Foreign Secretary

Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
Royal Arms of HM Government
Incumbent Liz Truss since 15 September 2021
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Style	The Right Honourable (within the UK and Commonwealth)
Member of	Cabinet Privy Council National Security Council
Reports to	Prime Minister
Residence	No. 1 Carlton Gardens (official) Chevening (country house)
Seat	Westminster
Nominator	Prime Minister
Appointer	The Crown (on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term length	At HM Pleasure
Formation	27 March 1782; 240 years ago (1782-03-27)
First holder	Charles James Fox
Website	www.gov.uk

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The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, also referred to as the foreign secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as one of the most senior ministers in the government and a Great Office of State, the incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, fourth in the ministerial ranking.

The office holder works alongside the other Foreign Office ministers. The corresponding shadow ministers are the shadow secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs and the shadow secretary of state for international development. The performance of the secretary of state is also scrutinised by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

The current foreign secretary is Liz Truss MP, appointed in the September 2021 cabinet reshuffle.

Responsibilities

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

• British relations with foreign countries and governments
• Promotion of British interests abroad.
• Matters pertaining to the Commonwealth of Nations and the Overseas Territories
• Oversight for the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).

Residence

The official residence of the foreign secretary is 1 Carlton Gardens, in London. The foreign secretary also has the use of Chevening House, a country house in Kent, South East England and works out of the Foreign Office in Whitehall.

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 foreign affairs was created in the British governmental reorganisation of 1782, in which the Northern and Southern Departments became the Foreign Office and Home Office respectively. The India Office which, like the Colonial Office and the Dominions Office, had been a constituent predecessor department of the Foreign Office, was closed down in 1947.

Eventually, the position of secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs came into existence in 1968 with the merger of the functions of secretary of the state for foreign affairs and the secretary of state for Commonwealth affairs into a single department of state. Margaret Beckett, appointed in 2006 by Tony Blair, was the first woman to have held the post.

The post of secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs was created in 2020 when position holder Dominic Raab absorbed the responsibilities of the secretary of state for international development.

List of foreign secretaries

Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs (1782–1968)

Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Party	Ministry	Monarch (Reign)	Ref.
		The Right Honourable Charles James Fox MP for Westminster (1749–1806)	27 March 1782	5 July 1782	Whig	Rockingham II	George III (1760–1820)
		The Right Honourable Thomas Robinson 2nd Baron Grantham PC (1738–1786)	13 July 1782	2 April 1783	Whig	Shelburne (Whig–Tory)
		The Right Honourable Charles James Fox MP for Westminster (1749–1806)	2 April 1783	19 December 1783	Whig	Fox–North
		The Right Honourable George Nugent-Temple-Grenville 3rd Earl Temple PC (1753–1813)	19 December 1783	23 December 1783	Tory	Pitt I
		His Grace Francis Osborne 5th Duke of Leeds KGPC (1751–1799)	23 December 1783	May 1791	Tory
		The Right Honourable William Grenville 1st Baron Grenville PCPC (Ire) (1759–1834)	8 June 1791	20 February 1801	Tory
​		The Right Honourable Robert Jenkinson 2nd Baron Hawkesbury PCFRS MP for Rye (1770–1828)	20 February 1801	14 May 1804	Tory
						Addington
		The Right Honourable Dudley Ryder 2nd Baron Harrowby PCFSA (1762–1847)	14 May 1804	11 January 1805	Tory	Pitt II
		The Right Honourable Henry Phipps 3rd Baron Mulgrave PC (1755–1831)	11 January 1805	7 February 1806	Tory
		The Right Honourable Charles James Fox MP for Westminster (1749–1806)	7 February 1806	13 September 1806†	Whig	All the Talents (Whig–Tory)
		The Right Honourable Charles Grey Viscount Howick PC MP for Northumberland (1764–1845)	24 September 1806	25 March 1807	Whig
		The Right Honourable George Canning MP for Newtown (Isle of Wight) → Hastings (1770–1827)	25 March 1807	11 October 1809	Tory	Portland II
		The Right Honourable Henry Bathurst 3rd Earl Bathurst PC (1762–1834)	11 October 1809	6 December 1809	Tory	Perceval
		The Most Honourable Richard Wellesley 1st Marquess Wellesley KGPCPC (Ire) (1760–1842)	6 December 1809	4 March 1812	Independent
		The Most Honourable Robert Stewart 2nd Marquess of Londonderry KGGCHPCPC (Ire) (1769–1822)	4 March 1812	12 August 1822†	Tory	Liverpool
							George IV (1820–1830)
		The Right Honourable George Canning FRS MP for 3 constituencies respectively (1770–1827)	16 September 1822	30 April 1827	Tory
		The Right Honourable John Ward 1st Earl of Dudley PCFRS (1781–1833)	30 April 1827	2 June 1828	Tory	Canning (Canningite–Whig)
						Goderich
​						Wellington–Peel
		The Right Honourable George Hamilton-Gordon 4th Earl of Aberdeen KTFRSPCFSA Scot (1784–1860)	2 June 1828	22 November 1830	Tory
							William IV (1830–1837)
		The Right Honourable Henry John Temple 3rd Viscount Palmerston GCBPC MP for 3 constituencies respectively (1784–1865)	22 November 1830	14 November 1834	Whig	Grey
						Melbourne I
		Field MarshalHis Grace Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke of Wellington KGGCBGCHPC (1769–1852)	14 November 1834	18 April 1835	Tory	Wellington Caretaker
					Conservative	Peel I
		The Right Honourable Henry John Temple 3rd Viscount Palmerston GCBPC MP for Tiverton (1784–1865)	18 April 1835	2 September 1841	Whig	Melbourne II
							Victoria (1837–1901)
		The Right Honourable George Hamilton-Gordon 4th Earl of Aberdeen KTFRSPCFSA Scot (1784–1860)	2 September 1841	6 July 1846	Conservative	Peel II
		The Right Honourable Henry John Temple 3rd Viscount Palmerston GCBPC MP for Tiverton (1784–1865)	6 July 1846	26 December 1851	Whig	Russell I
		The Right Honourable Granville Leveson-Gower 2nd Earl Granville PC (1815–1891)	26 December 1851	27 February 1852	Whig
		The Right Honourable James Howard Harris 3rd Earl of Malmesbury PC (1807–1889)	27 February 1852	28 December 1852	Conservative	Who? Who?
		The Right Honourable Lord John Russell FRS MP for the City of London (1792–1878)	28 December 1852	21 February 1853	Whig	Aberdeen (Peelite–Whig)
​		The Right Honourable George Villiers 4th Earl of Clarendon KGGCBPC (1800–1870)	21 February 1853	26 February 1858	Whig
						Palmerston I
		The Right Honourable James Howard Harris 3rd Earl of Malmesbury GCBPC (1807–1889)	26 February 1858	18 June 1859	Conservative	Derby–Disraeli II
		The Right Honourable John Russell 1st Earl Russell KGPCFRS (1792–1878)	18 June 1859	3 November 1865	Liberal	Palmerston II
		The Right Honourable George Villiers 4th Earl of Clarendon KGGCBPC (1800–1870)	3 November 1865	6 July 1866	Liberal	Russell II
		The Right Honourable Edward Stanley Lord Stanley PCFRS MP for King's Lynn (1826–1893)	6 July 1866	9 December 1868	Conservative	Derby–Disraeli III
		The Right Honourable George Villiers 4th Earl of Clarendon KGGCBPC (1800–1870)	9 December 1868	6 July 1870	Liberal	Gladstone I
		The Right Honourable Granville Leveson-Gower 2nd Earl Granville KGPCFRS (1815–1891)	6 July 1870	21 February 1874	Liberal
		The Right Honourable Edward Stanley 15th Earl of Derby PCFRS (1826–1893)	21 February 1874	2 April 1878	Conservative	Disraeli II
		The Most Honourable Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury KGPCFRSDL (1830–1903)	2 April 1878	28 April 1880	Conservative
		The Right Honourable Granville Leveson-Gower 2nd Earl Granville KGPCFRS (1815–1891)	28 April 1880	24 June 1885	Liberal	Gladstone II
		The Most Honourable Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury KGPCFRSDL (1830–1903)	24 June 1885	6 February 1886	Conservative	Salisbury I
		The Right Honourable Archibald Primrose 5th Earl of Rosebery PCFRS (1847–1929)	6 February 1886	3 August 1886	Liberal	Gladstone III
		The Right Honourable Stafford Northcote 1st Earl of Iddesleigh GCBPCFRS (1818–1887)	3 August 1886	12 January 1887†	Conservative	Salisbury II
		The Most Honourable Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury KGPCFRSDL (1830–1903)	14 January 1887	11 August 1892	Conservative
		The Right Honourable Archibald Primrose 5th Earl of Rosebery KGPCFRS (1847–1929)	18 August 1892	11 March 1894	Liberal	Gladstone IV
		The Right Honourable John Wodehouse 1st Earl of Kimberley KGPCDL (1826–1902)	11 March 1894	21 June 1895	Liberal	Rosebery
		The Most Honourable Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury KGPCFRSDL (1830–1903)	29 June 1895	12 November 1900	Conservative	Salisbury (III & IV) (Con.–Lib.U.)
​		The Most Honourable Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice 5th Marquess of Lansdowne KGGCSIGCMGGCIEPC (1845–1927)	12 November 1900	4 December 1905	Liberal Unionist
​							Edward VII (1901–1910)
						Balfour
		The Right Honourable Sir Edward Grey BtDL MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed (1862–1933)	10 December 1905	10 December 1916	Liberal	Campbell-Bannerman
​						Asquith (I–III)
​							George V (1910–1936)
						Asquith Coalition (Lib.–Con.–et al.)
		The Right Honourable Arthur Balfour OMFRSDL MP for the City of London (1848–1930)	10 December 1916	23 October 1919	Conservative	Lloyd George (I & II)
​		The Most Honourable George Curzon 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston KGGCSIGCIEPC (1859–1925)	23 October 1919	22 January 1924	Conservative
						Law
						Baldwin I
		The Right Honourable Ramsay MacDonald MP for Aberavon (1866–1937)	22 January 1924	3 November 1924	Labour	MacDonald I
		The Right Honourable Sir Austen Chamberlain KG MP for Birmingham West (1863–1937)	6 November 1924	4 June 1929	Conservative	Baldwin II
		The Right Honourable Arthur Henderson MP for Burnley (1863–1935)	7 June 1929	24 August 1931	Labour	MacDonald II
		The Most Honourable Rufus Isaacs 1st Marquess of Reading GCBGCSIGCIEGCVOPC (1860–1935)	25 August 1931	5 November 1931	Liberal	National I (N.Lab.–Con.–et al.)
		The Right Honourable Sir John Simon GCSIOBE MP for Spen Valley (1873–1954)	5 November 1931	7 June 1935	Liberal National	National II
		The Right Honourable Sir Samuel Hoare BtGCSIGBECMGJP MP for Chelsea (1880–1959)	7 June 1935	18 December 1935	Conservative	National III (Con.–N.Lab.–et al.)
​		The Right Honourable Anthony Eden MC MP for Warwick & Leamington (1897–1977)	22 December 1935	20 February 1938	Conservative
							Edward VIII (1936)
​							George VI (1936–1952)
​						National IV
​		The Right Honourable Edward Wood 3rd Viscount Halifax PC (1881–1959)	21 February 1938	22 December 1940	Conservative
						Chamberlain War
						Churchill War (All parties)
		The Right Honourable Anthony Eden MC MP for Warwick & Leamington (1897–1977)	22 December 1940	26 July 1945	Conservative
						Churchill Caretaker (Con.–Lib.N.)
		The Right Honourable Ernest Bevin MP for Wandsworth Central → Woolwich East (1881–1951)	27 July 1945	9 March 1951	Labour	Attlee (I & II)
		The Right Honourable Herbert Morrison MP for Lewisham South (1888–1965)	9 March 1951	26 October 1951	Labour
		The Right Honourable Sir Anthony Eden KGMC MP for Warwick & Leamington (1897–1977)	28 October 1951	7 April 1955	Conservative	Churchill III
							Elizabeth II (1952–present)
		The Right Honourable Harold Macmillan MP for Bromley (1894–1986)	7 April 1955	20 December 1955	Conservative	Eden
		The Right Honourable Selwyn Lloyd CBEQC MP for Wirral (1904–1978)	20 December 1955	27 July 1960	Conservative
						Macmillan (I & II)
		The Right Honourable Alec Douglas-Home 14th Earl of Home PC (1903–1995)	27 July 1960	18 October 1963	Conservative
		The Right Honourable Richard Austen Butler CH MP for Saffron Walden (1902–1982)	20 October 1963	16 October 1964	Conservative	Douglas-Home
		The Right Honourable Patrick Gordon Walker Neither an MP nor a Lord (1907–1980)	16 October 1964	22 January 1965	Labour	Wilson (I & II)
		The Right Honourable Michael Stewart MP for Fulham (1906–1990)	22 January 1965	11 August 1966	Labour
		The Right Honourable George Brown MP for Belper (1914–1985)	11 August 1966	16 March 1968	Labour
		The Right Honourable Michael Stewart MP for Fulham (1906–1990)	16 March 1968	17 October 1968	Labour

Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1968–2020)

Post created through the merger of the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Party	Ministry	Sovereign (Reign)	Ref.
		The Right Honourable Michael Stewart MP for Fulham (1906–1990)	17 October 1968	19 June 1970	Labour	Wilson (I & II)	Elizabeth II (1952–present)
		The Right Honourable Sir Alec Douglas-Home KT MP for Kinross and Western Perthshire (1903–1995)	20 June 1970	4 March 1974	Conservative	Heath
		The Right Honourable James Callaghan MP for Cardiff South East (1912–2005)	5 March 1974	5 April 1976	Labour	Wilson (III & IV)
		The Right Honourable Anthony Crosland MP for Great Grimsby (1918–1977)	8 April 1976	19 February 1977†	Labour	Callaghan
		The Right Honourable David Owen MP for Plymouth Devonport (born 1938)	22 February 1977	4 May 1979	Labour
		The Right Honourable Peter Carington 6th Baron Carrington KCMGMCPCDL (1919–2018)	4 May 1979	5 April 1982	Conservative	Thatcher I
		The Right Honourable Francis Pym MC MP for Cambridgeshire (1922–2008)	6 April 1982	11 June 1983	Conservative
		The Right Honourable Sir Geoffrey Howe QC MP for East Surrey (1926–2015)	11 June 1983	24 July 1989	Conservative	Thatcher II
​						Thatcher III
		The Right Honourable John Major MP for Huntingdon (born 1943)	24 July 1989	26 October 1989	Conservative
​		The Right Honourable Douglas Hurd CBE MP for Witney (born 1930)	26 October 1989	5 July 1995	Conservative
						Major I
​						Major II
		The Right Honourable Malcolm Rifkind QC MP for Edinburgh Pentlands (born 1946)	5 July 1995	2 May 1997	Conservative
		The Right Honourable Robin Cook MP for Livingston (1946–2005)	2 May 1997	8 June 2001	Labour	Blair I
		The Right Honourable Jack Straw MP for Blackburn (born 1946)	8 June 2001	5 May 2006	Labour	Blair II
​						Blair III
		The Right Honourable Margaret Beckett MP for Derby South (born 1943)	5 May 2006	27 June 2007	Labour
		The Right Honourable David Miliband MP for South Shields (born 1965)	28 June 2007	11 May 2010	Labour	Brown
		The Right Honourable William Hague FRSL MP for Richmond (Yorks) (born 1961)	12 May 2010	14 July 2014	Conservative	Cameron–Clegg (Con.–L.D.)
​		The Right Honourable Philip Hammond MP for Runnymede and Weybridge (born 1955)	14 July 2014	13 July 2016	Conservative
						Cameron II
		The Right Honourable Boris Johnson MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (born 1964)	13 July 2016	9 July 2018	Conservative	May I
​						May II
		The Right Honourable Jeremy Hunt MP for South West Surrey (born 1966)	9 July 2018	24 July 2019	Conservative
		The Right Honourable Dominic Raab MP for Esher and Walton (born 1974)	24 July 2019	2 September 2020	Conservative	Johnson I
​						Johnson II

Secretaries of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (2020–present)

Post created through the merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development.

Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Party	Ministry	Sovereign (Reign)	Ref.
		The Right Honourable Dominic Raab MP for Esher and Walton (born 1974)	2 September 2020	15 September 2021	Conservative	Johnson II	Elizabeth II (1952–present)
		The Right Honourable Liz Truss MP for South West Norfolk (born 1975)	15 September 2021	Incumbent	Conservative

See also

• Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
• Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
• Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs
• Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
• Secretary of State for the Colonies
• Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
• Foreign minister
• Great Offices of State