Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Deputy Prime Minister (or DPM) is, when appointed, the second highest ranking executive officer of the government of the United Kingdom. He or she would be the deputy chief of the Cabinet.
| Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | |
|---|---|
_(St_Edwards_Crown).svg) | |
| Government of the United Kingdom | |
| Style | Deputy Prime Minister (informal) The Right Honourable (within the UK and Commonwealth) His Excellency (diplomatic) |
| Status | Second highest in executive branch |
| Member of | |
| Reports to | Prime Minister |
| Residence | None, may use Grace and favour residences |
| Seat | Westminster, London |
| Nominator | Prime Minister |
| Appointer | The Crown (on the advice of the Prime Minister) |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Formation | 19 February 1942 |
| First holder | Clement Attlee |
| Website | www.gov.uk |
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Unlike other countries, the position of Deputy Prime Minister is not always needed or appointed. The Prime Minister chooses whether or not they want to have a deputy.
The position was created in 1942: Clement Attlee was the first Deputy Prime Minister. The present holder of this position is Angela Rayner since 5 July 2024. There have been times when the post has been very important.
List of deputy prime ministers
In addition to the many unofficial deputies, some people have been formally appointed deputy prime minister. Ministers are appointed by the monarch, on the advice of the prime minister.[1] Six people can be described as definitely having been appointed deputy prime minister.[Note 1][Note 2][2][3][4][5]
| Deputy Prime Minister | Term of office | Other ministerial portfolios held during tenure | Party | Ministry | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
Michael Heseltine MP for Henley |
5 July 1995 |
2 May 1997 |
Conservative | Major II | ||
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|
John Prescott MP for Kingston upon Hull East |
2 May 1997 |
27 June 2007 |
|
Labour | Blair I | |
| Blair II | |||||||
| Blair III | |||||||
| Vacant (2007 - 2010) | |||||||
|
Nick Clegg MP for Sheffield Hallam |
11 May 2010 |
8 May 2015 |
Liberal Democrat | Cameron–Clegg | ||
| Vacant (2015 - 2021) | |||||||
|
Dominic Raab MP for Esher and Walton |
15 September 2021 |
6 September 2022 |
Conservative | Johnson II | ||
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|
Thérèse Coffey MP for Suffolk Coastal |
6 September 2022 |
25 October 2022 |
Truss | |||
|
|
Dominic Raab MP for Esher and Walton |
25 October 2022 |
21 April 2023 |
Sunak | |||
|
Oliver Dowden MP for Hertsmere |
21 April 2023 |
5 July 2024 |
||||
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|
Angela Rayner MP for Ashton-under-Lyne |
5 July 2024 |
Incumbent | Labour | Starmer | ||
- ↑ Both Brazier and Norton include Clement Attlee in their lists. However, Hennessy says that Attlee's inclusion in the 1942 minute signed off by The King simply read "Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs" and that it was on separate paper that Winston Churchill wrote "Deputy Prime Minister". Bogdanor similarly asserts that the change was in form rather than fact and that Attlee was never formally appointed deputy prime minister.
- ↑ In his list of official deputy prime ministers, Brazier includes Geoffrey Howe. However, Norton doesn't in his. Norton explains that Buckingham Palace took issue with appointing Howe "Deputy Prime Minister" and proposed "Sir Geoffrey will act as Deputy Prime Minister". On the other hand, in a 1995 (rather than 2020) publication, Bogdanor asserts that no application to the Palace to appoint Howe deputy prime minister was made at all.
Deputy Prime Minister Of The United Kingdom Media
Anthony Eden is often described as Winston Churchill's deputy, though his appointment as deputy prime minister in 1951 was actually rejected by the King.
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References
- ↑ Britchfield, Colm; Devine, Dan; Durrant, Tim (8 April 2021). "Government ministers". Institute for Government. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- ↑ Brazier 2020, p. 77.
- ↑ Norton 2020, p. 143-144.
- ↑ Hennessy 1995, p. 16.
- ↑ Bogdanor 1995, p. 87.