Secretary of State for Defence

Secretary of State for Defence
Secretary of State for Defence
	Royal Arms of Her Majesty's Government
	Flag of the Secretary of State for Defence
	Incumbent; Ben Wallace; since 24 July 2019
	Ministry of Defence
Style	Defence Secretary; (informal); The Right Honourable; (UK and the Commonwealth);
Type	Secretary of state; Minister of the Crown
Member of	Cabinet; Privy Council; National Security Council; Defence Council; Admiralty Board; Army Board; Air Force Board;
Reports to	The Prime Minister
Seat	Westminster
Appointer	The Crown; on advice of the Prime Minister
Term length	At Her Majesty's pleasure
Constituting instrument	Defence (Transfer of Functions) Act 1964 section 1(1)(a)
Precursor	Minister of Defence
Formation	1 April 1964
First holder	Peter Thorneycroft
Deputy	Minister for Defence Procurement (since 2020); Minister of State for the Armed Forces (before 2020)
Website	www.gov.uk

The secretary of state for defence, also referred to as the defence secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the business of the Ministry of Defence.^[1] The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, sixth in the ministerial ranking.^[2]

The post of Secretary of State for Defence was created on 1 April 1964 replacing the positions of Minister of Defence, First Lord of the Admiralty, Secretary of State for War and Secretary of State for Air, while the individual offices of the British Armed Forces were abolished and their functions transferred to the Ministry of Defence. In 1997, Michael Portillo was filling this post at the time of the Portillo moment.^[3] In 2019, Penny Mordaunt became the UK's first female defence secretary.^[4]

The postholder is supported by the other ministers in the Defence Ministerial team. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for defence.

The current secretary of state for defence is Ben Wallace MP, since his appointment by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in July 2019.^[5]

Responsibilities[]

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

Strategic military and defensive operations. The postholder is a member of the National Security Council, and chair of the Defence Council, to which the monarch has given the power to command the Armed Forces.
Oversight of Defence Intelligence
Relations with international partnerships, including NATO
Defence policy (Trident nuclear weapons programme), resourcing and planning
Communications on defence^[6]

History[]

Minister for Co-ordination of Defence (1936–1940)[]

The position of Minister for Co-ordination of Defence was a British Cabinet-level position established in 1936 to oversee and co-ordinate the rearmament of Britain's defences. It was established by the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin in response to criticism that Britain's armed forces were understrength compared to those of Nazi Germany. When the Second World War broke out, the new Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain formed a small War Cabinet and it was expected that the Minister would serve as a spokesperson for the three service ministers, the Secretary of State for War, the First Lord of the Admiralty and the Secretary of State for Air; however, political considerations resulted in all three posts being included in the Cabinet, and this role proved increasingly redundant. In April 1940 the position was formally wound up and the functions transferred to other Ministers.

Minister of Defence (1940–1964)[]

The post of Minister of Defence was responsible for co-ordination of defence and security from its creation in 1940 until its abolition in 1964. The post was a Cabinet level post and generally ranked above the three service ministers, some of whom, however, continued to also serve in Cabinet.

On his appointment as Prime Minister in May 1940, Winston Churchill created for himself the new post of Minister of Defence. The post was created in response to previous criticism that there had been no clear single minister in charge of the prosecution of World War II. In 1946, the post became the only cabinet-level post representing the military, with the three service ministers – the Secretary of State for War, the First Lord of the Admiralty, and the Secretary of State for Air, now formally subordinated to the Minister of Defence.

Secretary of State for Defence (1964–present)[]

The post was created in 1964 as successor to the posts of Minister for Coordination of Defence and Minister of Defence. It replaced the positions of First Lord of the Admiralty, Secretary of State for War and Secretary of State for Air, as the Admiralty, War Office and Air Ministry were merged into the Ministry of Defence (the Secretary of State for War had already ceased to be a cabinet position in 1946, with the creation of the cabinet-level Minister of Defence).

Principal political leaders of the English/British Armed Forces:
	The Royal Navy	The Army	The RAF	Co-ordination
1628	First Lord of the Admiralty (1628–1964)
1794		Secretary of State for War (1794–1801)
1801		Secretary of State for War and the Colonies (1801–1854)
1854		Secretary of State for War (1854–1964)
1919			Secretary of State for Air (1919–1964)
1936				Minister for Co-ordination of Defence (1936–1940)
1940				Minister of Defence (1940–1964)
1964	Secretary of State for Defence (1964–present)

Secretaries of State for Defence (1964–present)[]

Secretary of State for Defence
Name (birth–death)	Term of office		Length of term	Party	Ministry
The Right Honourable Peter Thorneycroft MP for Monmouth (1909–1994)^[7]	1 April 1964	16 October 1964	6 months and 15 days (was Minister of Defence immediately before)	Conservative	Douglas-Home
The Right Honourable Denis Healey MBE MP for Leeds East (1917–2015)^[8]	16 October 1964	19 June 1970	5 years, 8 months and 3 days	Labour	Wilson (I & II)
The Right Honourable Peter Carrington 6th Baron Carrington KCMG MC PC DL (1919–2018)	20 June 1970	8 January 1974	3 years, 6 months and 19 days	Conservative	Heath
The Right Honourable Ian Gilmour MP for Central Norfolk (1926–2007)^[9]	8 January 1974	4 March 1974	1 month and 24 days	Conservative	Heath
The Right Honourable Roy Mason MP for Barnsley (1924–2015)^[10]	5 March 1974	9 September 1976	2 years, 6 months and 4 days	Labour	Wilson (III & IV)
The Right Honourable Fred Mulley MP for Sheffield Park (1918–1995)^[11]	10 September 1976	4 May 1979	2 years, 7 months and 24 days	Labour	Callaghan
The Right Honourable Francis Pym MC MP for Cambridgeshire (1922–2008)^[12]	5 May 1979	4 January 1981	1 year, 7 months and 30 days	Conservative	Thatcher I
The Right Honourable John Nott MP for St Ives (born 1932)^[13]	5 January 1981	5 January 1983	2 years	Conservative	Thatcher I
The Right Honourable Michael Heseltine MP for Henley (born 1933)^[14]	6 January 1983	8 January 1986	3 years and 2 days	Conservative	Thatcher II
The Right Honourable George Younger TD MP for Ayr (1931–2003)^[15]^[16]	9 January 1986	23 July 1989	3 years, 6 months and 14 days	Conservative	Thatcher II
	9 January 1986	23 July 1989	3 years, 6 months and 14 days	Conservative	Thatcher III
The Right Honourable Tom King MP for Bridgwater (born 1933)^[17]	28 July 1989	9 April 1992	2 years, 8 months and 12 days	Conservative	Thatcher III
	28 July 1989	9 April 1992	2 years, 8 months and 12 days	Conservative	Major I
The Right Honourable Malcolm Rifkind QC MP for Edinburgh Pentlands (born 1946)^[18]	10 April 1992	4 July 1995	3 years, 2 months and 24 days	Conservative	Major II
The Right Honourable Michael Portillo MP for Enfield Southgate (born 1953)^[19]	5 July 1995	2 May 1997	1 year, 9 months and 27 days	Conservative	Major II
The Right Honourable George Robertson MP for Hamilton South (born 1946)^[20]	3 May 1997	11 October 1999	2 years, 5 months and 8 days	Labour	Blair I
The Right Honourable Geoff Hoon MP for Ashfield (born 1953)^[21]	11 October 1999	6 May 2005	5 years, 6 months and 25 days	Labour	Blair I
	11 October 1999	6 May 2005	5 years, 6 months and 25 days	Labour	Blair II
The Right Honourable John Reid MP for Airdrie and Shotts (born 1947)^[22]	6 May 2005	5 May 2006	11 months and 29 days	Labour	Blair III
The Right Honourable Des Browne MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun (born 1952)^[23]	5 May 2006	3 October 2008	2 years, 4 months and 28 days	Labour	Blair III
	5 May 2006	3 October 2008	2 years, 4 months and 28 days	Labour	Brown
The Right Honourable John Hutton MP for Barrow and Furness (born 1955)^[24]	3 October 2008	5 June 2009	8 months and 2 days	Labour
The Right Honourable Bob Ainsworth MP for Coventry North East (born 1952)^[25]	5 June 2009	11 May 2010	11 months and 6 days	Labour
The Right Honourable Liam Fox MP for North Somerset (born 1961)^[26]^[27]	12 May 2010	14 October 2011	1 year, 5 months and 3 days	Conservative	Cameron–Clegg (Con.–L.D.)
The Right Honourable Philip Hammond MP for Runnymede and Weybridge (born 1955)^[28]^[29]	14 October 2011	15 July 2014	2 years, 9 months and 1 day	Conservative
The Right Honourable Sir Michael Fallon KCB MP for Sevenoaks (born 1952)^[30]^[31]	15 July 2014	1 November 2017	3 years, 3 months and 17 days	Conservative
					Cameron II
					May I
					May II
The Right Honourable Gavin Williamson CBE MP for South Staffordshire (born 1976)^[32]^[33]	2 November 2017	1 May 2019	1 year, 5 months and 29 days	Conservative
The Right Honourable Penny Mordaunt MP for Portsmouth North (born 1973)^[34]^[35]	1 May 2019	24 July 2019	2 months and 23 days	Conservative
The Right Honourable Ben Wallace MP for Wyre and Preston North (born 1970)^[36]^[5]	24 July 2019	Incumbent	2 years, 5 months and 3 days*	Conservative	Johnson I
	24 July 2019	Incumbent	2 years, 5 months and 3 days*	Conservative	Johnson II

* Incumbent's length of term last updated: 27 December 2021.

References[]

^ "Secretary of State for Defence". gov.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
^ "Her Majesty's Government: The Cabinet". parliament.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
^ "BBC Rewind: Michael Portillo loses Enfield Southgate". BBC News. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2021. One of the most high-profile victims of the Labour party landslide in the 1997 general election was John Major's Defence Secretary, Michael Portillo.
^ "Penny Mordaunt - the UK's first female defence secretary". BBC News. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2021. Penny Mordaunt has become the UK's first female defence secretary after Gavin Williamson was sacked.
^ ^a ^b "Ben Wallace Named New Defence Secretary". Forces Network. 24 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
^ "Secretary of State for Defence - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk.
^ "Mr Peter Thorneycroft". Hansard 1803–2005. UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^ "Lord Healey". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^ "Lord Gilmour of Craigmillar". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^ "Lord Mason of Barnsley". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^ "Lord Mulley". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^ "Lord Pym". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^ "Rt Hon Sir John Nott". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^ "Lord Heseltine". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
^ "Rt Hon Sir George Younger". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^ George Jones (27 January 2003). "Thatcher's ally George Younger dies at 71". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
^ "Lord King of Bridgwater". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
^ "Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind QC". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^ "Rt Hon Michael Portillo". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^ "Lord Robertson of Port Ellen". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
^ "Mr Geoffrey Hoon". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^ "Lord Reid of Cardowan". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
^ "Lord Browne of Ladyton". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
^ "Lord Hutton of Furness". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
^ "Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
^ "Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
^ "Who's who in the coalition cabinet". The Guardian. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
^ "Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
^ "Liam Fox quits as defence secretary". BBC News. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
^ "Rt Hon Sir Michael Fallon MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^ "Reshuffle at-a-glance: In, out and moved about". BBC News. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
^ "Rt Hon Gavin Williamson MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^ "Gavin Williamson replaces Michael Fallon as defence secretary". BBC News. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^ "Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
^ "Gavin Williamson sacked over Huawei leak". 1 May 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
^ "Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

External links[]

www.gov.uk/mod

[1] "Secretary of State for Defence". gov.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2021.

[2] "Her Majesty's Government: The Cabinet". parliament.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2021.

[3] "BBC Rewind: Michael Portillo loses Enfield Southgate". BBC News. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2021. One of the most high-profile victims of the Labour party landslide in the 1997 general election was John Major's Defence Secretary, Michael Portillo.

[4] "Penny Mordaunt - the UK's first female defence secretary". BBC News. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2021. Penny Mordaunt has become the UK's first female defence secretary after Gavin Williamson was sacked.

[Wallace-5] "Ben Wallace Named New Defence Secretary". Forces Network. 24 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.

[6] "Secretary of State for Defence - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk.

[7] "Mr Peter Thorneycroft". Hansard 1803–2005. UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

[8] "Lord Healey". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

[9] "Lord Gilmour of Craigmillar". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

[10] "Lord Mason of Barnsley". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

[11] "Lord Mulley". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

[12] "Lord Pym". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

[13] "Rt Hon Sir John Nott". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

[14] "Lord Heseltine". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

[15] "Rt Hon Sir George Younger". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

[16] George Jones (27 January 2003). "Thatcher's ally George Younger dies at 71". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 November 2017.

[17] "Lord King of Bridgwater". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

[18] "Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind QC". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

[19] "Rt Hon Michael Portillo". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

[20] "Lord Robertson of Port Ellen". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

[21] "Mr Geoffrey Hoon". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

[22] "Lord Reid of Cardowan". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

[23] "Lord Browne of Ladyton". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

[24] "Lord Hutton of Furness". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

[25] "Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

[26] "Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

[27] "Who's who in the coalition cabinet". The Guardian. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2017.

[28] "Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

[29] "Liam Fox quits as defence secretary". BBC News. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2017.

[30] "Rt Hon Sir Michael Fallon MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

[31] "Reshuffle at-a-glance: In, out and moved about". BBC News. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2017.

[32] "Rt Hon Gavin Williamson MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

[33] "Gavin Williamson replaces Michael Fallon as defence secretary". BBC News. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.

[34] "Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

[35] "Gavin Williamson sacked over Huawei leak". 1 May 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.

[36] "Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]

[34]

[35]

[36]

v t Defence Secretaries of the United Kingdom
Minister for Co-ordination of Defence	Sir Thomas Inskip Lord Chatfield
Ministers for Defence	Winston Churchill Clement Attlee A. V. Alexander Manny Shinwell Winston Churchill Harold Alexander Harold Macmillan Selwyn Lloyd Sir Walter Monckton Anthony Head Duncan Sandys Harold Watkinson Peter Thorneycroft
Secretaries of State for Defence	Peter Thorneycroft Denis Healey Lord Carrington Ian Gilmour Roy Mason Fred Mulley Francis Pym John Nott Michael Heseltine George Younger Tom King Malcolm Rifkind Michael Portillo George Robertson Geoff Hoon John Reid Des Browne John Hutton Bob Ainsworth Liam Fox Philip Hammond Michael Fallon Gavin Williamson Penny Mordaunt Ben Wallace

v t UK cabinet portfolios
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
Cabinet ministers	Prime Minister / First Lord of the Treasury / Minister for the Union / Minister for the Civil Service Deputy Prime Minister / Justice Secretary / Lord Chancellor Chancellor of the Exchequer Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Secretary / Minister for Women and Equalities Home Secretary Defence Secretary Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary / Minister for Intergovernmental Relations Health and Social Care Secretary Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster / Minister for the Cabinet Office Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary President for COP26 International Trade Secretary / President of the Board of Trade Work and Pensions Secretary Education Secretary Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Transport Secretary Northern Ireland Secretary Scotland Secretary Wales Secretary Leader of the House of Lords / Lord Privy Seal Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Minister without portfolio
Also attending Cabinet	Chief Secretary to the Treasury Lord President of the Council / Leader of the House of Commons Chief Whip Attorney General Minister of State for Crime and Policing Minister of State for Universities

Secretary of State for Defence
Royal Arms of Her Majesty's Government
Flag of the Secretary of State for Defence
Incumbent Ben Wallace since 24 July 2019
Ministry of Defence
Style	Defence Secretary (informal) The Right Honourable (UK and the Commonwealth)
Type	Secretary of state Minister of the Crown
Member of	Cabinet Privy Council National Security Council Defence Council Admiralty Board Army Board Air Force Board
Reports to	The Prime Minister
Seat	Westminster
Appointer	The Crown on advice of the Prime Minister
Term length	At Her Majesty's pleasure
Constituting instrument	Defence (Transfer of Functions) Act 1964 section 1(1)(a)
Precursor	Minister of Defence
Formation	1 April 1964
First holder	Peter Thorneycroft
Deputy	Minister for Defence Procurement (since 2020) Minister of State for the Armed Forces (before 2020)
Website	www.gov.uk

Politics of the United Kingdom
This article is part of a series on

Constitution Magna Carta Treaty of Union (Acts of Union) Anglo-Irish Treaty Parliamentary sovereignty Rule of law Separation of powers Other constitutional principles
The Crown The Monarch (list) Elizabeth II Heir apparent Charles, Prince of Wales Royal family Succession Prerogative Counsellors of State
Executive Privy Council Elizabeth II (Queen-in-Council) HM Government Prime Minister (list) Boris Johnson (C) Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab (C) Cabinet (List) Departments Ministers Agencies
Legislature UK Parliament Elizabeth II (Queen-in-Parliament) House of Lords Lord Speaker The Lord McFall of Alcluith House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer (L) Act of Parliament 58th Parliament Opposition List of MPs
Judiciary Elizabeth II (Queen-on-the-Bench) Supreme Court President The Lord Reed Deputy President The Lord Hodge Justices of the Supreme Court UK England and Wales Scotland NI
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey Deputy Governors Monetary Policy Committee Currencies Banknotes Coins
Elections & Referendums UK Parliament constituencies (2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies) Political parties Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 Scottish Parliament constituencies and electoral regions Senedd constituencies and electoral regions UK general elections 1801 co-option 1802 1806 1807 1812 1818 1820 1826 1830 1831 1832–33 1835 1837 1841 1847 1852 1857 1859 1865 1868 1874 1880 1885 1886 1892 1895 1900 1906 1910 (Jan–Feb) 1910 (Dec) 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 1974 (Feb) 1974 (Oct) 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 Next European Parliament elections (1979–2019) 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 Scottish Parliament elections 1999 2003 2007 2011 2016 2021 Next Northern Ireland Assembly elections 1998 2003 2007 2011 2016 2017 2022 Senedd elections 1999 2003 2007 2011 2016 2021 Next UK referendums 1975 2011 2016
Devolution Joint Ministerial Committee Legislative consent motions England Governance of England English votes for English laws Greater London Authority 1998 referendum Greater London Authority Act 1999 (2007 Act) Mayor of London Sadiq Khan Mayoral cabinet London Assembly London Plan Combined authorities Metro mayors Cornwall Council Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Act 1998 (2006 Act) First Minister Paul Givan deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill Executive Assembly Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly Law of Northern Ireland Scotland 1997 referendum Scotland Act 1998 (2012 Act, 2016 Act) First Minister Nicola Sturgeon Government Scottish Parliament Act of the Scottish Parliament Scottish statutory instrument Scots law Wales 1997 referendum (2011 referendum on law-making powers) Government of Wales Act 1998 (2006 Act, Wales Act 2014, Wales Act 2017) First Minister Mark Drakeford Government Senedd Measure of the National Assembly for Wales (1999–2011) Act of Senedd Cymru Welsh law
Administration England History Subdivisions: Regions Ceremonial counties (list) Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties Metropolitan county Non-metropolitan county Greater London Unitary authorities (list) Districts (list) Metropolitan Borough Non-metropolitan District London Borough Civil parishes (list) Historic counties Northern Ireland History Subdivisions: Counties Districts Scotland History Subdivisions: Sheriffdoms Council areas Community council areas Civil parishes Shires of Scotland Wales History Preserved counties Principal areas Communities (list) Historic counties
Crown Dependencies Bailiwick of Guernsey ( Guernsey Alderney Sark) Bailiwick of Jersey Isle of Man British Islands Common Travel Area
Overseas Territories Akrotiri and Dhekelia Anguilla Bermuda British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Falkland Islands Gibraltar Montserrat Pitcairn Islands Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha ( Saint Helena Ascension Island Tristan da Cunha) South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Turks and Caicos Islands British Overseas Territories citizen Visa requirements Visa policies British Overseas Territories Act 2002 Chagos Archipelago sovereignty dispute Gibraltar sovereignty dispute Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute
Foreign relations Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Foreign policy (history) Diplomatic missions of / in the United Kingdom UK passport British National (Overseas) passport Visa requirements UK–CD Customs Union Visa policy Trade agreements Australia Belgium Belize Brunei Canada China Hong Kong Cyprus Denmark France Germany India Israel Italy Japan Kenya Malaysia Malta Netherlands New Zealand Norway Russia Saudi Arabia Singapore Spain South Africa Palestine Pakistan Portugal United States Ireland Politics of Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement UK–Ireland border Northern Ireland Protocol British–Irish Council European Union (history) Brexit Post-Brexit United Kingdom relations with the European Union UK–EU withdrawal agreement The Commonwealth member states United Kingdom and the United Nations United Nations Security Council P5 NATO G20 G7
United Kingdom portal England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Other countries
v t