Leader of the House of Commons

For the equivalent position in Canada, see Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. For the historic position in Northern Ireland, see Minister and Leader of the House of Commons.
United Kingdom
Leader of the
House of Commons
Incumbent
David Lidington
since 14 July 2016
Office of the Leader of the House
Style The Right Honourable
Inaugural holder Robert Walpole
Formation 4 April 1721
Website www.gov.uk/government/organisations/the-office-of-the-leader-of-the-house-of-commons

The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons. This office does not attract a ministerial salary,[1] and as such it is usually held jointly with another ministerial position (often a sinecure). Historically, the position was usually held by the Prime Minister if they sat in the House of Commons; in more recent years, the post has been held jointly with that of Lord President of the Council, Lord Privy Seal, or First Secretary of State.

The Leader is assisted in the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons by the Deputy Leader of the House of Commons. At times the nominal leadership was held by the Prime Minister but the day-to-day work was done by a Deputy. At other times a Deputy was appointed merely to enhance an individual politician's standing within the government. However, since 2010 the Deputy Leader of the House of Commons has been a ministerial role at the level of Parliamentary Secretary of State.[2]

The House of Commons devotes approximately three-quarters of its time to Government business, such as bills introduced by the government and ministerial statements. The Leader of the House, with the parties' chief whips ("the usual channels"), is responsible for organising Government business and providing time for non-government business to be put before the House. The Leader of the House additionally announces the next week's debate schedule in the Business Statement every Thursday.

When there is either no Deputy Prime Minister or First Secretary of State, the Leader of the House may stand in for an absent Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions.

The Osmotherly Rules, which set out guidance on how civil servants should respond to parliamentary select committees, are jointly administered by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons and the Cabinet Office.[3]

Leaders of the House of Commons since 1721

Name Portrait Concurrent office(s) Tenure Political Party Prime Minister
Robert Walpole Prime Minister
Chancellor of the Exchequer		 4 April 1721 6 February 1742 Whig Himself
Samuel Sandys Chancellor of the Exchequer 12 February 1742 27 August 1743 Earl of Wilmington
Henry Pelham Prime Minister
Chancellor of the Exchequer		 27 August 1743 6 March 1754 Himself
Thomas Robinson Southern Secretary 23 March 1754 October 1755 Duke of Newcastle
Henry Fox 14 November 1755 13 November 1756
William Pitt the Elder 4 December 1756 6 April 1757 Duke of Devonshire
vacant April June 1757 Duke of Devonshire
(Caretaker)
William Pitt the Elder Southern Secretary 27 June 1757 6 October 1761 Whig Duke of Newcastle
George Grenville Treasurer of the Navy October 1761 May 1762 Grenvillite Whig
Henry Fox Paymaster of the Forces May 1762 April 1763 Whig Earl of Bute
George Grenville Prime Minister
Chancellor of the Exchequer		 16 April 1763 13 July 1765 Grenvillite Whig Himself
Henry Seymour Conway Southern Secretary (until May 1766)
Northern Secretary (from May 1766)		 July 1765 20 October 1768 Rockinghamite Whig Marquess of Rockingham (until July 1766)
Earl of Chatham
(William Pitt the Elder)
(from July 1766)
Lord North Chancellor of the Exchequer
Prime Minister (from 28 January 1770)		 October 1768 22 March 1782 Tory Duke of Grafton
Himself
Charles James Fox Foreign Secretary 27 March 1782 July 1782 Whig Marquess of Rockingham
Thomas Townshend Home Secretary 10 July 1782 6 March 1783 Earl of Shelburne
Charles James Fox Foreign Secretary 2 April 1783 19 December 1783 Fox–North coalition Duke of Portland
Lord North Home Secretary
William Pitt the Younger Prime Minister
Chancellor of the Exchequer		 19 December 1783 14 March 1801 Pittite Tory Himself
Henry Addington Prime Minister
Chancellor of the Exchequer		 17 March 1801 10 May 1804 Pittite Tory Himself
William Pitt the Younger Prime Minister
Chancellor of the Exchequer		 10 May 1804 23 January 1806 (died) Himself
Charles James Fox Foreign Secretary February 13 September 1806 (died) Whig
(Ministry of All the Talents)		 William Grenville
Viscount Howick
(Charles Grey)		 Foreign Secretary September 1806 31 March 1807
Spencer Perceval Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Prime Minister (from October 1809)		 April 1807 11 May 1812 (died) Tory Duke of Portland
Himself
Viscount Castlereagh
(Marquess of Londonderry from 1821)		 Foreign Secretary June 1812 12 August 1822 (died) Earl of Liverpool
George Canning Foreign Secretary (until April 1827) 16 September 1822 8 August 1827 (died) Canningite Tory
Prime Minister
Chancellor of the Exchequer (both from April 1827)		 Himself
William Huskisson War & Colonial Secretary 3 September 1827 21 January 1828 Viscount Goderich
Robert Peel Home Secretary 26 January 1828 16 November 1830 Tory Duke of Wellington
Viscount Althorp Chancellor of the Exchequer 22 November 1830 14 November 1834 Whig Earl Grey
Viscount Melbourne
Robert Peel Prime Minister
Chancellor of the Exchequer		 10 December 1834 8 April 1835 Conservative Himself
Lord John Russell Home Secretary (until August 1839)
War & Colonial Secretary (from 30 August 1839)		 18 April 1835 30 August 1841 Whig Viscount Melbourne
Robert Peel Prime Minister 30 August 1841 29 June 1846 Conservative Himself
Lord John Russell Prime Minister 30 June 1846 21 February 1852 Whig Himself
Benjamin Disraeli Chancellor of the Exchequer 27 February 17 December 1852 Conservative Earl of Derby
Lord John Russell Foreign Secretary (until February 1853)
Minister without Portfolio (February 1853–June 1854)
Lord President of the Council (from June 1854)		 28 December 1852 30 January 1855 Whig
(Coalition)		 Earl of Aberdeen
Viscount Palmerston Prime Minister 6 February 1855 19 February 1858 Whig Himself
Benjamin Disraeli Chancellor of the Exchequer 26 February 1858 11 June 1859 Conservative Earl of Derby
Viscount Palmerston Prime Minister 12 June 1859 18 October 1865 (died) Liberal Himself
William Ewart Gladstone Chancellor of the Exchequer October 1865 26 June 1866 John Russell
Benjamin Disraeli Chancellor of the Exchequer (until February 1868) 6 July 1866 1 December 1868 Conservative Earl of Derby
Prime Minister (from February 1868) Himself
William Ewart Gladstone Prime Minister
Chancellor of the Exchequer (from August 1873)		 3 December 1868 17 February 1874 Liberal Himself
Benjamin Disraeli Prime Minister 20 February 1874 21 August 1876 Conservative Himself
Stafford Northcote Chancellor of the Exchequer 21 August 1876 21 April 1880 Earl of Beaconsfield
(Benjamin Disraeli)
William Ewart Gladstone Prime Minister
Chancellor of the Exchequer (until December 1882)		 23 April 1880 9 June 1885 Liberal Himself
Michael Hicks-Beach Chancellor of the Exchequer 24 June 1885 28 January 1886 Conservative Marquess of Salisbury
William Ewart Gladstone Prime Minister
Lord Privy Seal		 1 February 1886 2 July 1886 Liberal Himself
Randolph Churchill Chancellor of the Exchequer 3 August 1886 14 January 1887 Conservative Marquess of Salisbury
W. H. Smith First Lord of the Treasury 17 January 1887 October 1891
Arthur Balfour First Lord of the Treasury October 1891 11 August 1892
William Ewart Gladstone Prime Minister
Lord Privy Seal		 15 August 1892 2 March 1894 Liberal Himself
William Vernon Harcourt Chancellor of the Exchequer 2 March 1894 21 June 1895 Earl of Rosebery
Arthur Balfour First Lord of the Treasury
Prime Minister (from 12 July 1902)
Lord Privy Seal (14 July 1902–17 October 1903)		 29 June 1895 4 December 1905 Conservative Marquess of Salisbury
Himself
Henry Campbell-Bannerman Prime Minister 5 December 1905 5 April 1908 Liberal Himself
H. H. Asquith Prime Minister
War Secretary
(30 March – 5 August 1914)		 5 April 1908 5 December 1916 Liberal
(Wartime coalition 1915–1916)		 Himself
Bonar Law Chancellor of the Exchequer
(until 10 January 1919)
Lord Privy Seal
(from 10 January 1919)		 10 December 1916 23 March 1921 Conservative
(Coalition)		 David Lloyd George
Austen Chamberlain Lord Privy Seal 23 March 1921 19 October 1922
Bonar Law Prime Minister 23 October 1922 20 May 1923 Conservative Himself
Stanley Baldwin Prime Minister
Chancellor of the Exchequer
(until August 1923)		 22 May 1923 22 January 1924 Himself
Ramsay MacDonald Prime Minister
Foreign Secretary		 22 January 3 November 1924 Labour Himself
Stanley Baldwin Prime Minister 4 November 1924 4 June 1929 Conservative Himself
Ramsay MacDonald 5 June 1929 7 June 1935 Labour Himself
National Labour
(National Govt 1931–1935)
Stanley Baldwin 7 June 1935 28 May 1937 Conservative
(National Govt 1935–1937)		 Himself
Neville Chamberlain 28 May 1937 10 May 1940 Conservative
(National Govt 1937–1939;
War Govt 1939–1940)		 Himself
Winston Churchill Prime Minister
Minister of Defence		 10 May 1940 19 February 1942 Conservative
(Wartime coalition)		 Winston Churchill
Stafford Cripps Lord Privy Seal 19 February 22 November 1942 Independent
(Wartime coalition)
Anthony Eden Foreign Secretary 22 February 1942 26 July 1945 Conservative
(Wartime coalition)
Conservative
(Caretaker coalition)
Herbert Morrison Lord President of the Council 27 July 1945 9 March 1951 Labour Clement Attlee
James Chuter Ede Home Secretary 9 March 1951 26 October 1951
Harry Crookshank Minister of Health
(until May 1952)
Lord Privy Seal
(from 7 May 1952)		 28 October 1951 20 December 1955 Conservative Winston Churchill
Anthony Eden
R. A. Butler Lord Privy Seal
(until October 1959)
Home Secretary
(from 14 January 1957)		 20 December 1955 9 October 1961
Home Secretary Harold Macmillan
Iain Macleod Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 9 October 1961 20 October 1963
Selwyn Lloyd Lord Privy Seal 20 October 1963 16 October 1964 Alec Douglas-Home
Herbert Bowden Lord President of the Council 16 October 1964 11 August 1966 Labour Harold Wilson
Richard Crossman 11 August 1966 18 October 1968
Fred Peart 18 October 1968 19 June 1970
Willie Whitelaw 20 June 1970 7 April 1972 Conservative Edward Heath
Robert Carr 7 April 1972 5 November 1972
Jim Prior 5 November 1972 4 March 1974
Edward Short 5 March 1974 8 April 1976 Labour Harold Wilson
Michael Foot 8 April 1976 4 May 1979 James Callaghan
Norman St John-Stevas Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Minister for the Arts		 5 May 1979 5 January 1981 Conservative Margaret Thatcher
Francis Pym Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (until September 1981)
Lord President of the Council (from 14 September 1981)		 5 January 1981 5 April 1982
John Biffen Lord President of the Council (until June 1983)
Lord Privy Seal (from 11 June 1983)		 5 April 1982 13 June 1987
John Wakeham Lord Privy Seal (until January 1988)
Lord President of the Council (from 10 January 1988)		 13 June 1987 24 July 1989
Geoffrey Howe Lord President of the Council
Deputy Prime Minister		 24 July 1989 2 November 1990
John MacGregor Lord President of the Council 2 November 1990 10 April 1992
John Major
Tony Newton 10 April 1992 1 May 1997
Ann Taylor 2 May 1997 27 July 1998 Labour Tony Blair
Margaret Beckett 27 July 1998 8 June 2001
Robin Cook Lord President of the Council 8 June 2001 17 March 2003 Labour Tony Blair
John Reid 4 April 2003 13 June 2003
Peter Hain Lord Privy Seal 11 June 2003 6 May 2005
Geoff Hoon 6 May 2005 5 May 2006
Jack Straw 5 May 2006 27 June 2007
Harriet Harman Lord Privy Seal
Minister for Women and Equality		 28 June 2007 11 May 2010 Gordon Brown
George Young Lord Privy Seal 12 May 2010 3 September 2012 Conservative
(Coalition)		 David Cameron
Andrew Lansley 4 September 2012 14 July 2014
William Hague First Secretary of State 14 July 2014 8 May 2015
Chris Grayling Lord President of the Council 9 May 2015 14 July 2016 Conservative
David Lidington 14 July 2016 Conservative Theresa May

See also

References

  1. ↑ [Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1975/27]
  2. ↑ "Parliamentary Secretary of State (Deputy Leader of the House of Commons)". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  3. ↑ Gay, Oonagh (4 August 2005). "The Osmotherly Rules (Standard Note: SN/PC/2671)" (PDF). Parliament and Constitution Centre, House of Commons Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 May 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2009.

External links

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