth
25 July 1861 28 June 1866 Liberal
Russell II
Spencer Horatio Walpole
MP for Cambridge University
6 July 1866 17 May 1867 Conservative Derby–Disraeli III
Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy
MP for Oxford University
17 May 1867 3 December 1868 Conservative
Henry Bruce
(1815–1895)
9 December 1868 9 August 1873 Liberal Gladstone I
Robert Lowe
MP for London University
9 August 1873 20 February 1874 Liberal
R. A. Cross
MP for South West Lancashire
21 February 1874 23 April 1880 Conservative Disraeli II
William Harcourt
MP for Derby
28 April 1880 23 June 1885 Liberal Gladstone II
R. A. Cross
MP for Newton
24 June 1885 1 February 1886 Conservative Salisbury I
Hugh Childers
MP for Edinburgh South
6 February 1886 25 July 1886 Liberal Gladstone III
Henry Matthews
MP for Birmingham East
3 August 1886 15 August 1892 Conservative Salisbury II
H. H. Asquith
MP for East Fife
18 August 1892 25 June 1895 Liberal Gladstone IV
Rosebery
Matthew White Ridley
MP for Blackpool
29 June 1895 12 November 1900 Conservative Salisbury
(III & IV)

(Con.Lib.U.)
Charles Ritchie
MP for Croydon
12 November 1900 11 August 1902 Conservative
Edward VII

(1901–1910)
Balfour
Aretas Akers-Douglas
MP for St Augustine's
11 August 1902 5 December 1905 Conservative
Herbert Gladstone
MP for Leeds West
11 December 1905 19 February 1910 Liberal Campbell-Bannerman
Asquith
(I–III)
Winston Churchill
MP for Dundee
19 February 1910 24 October 1911 Liberal
George V

(1910–1936)
Reginald McKenna
MP for North Monmouthshire
24 October 1911 27 May 1915 Liberal
John Simon
MP for Walthamstow
27 May 1915 12 January 1916 Liberal Asquith Coalition
(Lib.Con.–et al.)
Herbert Samuel
MP for Cleveland
12 January 1916 7 December 1916 Liberal
George Cave
1st Viscount Cave

MP for Kingston
(1856–1928)
11 December 1916 14 January 1919 Conservative Lloyd George
(I & II)
Edward Shortt
MP for Newcastle upon Tyne West
14 January 1919 23 October 1922 Liberal
William Bridgeman
MP for Oswestry
25 October 1922 22 January 1924 Conservative Law
Baldwin I
Arthur Henderson
MP for Burnley
(1863–1935)
23 January 1924 4 November 1924 Labour MacDonald I
William Joynson-Hicks
MP for Twickenham
7 November 1924 5 June 1929 Conservative Baldwin II
John Robert Clynes
MP for Manchester Platting
8 June 1929 26 August 1931 Labour MacDonald II
Herbert Samuel
MP for Darwen
26 August 1931 1 October 1932 Liberal National I
(N.Lab.Con.–et al.)
National II
John Gilmour
MP for Glasgow Pollok
1 October 1932 7 June 1935 Unionist
John Simon
MP for Spen Valley
7 June 1935 28 May 1937 Liberal National National III
(Con.N.Lab.–et al.)
Edward VIII

(1936)
George VI

(1936–1952)
Samuel Hoare
MP for Chelsea
28 May 1937 3 September 1939 Conservative National IV
John Anderson
MP for Combined Scottish Universities
4 September 1939 4 October 1940 Independent
(National)
Chamberlain War
Churchill War
(All parties)
Herbert Morrison
MP for Hackney South
4 October 1940 23 May 1945 Labour
Donald Somervell
MP for Crewe
25 May 1945 26 July 1945 Conservative Churchill Caretaker
(Con.Lib.N.)
James Chuter Ede
MP for South Shields
3 August 1945 26 October 1951 Labour Attlee
(I & II)
David Maxwell Fyfe
MP for Liverpool West Derby
27 October 1951 19 October 1954 Conservative Churchill III
Elizabeth II

(1952–2022)
Gwilym Lloyd George
MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North
19 October 1954 14 January 1957 National Liberal
&
Conservative
Eden
Rab Butler
MP for Saffron Walden
14 January 1957 13 July 1962 Conservative Macmillan
(I & II)
Henry Brooke
MP for Hampstead
14 July 1962 16 October 1964 Conservative
Douglas-Home
Frank Soskice
MP for Newport
18 October 1964 23 December 1965 Labour Wilson
(I & II)
Roy Jenkins
MP for Birmingham Stechford
23 December 1965 30 November 1967 Labour
James Callaghan
MP for Cardiff South East
30 November 1967 19 June 1970 Labour
Reginald Maudling
MP for Barnet
20 June 1970 18 July 1972 Conservative Heath
Robert Carr
MP for Carshalton
18 July 1972 4 March 1974 Conservative
Roy Jenkins
MP for Birmingham Stechford
5 March 1974 10 September 1976 Labour Wilson
(III & IV)
Callaghan
Merlyn Rees
MP for Leeds South
10 September 1976 4 May 1979 Labour
William Whitelaw
MP for Penrith and The Border
4 May 1979 11 June 1983 Conservative Thatcher I
Leon Brittan
MP for Richmond (Yorks)
11 June 1983 2 September 1985 Conservative Thatcher II
Douglas Hurd
MP for Witney
2 September 1985 26 October 1989 Conservative
Thatcher III
David Waddington
MP for Ribble Valley
26 October 1989 28 November 1990 Conservative
Kenneth Baker
MP for Mole Valley
28 November 1990 10 April 1992 Conservative Major I
Kenneth Clarke
MP for Rushcliffe
10 April 1992 27 May 1993 Conservative Major II
Michael Howard
MP for Folkestone and Hythe
27 May 1993 2 May 1997 Conservative
Jack Straw
MP for Blackburn
2 May 1997 8 June 2001 Labour Blair I
David Blunkett
MP for Sheffield Brightside
8 June 2001 15 December 2004 Labour Blair II
Charles Clarke
MP for Norwich South
15 December 2004 5 May 2006 Labour
Blair III
John Reid
MP for Airdrie and Shotts
5 May 2006 27 June 2007 Labour
Jacqui Smith
MP for Redditch
28 June 2007 5 June 2009 Labour Brown
Alan Johnson
MP for Hull West and Hessle
5 June 2009 11 May 2010 Labour
Theresa May
MP for Maidenhead
12 May 2010 13 July 2016 Conservative Cameron–Clegg
(Con.L.D.)
May's tenure as Home Secretary Cameron II
Amber Rudd
MP for Hastings and Rye
13 July 2016 29 April 2018 Conservative May I
May II
Sajid Javid
MP for Bromsgrove
30 April 2018 24 July 2019 Conservative
Priti Patel
MP for Witham
24 July 2019 6 September 2022 Conservative Johnson I
Johnson II
Suella Braverman
MP for Fareham
6 September 2022 19 October 2022 Conservative Truss
Charles III

(2022–present)
Grant Shapps
MP for Welwyn Hatfield
19 October 2022 25 October 2022 Conservative
Suella Braverman
MP for Fareham
25 October 2022 13 November 2023 Conservative Sunak
James Cleverly
MP for Braintree
13 November 2023 Incumbent Conservative

Timeline

James CleverlyGrant ShappsSuella BravermanPriti PatelSajid JavidAmber RuddTheresa MayAlan JohnsonJacqui SmithJohn Reid, Baron Reid of CardowanCharles ClarkeDavid BlunkettJack StrawMichael HowardKenneth ClarkeKenneth Baker, Baron Baker of DorkingDavid WaddingtonDouglas HurdLeon BrittanWilliam WhitelawMerlyn ReesRobert CarrReginald MaudlingJames CallaghanRoy JenkinsFrank SoskiceHenry Brooke, Baron Brooke of CumnorRab ButlerGwilym Lloyd GeorgeDavid Maxwell FyfeJames Chuter EdeDonald SomervellHerbert MorrisonJohn Anderson, 1st Viscount WaverleySamuel Hoare, 1st Viscount TemplewoodSir John Gilmour, 2nd BaronetJohn Robert ClynesWilliam Joynson-HicksArthur HendersonWilliam Bridgeman, 1st Viscount BridgemanEdward ShorttGeorge Cave, 1st Viscount CaveHerbert SamuelJohn Simon, 1st Viscount SimonReginald McKennaWinston ChurchillHerbert GladstoneAretas Akers-DouglasCharles RitchieMatthew White RidleyH. H. AsquithHenry Matthews, 1st Viscount LlandaffHugh ChildersWilliam Harcourt (politician)R. A. Cross, 1st Viscount CrossRobert LoweHenry Bruce, 1st Baron AberdareGathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 1st Earl of CranbrookGeorge Cornewall LewisT. H. S. Sotheron-EstcourtHenry John Temple, 3rd Viscount PalmerstonSpencer Horatio WalpoleGeorge Grey, 2nd BaronetSir James Graham, 2nd BaronetConstantine Phipps, 1st Marquess of NormanbyJohn Russell, 1st Earl RussellHenry GoulburnArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonJohn Ponsonby, 4th Earl of BessboroughWilliam Lamb, 2nd Viscount MelbourneHenry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of LansdowneWilliam Sturges BourneRobert PeelHenry Addington, 1st Viscount SidmouthRichard Ryder (politician, born 1766)George Spencer, 2nd Earl SpencerRobert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of LiverpoolCharles Philip YorkeThomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of ChichesterWilliam Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of PortlandHenry DundasWilliam Grenville, 1st Baron GrenvilleGeorge Nugent-Temple-Grenville, 1st Marquess of BuckinghamFrederick North, Lord NorthThomas Townshend, 1st Viscount SydneyWilliam Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne

See also


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