List of British governments

This article lists successive British governments, also referred to as ministries, from the creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707, continuing through the duration of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1801 to 1922, and since then dealing with those of the present-day United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Guide to the list[]

"Ministry" refers collectively to all the ministers of a government, including cabinet members and junior ministers alike. Only the Civil Service is considered outside of the ministry. While the term was in common parlance in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it has become rarer, except in official and academic uses.^[1] Both Australia and Canada have inherited the term and continue to use it. It is perhaps in more common use in those countries, which both have official catalogues of their respective ministries, whereas Britain has no such catalogue.^[2]^[3]

Articles listed by ministry contain information on the term(s) of one prime minister. Articles listed by political party contain information on the ministries of multiple consecutive prime ministers of the same political party. Prior to the 20th century, the leader of the British government traditionally held the title of First Lord of the Treasury, and not that of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Therefore, the list below refers to the "Head of Government" and not the "Prime Minister". Even so, the leader of a government was often colloquially referred to as the "prime minister", beginning in the 18th century. Modern-day prime ministers generally still hold the office of First Lord of the Treasury.^[4]

Ministries[]

Colour key:	Whig	Tory	Conservative	Peelite	Liberal	Labour	National Labour	Liberal Democrats

^{[nb 1]}	Monarch		Governing party		Government
1707	Anne	Duke of Marlborough	Tory	Whig	Godolphin–Marlborough ministry
1708		Duke of Marlborough	Tory	Whig	Godolphin–Marlborough ministry
1710		Robert Harley^{[nb 2]}	Tory		Harley ministry
1710
1713
1714	George I	Viscount Townshend	Whig		Townshend ministry
1715		Viscount Townshend			Townshend ministry
1717		Earl Stanhope			First Stanhope–Sunderland ministry
1718		Earl Stanhope			Second Stanhope–Sunderland ministry
1721		Robert Walpole^{[nb 3]}			Walpole–Townshend ministry
1722
1727	George II
1730					Walpole ministry
1734
1741
1742		Earl of Wilmington			Carteret ministry
1743		Henry Pelham			Carteret ministry
1744					First Broad Bottom ministry
1746					Second Broad Bottom ministry^{[nb 4]}
1747					Second Broad Bottom ministry^{[nb 4]}
1754		Duke of Newcastle			First Newcastle ministry
1754		Duke of Newcastle			First Newcastle ministry
1756		Duke of Devonshire			Pitt–Devonshire ministry
1757		Duke of Devonshire	Whig (caretaker)		1757 caretaker ministry
1757		Duke of Newcastle	Whig		Pitt–Newcastle ministry
1760	George III		Whig		Pitt–Newcastle ministry
1761			Tory	Whig	Bute–Newcastle coalition
1762		Earl of Bute			Bute ministry
1763		George Grenville			Grenville ministry
1765		Marquess of Rockingham	Whig		First Rockingham ministry
1766		Earl of Chatham	Whig	Tory	Chatham ministry
1768		Earl of Chatham			Chatham ministry
1768		Duke of Grafton			Grafton ministry
1770		Lord North	Tory	Whig	North ministry
1774			Tory
1780			Tory
1782		Marquess of Rockingham	Whig		Second Rockingham ministry
1782		Earl of Shelburne	Whig	Tory	Shelburne ministry
1783		Duke of Portland	Whig	Tory	Fox–North coalition
1783		William Pitt the Younger	Tory (minority)		First Pitt ministry
1784			Tory
1790			Tory
1794			Tory	Whig
1796			Tory	Whig
1801		Henry Addington	Tory		Addington ministry
1802		Henry Addington			Addington ministry
1804		William Pitt the Younger			Second Pitt ministry
1806		Lord Grenville	Whig	Tory	Ministry of All the Talents
1806		Lord Grenville	Whig	Tory	Ministry of All the Talents
1807		Duke of Portland	Tory (minority)		Second Portland ministry
1807		Duke of Portland	Tory		Second Portland ministry
1809		Spencer Perceval			Perceval ministry
1812		Earl of Liverpool			Liverpool ministry
1812
1818
1820	George IV
1826
1827		George Canning	Canningite	Whig	Canning ministry
1827		Viscount Goderich	Canningite	Whig	Goderich ministry
1828		Duke of Wellington	Tory		Wellington–Peel ministry
1830	William IV		Tory
1830			Tory (minority)
1830		Earl Grey	Whig (minority)		Grey ministry
1831			Whig
1832
1834		Viscount Melbourne			First Melbourne ministry
1834		Duke of Wellington	Tory (caretaker)		Wellington caretaker ministry
1834		Robert Peel	Conservative (minority)		First Peel ministry
1835		Viscount Melbourne	Whig		Second Melbourne ministry
1837	Victoria
1839
1841		Robert Peel	Conservative		Second Peel ministry
1846		Lord John Russell	Whig (minority)		First Russell ministry
1847		Lord John Russell	Whig (minority)		First Russell ministry
1852		Earl of Derby	Conservative (minority)		Who? Who? ministry
1852		Earl of Derby	Conservative		Who? Who? ministry
1852		Earl of Aberdeen	Coalition (minority)		Aberdeen ministry
1855		Viscount Palmerston	Whig (minority)		First Palmerston ministry
1857		Viscount Palmerston	Whig		First Palmerston ministry
1858		Earl of Derby	Conservative (minority)		Second Derby–Disraeli ministry
1859		Viscount Palmerston	Liberal		Second Palmerston ministry
1865		Viscount Palmerston			Second Palmerston ministry
1865		Earl Russell			Second Russell ministry
1866		Earl of Derby	Conservative (minority)		Third Derby–Disraeli ministry
1868		Benjamin Disraeli	Conservative (minority)		Third Derby–Disraeli ministry
1868		William Ewart Gladstone	Liberal		First Gladstone ministry
1874		Benjamin Disraeli^{[nb 5]}	Conservative		Second Disraeli ministry
1880		William Ewart Gladstone	Liberal		Second Gladstone ministry
1885		Marquess of Salisbury	Conservative (minority)		First Salisbury ministry
1885		Marquess of Salisbury	Conservative (caretaker)^{[nb 6]}		First Salisbury ministry
1886		William Ewart Gladstone	Liberal (minority)		Third Gladstone ministry
1886		Marquess of Salisbury	Conservative (minority)		Second Salisbury ministry
1892		Marquess of Salisbury	Conservative (caretaker)^{[nb 6]}		Second Salisbury ministry
1892		William Ewart Gladstone	Liberal (minority)		Fourth Gladstone ministry
1894		Earl of Rosebery	Liberal (minority)		Rosebery ministry
1895		Marquess of Salisbury	Conservative (minority)		Third Salisbury ministry
1895			Conservative	Liberal Unionist	Third Salisbury ministry
1900
1900					Fourth Salisbury ministry
1901	Edward VII				Fourth Salisbury ministry
1902		Arthur Balfour			Balfour ministry
1905		Henry Campbell-Bannerman	Liberal (minority)		Campbell-Bannerman ministry
1906		Henry Campbell-Bannerman	Liberal		Campbell-Bannerman ministry
1908		H. H. Asquith	Liberal		First Asquith ministry
1910	George V		Liberal (minority)		Second Asquith ministry
1910			Liberal (minority)		Third Asquith ministry
1915			Coalition		Asquith coalition ministry
1916		David Lloyd George			Lloyd George war ministry
1918		David Lloyd George			Second Lloyd George ministry
1922		Bonar Law	Conservative		Law ministry
1922		Bonar Law			Law ministry
1923		Stanley Baldwin			First Baldwin ministry
1923		Stanley Baldwin	Conservative (caretaker)^{[nb 6]}		First Baldwin ministry
1924		Ramsay MacDonald	Labour (minority)		First MacDonald ministry
1924		Stanley Baldwin	Conservative		Second Baldwin ministry
1929		Stanley Baldwin	Conservative (caretaker)^{[nb 6]}		Second Baldwin ministry
1929		Ramsay MacDonald	Labour (minority)		Second MacDonald ministry
1931			National		First National Government
1931					Second National Government
1935		Stanley Baldwin			Third National Government
1935
1936	Edward VIII
1936	George VI
1937		Neville Chamberlain			Fourth National Government
1939		Neville Chamberlain			Chamberlain war ministry
1940		Winston Churchill	Coalition		Churchill war ministry
1945		Winston Churchill	National (caretaker)		Churchill caretaker ministry
1945		Clement Attlee	Labour		First Attlee ministry
1950		Clement Attlee	Labour		Second Attlee ministry
1951		Winston Churchill	Conservative		Third Churchill ministry
1952	Elizabeth II	Winston Churchill			Third Churchill ministry
1955		Anthony Eden			Eden ministry
1955		Anthony Eden			Eden ministry
1957		Harold Macmillan			First Macmillan ministry
1959		Harold Macmillan			Second Macmillan ministry
1963		Alec Douglas-Home^{[nb 7]}			Douglas-Home ministry
1964		Harold Wilson	Labour		First Wilson ministry
1966		Harold Wilson	Labour		Second Wilson ministry
1970		Edward Heath	Conservative		Heath ministry
1974		Edward Heath	Conservative (caretaker)^{[nb 6]}		Heath ministry
1974		Harold Wilson	Labour (minority)		Third Wilson ministry
1974		Harold Wilson	Labour		Fourth Wilson ministry
1976		James Callaghan	Labour		Callaghan ministry
1977		James Callaghan	Labour (minority)		Callaghan ministry
1979		Margaret Thatcher	Conservative		First Thatcher ministry
1983					Second Thatcher ministry
1987					Third Thatcher ministry
1990		John Major			First Major ministry
1992					Second Major ministry
1996			Conservative (minority)		Second Major ministry
1997		Tony Blair	Labour		First Blair ministry
2001					Second Blair ministry
2005					Third Blair ministry
2007		Gordon Brown			Brown ministry
2010		Gordon Brown	Labour (caretaker)^{[nb 6]}		Brown ministry
2010		David Cameron	Conservative	Liberal Democrat	Cameron–Clegg coalition
2015		David Cameron	Conservative		Second Cameron ministry
2016		Theresa May	Conservative		First May ministry
2017			Conservative (caretaker)^{[nb 6]}		First May ministry
2017			Conservative (minority)		Second May ministry
2019		Boris Johnson	Conservative (minority)		First Johnson ministry
2019		Boris Johnson	Conservative		Second Johnson ministry

Notes[]

^ Year of appointment, general elections (i.e., unshaded cells), etc.
^ From 1711 he was Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer.
^ From 1742 he was Earl of Orford.
^ In 1746 the Earl of Bath formed a short-lived ministry. He was ultimately unsuccessful, and is not gradually included in lists of British prime ministers.
^ From 1876 he was Earl of Beaconsfield (and Viscount Hughenden).
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g The incumbent government briefly continues in an acting capacity, due to the election producing a hung parliament.
^ For the first five days of his ministry, until he had renounced his peerage, Douglas-Home was known as the Earl of Home.

References[]

^ Wilding & Laundy n.d.
^ Part 6 – Historical information on the Australian Parliament (PDF), Parliament of Australia, 31 October 2014, retrieved 6 March 2017
^ Ministers of the Crown, Parliament of Canada, retrieved 4 May 2012
^ "First Lord of the Treasury", gov.uk, UK Government, archived from the original on 20 May 2013, retrieved 3 September 2017

Bibliography[]

Butler D, Butler G (2010), British Political Facts (10th ed.), Palgrave Macmillan UK, ISBN 978-0-230-29318-2
Cook C, Keith B (1975), British Historical Facts: 1830–1900 (1st ed.), Palgrave Macmillan UK, ISBN 978-1-349-01348-7
Cook C, Stevenson J (1980), British Historical Facts: 1760–1830, Palgrave Macmillan UK, ISBN 978-0-333-21512-8
Cook C, Stevenson J (1988), British Historical Facts: 1688–1760 (1st ed.), Palgrave Macmillan UK, ISBN 978-1-349-02369-1
Englefield D, et al. (1995), Facts About the British Prime Ministers: A Compilation of Biographical and Historical Information, New York: H.W. Wilson Co., pp. 411–412, ISBN 978-0-8242-0863-9
Wilding NW, Laundy P (n.d.), An Encyclopaedia of Parliament, London: Cassell and Company, ISBN 978-0-304-93689-2
Macdonald DF (1967), The Age of Transition: Britain in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, p. 240
Tout TF (1910), An Advanced History of Great Britain from the Earliest Times to the Death of Edward VII, New York, NY: Longmans, Green, pp. 740 –741, OL 13991885M
Venning T (2005), "Prime Ministers", Compendium of British Office Holders, Palgrave Macmillan UK, ISBN 978-0-230-50587-2

[5] Year of appointment, general elections (i.e., unshaded cells), etc.

[6] From 1711 he was Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer.

[7] From 1742 he was Earl of Orford.

[8] In 1746 the Earl of Bath formed a short-lived ministry. He was ultimately unsuccessful, and is not gradually included in lists of British prime ministers.

[9] From 1876 he was Earl of Beaconsfield (and Viscount Hughenden).

[hung-10] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g The incumbent government briefly continues in an acting capacity, due to the election producing a hung parliament.

[11] For the first five days of his ministry, until he had renounced his peerage, Douglas-Home was known as the Earl of Home.

[FOOTNOTEWildingLaundyn.d.-1] Wilding & Laundy n.d.

[2] Part 6 – Historical information on the Australian Parliament (PDF), Parliament of Australia, 31 October 2014, retrieved 6 March 2017

[3] Ministers of the Crown, Parliament of Canada, retrieved 4 May 2012

[4] "First Lord of the Treasury", gov.uk, UK Government, archived from the original on 20 May 2013, retrieved 3 September 2017

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[nb 1]

[nb 2]

[nb 3]

[nb 4]

[nb 5]

[nb 6]

[nb 7]

v t British governments
Great Britain (1707–1801)	Godolphin–Marlborough Harley Townshend Stanhope–Sunderland I Stanhope–Sunderland II Walpole–Townshend Walpole Carteret Broad Bottom I and II Short-lived Newcastle I Pitt–Devonshire 1757 Caretaker Pitt–Newcastle (Newcastle II) Bute Grenville Rockingham I Chatham Grafton North Rockingham II Shelburne Fox–North (Portland I) Pitt I
UK (GB and Ire) (1801–1922)	Addington Pitt II All the Talents Portland II Perceval Liverpool Canning Goderich Wellington–Peel Grey Melbourne I Wellington Caretaker Peel I Melbourne II Peel II Russell I Who? Who? (Derby–Disraeli I) Aberdeen Palmerston I Derby–Disraeli II Palmerston II Russell II Derby–Disraeli III (Disraeli I) Gladstone I Disraeli II Gladstone II Salisbury I Gladstone III Salisbury II Gladstone IV Rosebery Salisbury III and IV Balfour Campbell-Bannerman Asquith I–III Asquith Coalition Lloyd George I and II
UK (GB and NI) (1922–present)	Law Baldwin I MacDonald I Baldwin II MacDonald II National Government I National Government II National Government III National Government IV Chamberlain War Churchill War Churchill Caretaker Attlee I and II Churchill III Eden Macmillan I and II Douglas-Home Wilson I and II Heath Wilson III and IV Callaghan Thatcher I Thatcher II Thatcher III Major I Major II Blair I Blair II Blair III Brown Cameron–Clegg (Cameron I) Cameron II May I May II Johnson I Johnson II
Current ministry

v t Lists relating to prime ministers of the United Kingdom
List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
Officeholders	Walpole (Orford) Wilmington Pelham Newcastle Devonshire Bute G. Grenville Rockingham Chatham (Pitt the Elder) Grafton North Shelburne Portland Pitt the Younger Addington Ld Grenville Perceval Liverpool Canning Goderich Wellington Grey Melbourne Peel Russell Derby Aberdeen Palmerston Disraeli (Beaconsfield) Gladstone Salisbury Rosebery Balfour Campbell-Bannerman Asquith Lloyd George Law Baldwin MacDonald Chamberlain Churchill Attlee Eden Macmillan Douglas-Home Wilson Heath Callaghan Thatcher Major Blair Brown Cameron May Johnson
Lists by order	Age Constituencies Cultural depictions Governments votes of no confidence Historical rankings Records Service (timeline) Term length Peerages Experience Namesakes
By monarch	Victoria Edward VII George V Edward VIII George VI Elizabeth II
Personal life	Birth places Burial places Children Coats of arms Education Nickname Spouse
In fiction	Fictional prime ministers
Other	International visits