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Secretary of State for Scotland

The Secretary of State for Scotland is the main minister responsible for Scotland in the Government of the United Kingdom. They sit in Cabinet and run the Scotland Office.

Secretary of State for Scotland
Scottish Gaelic: Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba
Scots: Secretar o State fir Scotland
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (Government in Scotland).svg
Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government in Scotland
Official portrait of Douglas Alexander MP crop 2, 2024.jpg
Incumbent
Douglas Alexander
since 5 September 2025
Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland
StyleScottish Secretary
(informal)
The Right Honourable
(within the UK and Commonwealth)
TypeMinister of the Crown
StatusSecretary 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
Formation
  • 1 May 1707
    (as Secretary of State for Scotland)
  • 17 August 1885
    (as Secretary for Scotland)
  • 26 July 1926 :
    (as Secretary of State for Scotland)
DeputyParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
Salary£159,038 per annum (2022)[1]
(including £86,584 MP salary)[2]
WebsiteScotland Office

List

Secretaries of state for Scotland (1926–)

Secretary of State Term of office Party Ministry
Sir John Gilmour.jpg John Gilmour[3]
MP for Glasgow Pollok 		26 July
1926
Template:Inconsistent 		4 June
1929 		Unionist Baldwin II
Cropped photograph of William Adamson.jpg William Adamson
MP for West Fife 		7 June
1929 		24 August
1931 		Labour MacDonald II
The Air Ministry, 1939-1945. CH10270 – Edit 1.jpg Archibald Sinclair[4]
MP for Caithness and Sutherland 		25 August
1931 		28 September
1932 		Liberal National I
(N.Lab.–Con.–Lib.N.–Lib.)
National II
(N.Lab.–Con.–Lib.N.–Lib.)
Godfrey Collins[5]
MP for Greenock 		28 September
1932 		29 October
1936 		Liberal National
National III
(Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.)
Walter Elliott MP.jpg Walter Elliot[6]
MP for Glasgow Kelvingrove 		29 October
1936 		6 May
1938 		Unionist
National IV
(Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.)
David John Colville (cropped).jpg John Colville[7]
MP for Midlothian and Peebles Northern 		6 May
1938 		10 May
1940 		Unionist
Chamberlain War
(Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.)
BrownErnest.jpg Ernest Brown[8]
MP for Leith 		14 May
1940 		8 February
1941 		Liberal National Churchill War
(All parties)
Thomas Johnston.png Thomas Johnston[9]
MP for West Stirlingshire 		8 February
1941 		23 May
1945 		Labour
Harry Primrose
6th Earl of Rosebery 		25 May
1945 		26 July
1945 		Liberal National Churchill Caretaker
(Con.–N.Lib.)
No image.svg Joseph Westwood[10]
MP for Stirling and Falkirk 		3 August
1945 		7 October
1947 		Labour Attlee
(I & II)
No image.svg Arthur Woodburn[11]
MP for Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire 		7 October
1947 		28 February
1950 		Labour
Blank.png Hector McNeil[12]
MP for Greenock 		28 February
1950 		26 October
1951 		Labour
James Stuart
MP for Moray and Nairn 		30 October
1951 		13 January
1957 		Unionist Churchill III
Eden
Blank.png John Maclay[13]
MP for West Renfrewshire 		13 January
1957 		13 July
1962 		Unionist Macmillan
(I & II)
Blank.png Michael Noble[14]
MP for Argyllshire 		13 July
1962 		16 October
1964 		Unionist
Douglas-Home
Blank.png Willie Ross[15]
MP for Kilmarnock 		18 October
1964 		19 June
1970 		Labour Wilson
(I & II)
Blank.png Gordon Campbell
MP for Moray and Nairn 		20 June
1970 		4 March
1974 		Conservative Heath
Blank.png Willie Ross
MP for Kilmarnock 		5 March
1974 		8 April
1976 		Labour Wilson
(III & IV)
File:Bruce Millan.tif Bruce Millan[16]
MP for Glasgow Craigton 		8 April
1976 		4 May
1979 		Labour Callaghan
George Younger.JPEG George Younger[17]
MP for Ayr 		5 May
1979 		11 January
1986 		Conservative Thatcher I
Thatcher II
Malcolm Rifkind.jpg Malcolm Rifkind[18]
MP for Edinburgh Pentlands 		11 January
1986 		28 November
1990 		Conservative
Thatcher III
Official portrait of Lord Lang of Monkton 2020 crop 2.jpg Ian Lang[19]
MP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale 		28 November
1990 		5 July
1995 		Conservative Major I
Major II
Official portrait of Lord Forsyth of Drumlean crop 2.jpg Michael Forsyth[20]
MP for Stirling 		5 July
1995 		2 May
1997 		Conservative
Donald Dewar First Minister.jpg Donald Dewar[21]
MP for Glasgow Anniesland 		2 May
1997 		17 May
1999 		Labour Blair I
Official portrait of Lord Reid of Cardowan crop 2, 2020.jpg John Reid[22]
MP for Hamilton North and Bellshill 		17 May
1999 		25 January
2001 		Labour
Official portrait of Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke crop 2.jpg Helen Liddell[23]
MP for Airdrie and Shotts 		25 January
2001 		13 June
2003 		Labour Blair II
AlistairDarlingABr cropped.jpg Alistair Darling[24][a]
MP for Edinburgh South West[b]
 13 June
2003 		5 May
2006 		Labour
Blair III
Official portrait of Douglas Alexander MP crop 2, 2024.jpg Douglas Alexander[25][a]
MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South 		5 May
2006 		28 June
2007 		Labour
Official portrait of Lord Browne of Ladyton crop 2, 2019.jpg Des Browne[26][c]
MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun 		28 June
2007 		3 October
2008 		Labour Brown
Jim Murphy, April 2009 cropped.jpg Jim Murphy[27]
MP for East Renfrewshire 		3 October
2008 		11 May
2010 		Labour
Danny alexander hi.jpg Danny Alexander[28]
MP for Inverness, Nairn,
Badenoch and Strathspey 		12 May
2010 		29 May
2010 		Liberal Democrat Cameron–Clegg
(Con.–L.D.)
Michael Moore, Secretary of State for Scotland.jpg Michael Moore[29]
MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk 		29 May
2010 		7 October
2013 		Liberal Democrat
Official portrait of Alistair Carmichael MP crop 2, 2024.jpg Alistair Carmichael[30]
MP for Orkney and Shetland 		7 October
2013 		8 May
2015 		Liberal Democrat
Official portrait of David Mundell MP crop 2, 2024.jpg David Mundell[31]
MP for Dumfriesshire,
Clydesdale and Tweeddale 		11 May
2015 		24 July
2019 		Conservative Cameron II
May I
May II
Alister Jack Official Cabinet Portrait, September 2021 (cropped).jpg Alister Jack[32]
MP for Dumfries and Galloway 		24 July
2019 		5 July
2024 		Conservative Johnson I
Johnson II
Truss
Sunak
Ian Murray Official Cabinet Portrait, July 2024 (cropped).jpg Ian Murray
MP for Edinburgh South 		5 July
2024 		5 September
2025 		Labour Starmer
Official portrait of Douglas Alexander MP crop 2, 2024.jpg Douglas Alexander
MP for Lothian East 		5 September
2025 		Incumbent Labour

Secretary Of State For Scotland Media

  • First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Secretary David Mundell at the 2016 British–Irish Council summit in Glasgow (Scotland)

  • John Erskine - Earl of Mar - Project Gutenberg etext 20946

  • James 2nd dukeofqueensberry

  • John Erskine - Earl of Mar - Project Gutenberg etext 20946

  • James Graham, 1st Duke of Montrose, Secretary of State for Scotland 1714–16

  • John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxburghe

  • John Hay, 4th Marquess of Tweeddale

  • Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox, and 1st Duke of Gordon

  • Sir G O Trevelyan, 2nd Bt NPG

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Concurrently served as Secretary of State for Transport
  2. ↑ MP for Edinburgh Central until 2005; MP for Edinburgh South West thereafter
  3. ↑ Concurrently served as Secretary of State for Defence

References

  1. ↑ Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23 (15 December 2022).
  2. ↑ Pay and expenses for MPs. parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  3. ↑ Mr John Gilmour. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  4. ↑ Sir Archibald Sinclair. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  5. ↑ Mr Godfrey Collins. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  6. ↑ Mr Walter Elliot. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  7. ↑ Mr John Colville. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  8. ↑ Mr Ernest Brown. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  9. ↑ Mr Thomas Johnston. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  10. ↑ Mr Joseph Westwood. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  11. ↑ Mr Arthur Woodburn. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  12. ↑ Mr Hector McNeill. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  13. ↑ Hon. John Maclay. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  14. ↑ Mr Michael Noble. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  15. ↑ Mr William Ross. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  16. ↑ Rt Hon Bruce MillanUK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  17. ↑ Rt Hon Sir George YoungerUK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  18. ↑ Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind QCUK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  19. ↑ Lord Lang of MonktonUK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  20. ↑ Lord Forsyth of DrumleanUK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  21. ↑ Rt Hon Donald DewarUK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  22. ↑ Lord Reid of CardowanUK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  23. ↑ Baroness Liddell of CoatdykeUK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  24. ↑ Lord Darling of RoulanishUK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  25. ↑ Rt Hon Douglas AlexanderUK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  26. ↑ Lord Browne of LadytonUK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  27. ↑ Rt Hon Jim MurphyUK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  28. ↑ Rt Hon Danny AlexanderUK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  29. ↑ Rt Hon Michael MooreUK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  30. ↑ Rt Hon Alistair Carmichael MPUK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  31. ↑ Rt Hon David Mundell MPUK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  32. ↑ Mr Alistair Jack MPUK Parliament. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
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