Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations

Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English The secretary of state for Commonwealth relations was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for dealing with the United Kingdom's relations with members of the Commonwealth of Nations (its former colonies). The minister's department was the Commonwealth Relations Office (CRO).

The position was created in 1947 out of the old positions of Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs and Secretary of State for India. In 1966, the position was merged with that of the Secretary of State for the Colonies to form that of Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs, which was in turn merged with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in 1968 to create the new position of Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. The equivalent position today is the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.

Secretaries of state for Commonwealth relations, 1947–1966

Portrait		Name	Term of office		Political party	Ministry
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Christopher Addison, 1st Viscount Addison.jpg	Christopher Addison The Viscount Addison	7 July 1947	7 October 1947	Labour	rowspan=3 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Attlee (I & II)
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Philip Noel-Baker 1942.jpg	Philip Noel-Baker MP for Derby	7 October 1947	28 February 1950	Labour
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Patrick Gordon Walker.jpg	Patrick Gordon Walker MP for Smethwick	28 February 1950	26 October 1951	Labour
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Ismay cropped.jpg	General Hastings Ismay The Lord Ismay	28 October 1951	12 March 1952	–	rowspan=3 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Churchill III
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 1947.jpg	Robert Gascoyne-Cecil The Marquess of Salisbury	12 March 1952	24 November 1952	Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Lord Swinton.jpg	Philip Cunliffe-Lister The Viscount Swinton	24 November 1952	7 April 1955	Conservative
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Alec Douglas-Home (c1963).jpg	Alec Douglas-Home The Earl of Home	7 April 1955	27 July 1960	Conservative	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Eden
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |						Macmillan (I & II)
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Duncan Sandys 1975.png	Duncan Sandys MP for Streatham	27 July 1960	16 October 1964	Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |						Douglas-Home
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Arthur Bottomley MP.jpg	Arthur Bottomley MP for Middlesbrough East	18 October 1964	1 August 1966	Labour	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	[[Labour government, 1964–1970|Wilson Template:Small]]

Shadow secretaries of state for commonwealth relations

Name			Entered office	Left office	Political party	Shadow Cabinet
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Patrick Gordon Walker	File:Patrick Gordon Walker.jpg	15 July 1955	15 February 1956	Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour Party (UK) | Attlee
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |						rowspan=5 Template:Party shading/Labour Party (UK) |Gaitskell
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Arthur Creech Jones	File:No image.svg	15 February 1956	24 January 1958	Labour
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Arthur Bottomley	File:Arthur Bottomley MP.jpg	24 January 1958<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	November 1959	Labour
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Hilary Marquand	File:Hilary Marquand.png	November 1959	November 1961	Labour
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	John Strachey	File:John Strachey.jpg	November 1961	15 July 1963	Labour
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |						Template:Party shading/Labour Party (UK) | Brown
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |						rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Labour Party (UK) | Wilson
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Unknown	File:No image.svg	15 July 1963	16 October 1964	Labour
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Duncan Sandys	File:Duncan Sandys 1975.png	16 October 1964	5 August 1965	Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Douglas-Home
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Selwyn Lloyd	File:SelwynLloyd1960.jpg	5 August 1965	19 April 1966	Conservative	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Heath
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Reginald Maudling	File:Reginald Maudling, 1969 (Brightned) (cropped).jpg	19 April 1966	1 August 1966	Conservative

References

• Foreign and Commonwealth Office website

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