Foreign Secretary (United Kingdom)

Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox official post Template:PoliticsUK The secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs, also known as the foreign secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The role is seen as one of the most senior ministers in the UK Government and is a Great Office of State. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom and National Security Council, and reports directly to the prime minister.

The officeholder works alongside the other Foreign Office ministers. The corresponding shadow minister is the Shadow Foreign Secretary. The Foreign Affairs Select Committee also evaluates the secretary of state's performance.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The current foreign secretary is David Lammy. He was appointed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer on 5 July 2024.

Responsibilities

In contrast to what is generally known as a foreign minister in many other countries, the Foreign Secretary's remit includes:

• British relations with foreign countries and governments<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Promotion of British interests abroad<ref name="Government of the United Kingdom">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Matters pertaining to the Commonwealth of Nations and the Overseas Territories<ref name="Government of the United Kingdom"/>
• Oversight for the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Residence

The official residence of the foreign secretary is 1 Carlton Gardens, in London.<ref>Template:Cite Hansard</ref> The foreign secretary also has the use of Chevening House, a country house in Kent, South East England,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and works from the Foreign Office in Whitehall.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

History

Template:Uk-fco-history The title of secretary of state in the government of England dates back to the early 17th century. The position of secretary of state for foreign affairs was created in the British governmental reorganisation of 1782, in which the Northern Department and Southern Department became the Foreign Office and Home Office respectively.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite book</ref> The India Office was closed down in 1947. It had been a constituent predecessor department of the Foreign Office, like the Colonial Office and the Dominions Office.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Eventually, the position of secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs came into existence in 1968 with the merger of the functions of secretary of state for foreign affairs and the secretary of state for Commonwealth affairs into a single department of state. Margaret Beckett, appointed in 2006 by Tony Blair, was the first woman to hold the post.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The post of Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs was created in 2020 when position holder Dominic Raab absorbed the responsibilities of the secretary of state for international development.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

List of foreign secretaries

Secretaries of state for foreign affairs (1782–1968)

citation

CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Portrait		NameTemplate:Refn	Term of office		Party	Ministry	Monarch Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Charles James Fox00.jpg	Charles James Fox Template:Small	27 March 1782	5 July 1782	Template:Party shading/Whigs | Whig	Template:Party shading/Whigs | Rockingham II	George III File:Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1801-1816).svg Template:Small Template:Refn
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Thomas Robinson 2nd Baron.jpg	Thomas Robinson 2nd Baron Grantham	13 July 1782	2 April 1783	Template:Party shading/Whigs | Whig	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Shelburne Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Charles James Fox00.jpg	Charles James Fox Template:Small	2 April 1783	19 December 1783	Template:Party shading/Whigs | Whig	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Fox–North
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:1stMarquessOfBuckingham.jpg	George Nugent-Temple-Grenville 3rd Earl Temple	19 December 1783	23 December 1783	Template:Party shading/Tories | Tory	Template:Party shading/Tories rowspan=4 | Pitt I
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Francis Osborne cropped.jpg	[[Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds|Template:Small Francis Osborne 5th Duke of Leeds]]	23 December 1783	May 1791	Template:Party shading/Tories | Tory
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:1st Baron Grenville-cropped.jpg	William Grenville 1st Baron Grenville	8 June 1791	20 February 1801	Template:Party shading/Tories | Tory
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp	File:Earl jenkinson.jpg	Robert Jenkinson 2nd Earl of Liverpool MP for RyeTemplate:Refn	20 February 1801	14 May 1804	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Tories | Tory
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |					Template:Party shading/Tories | Addington
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:1stEarlOfHarrowby.jpg	Dudley Ryder 2nd Baron Harrowby	14 May 1804	11 January 1805	Template:Party shading/Tories | Tory	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Tories | Pitt II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave by Sir William Beechey.jpg	Henry Phipps 3rd Baron Mulgrave	11 January 1805	7 February 1806	Template:Party shading/Tories | Tory
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Charles James Fox00.jpg	Charles James Fox Template:Small	7 February 1806	†|[1]}}	Template:Party shading/Whigs | Whig	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | All the Talents Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey by Sir Thomas Lawrence.jpg	Charles Grey Viscount Howick Template:Small	24 September 1806	25 March 1807	Template:Party shading/Whigs | Whig
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:George Canning by Richard Evans - detail.jpg	George Canning Template:Smalldiv	25 March 1807	11 October 1809	Template:Party shading/Tories | Tory	Template:Party shading/Tories | Portland II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst by William Salter.jpg	Henry Bathurst 3rd Earl Bathurst	11 October 1809	6 December 1809	Template:Party shading/Tories | Tory	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Tories | Perceval
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Richard Colley Wellesley, Marquess Wellesley by John Philip Davis ('Pope' Davis).jpg	Richard Wellesley 1st Marquess Wellesley	6 December 1809	4 March 1812	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Independent
height=50 style="background-color: Template:Party color; border-bottom:none" |	File:Lord Castlereagh Marquess of Londonderry.jpg	Robert Stewart 2nd Marquess of Londonderry	4 March 1812	12 August 1822{{#if:†|†|[2]}}	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Tories | Tory	rowspan=3 Template:Party shading/Tories | Liverpool
height=50 style="background-color: Template:Party color; border-top:none" |					George IV File:Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1816-1837).svg
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:George Canning by Richard Evans - detail.jpg	George Canning Template:Small	16 September 1822	30 April 1827		Template:Party shading/Tories | Tory
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |	File:1stEarlOfDudley.jpg	John Ward 1st Earl of Dudley	30 April 1827	2 June 1828		rowspan=3 Template:Party shading/Tories | Tory	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Canning Template:Small
Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Goderich
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp						Template:Party shading/Tories rowspan=3 | Wellington–Peel
height=50 style="background-color: Template:Party color; border-bottom:none" |	File:Earlofaberdeen.jpg	George Hamilton-Gordon 4th Earl of Aberdeen	2 June 1828	22 November 1830		rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Tories | Tory
height=50 style="background-color: Template:Party color; border-top:none" |					William IV File:Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1816-1837).svg
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Lord Palmerston 1855.jpg	Henry John Temple 3rd Viscount Palmerston MP for 3 constituencies respectively	22 November 1830	14 November 1834		rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Whigs | Whig	Template:Party shading/Whigs | Grey
Template:Party shading/Whigs | Melbourne I
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington by John Jackson cropped.jpg	Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke of Wellington	14 November 1834	18 April 1835		Template:Party shading/Tories | Tory	Template:Party shading/Tories | Wellington Caretaker
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |						Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Peel I
height=50 style="background-color: Template:Party color; border-bottom:none" |	File:Lord Palmerston 1855.jpg	Henry John Temple 3rd Viscount Palmerston MP for Tiverton	18 April 1835	2 September 1841		rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Whigs | Whig	Template:Party shading/Whigs rowspan=2 | Melbourne II
height=50 style="background-color: Template:Party color; border-top:none" |					Victoria File:Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837).svg Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Earlofaberdeen.jpg	George Hamilton-Gordon 4th Earl of Aberdeen	2 September 1841	6 July 1846		Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Peel II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Lord Palmerston 1855.jpg	Henry John Temple 3rd Viscount Palmerston MP for Tiverton	6 July 1846	26 December 1851		Template:Party shading/Whigs | Whig	Template:Party shading/Whigs rowspan=2 | Russell I
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Second Earl Granville.jpg	Granville Leveson-Gower 2nd Earl Granville	26 December 1851	27 February 1852		Template:Party shading/Whigs | Whig
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:JH Harris 3rd Earl of Malmesbury by JG Middleton crop.jpg	James Howard Harris 3rd Earl of Malmesbury	27 February 1852	28 December 1852		Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Who? Who?
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Lord john russell.jpg	Lord John Russell Template:Small	28 December 1852	21 February 1853		Template:Party shading/Whigs | Whig	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) rowspan=2 | Aberdeen Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp	File:4thEarlOfClarendon.jpg	George Villiers 4th Earl of Clarendon	21 February 1853	26 February 1858		rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Whigs | Whig
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |						Template:Party shading/Whigs | Palmerston I
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:JH Harris 3rd Earl of Malmesbury by JG Middleton crop.jpg	James Howard Harris 3rd Earl of Malmesbury	26 February 1858	18 June 1859		Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Derby–Disraeli II
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |	File:Lord john russell.jpg	John Russell 1st Earl Russell	18 June 1859	3 November 1865		Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Palmerston II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:4thEarlOfClarendon.jpg	George Villiers 4th Earl of Clarendon	3 November 1865	6 July 1866		Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Russell II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby 2.jpg	Edward Stanley Lord Stanley MP for King's Lynn	6 July 1866	9 December 1868		Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Derby–Disraeli III
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:4thEarlOfClarendon.jpg	George Villiers 4th Earl of Clarendon	9 December 1868	6 July 1870		Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Gladstone I
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Second Earl Granville.jpg	Granville Leveson-Gower 2nd Earl Granville	6 July 1870	21 February 1874		Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby 2.jpg	Edward Stanley 15th Earl of Derby	21 February 1874	2 April 1878		Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Disraeli II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Robert-Gascoyne-Cecil-3rd-Marquess-of-Salisbury (cropped).jpg	Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury	2 April 1878	28 April 1880		Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Second Earl Granville.jpg	Granville Leveson-Gower 2nd Earl Granville	28 April 1880	24 June 1885		Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Gladstone II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Robert-Gascoyne-Cecil-3rd-Marquess-of-Salisbury (cropped).jpg	Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury	24 June 1885	6 February 1886		Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Salisbury I
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Archibald-Philip-Primrose-5th-Earl-of-Rosebery (cropped).jpg	Archibald Primrose 5th Earl of Rosebery	6 February 1886	3 August 1886		Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Gladstone III
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Stafford Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh.jpg	Stafford Northcote 1st Earl of Iddesleigh	3 August 1886	†|[3]}}		Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) rowspan=2 | Salisbury II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Robert-Gascoyne-Cecil-3rd-Marquess-of-Salisbury (cropped).jpg	Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury	14 January 1887	11 August 1892		Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Archibald-Philip-Primrose-5th-Earl-of-Rosebery (cropped).jpg	Archibald Primrose 5th Earl of Rosebery	18 August 1892	11 March 1894		Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Gladstone IV
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:1st Earl of Kimberley 1897.jpg	John Wodehouse 1st Earl of Kimberley	11 March 1894	21 June 1895		Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Rosebery
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Robert-Gascoyne-Cecil-3rd-Marquess-of-Salisbury (cropped).jpg	Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury	29 June 1895	12 November 1900		Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	rowspan=3 Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | [[Unionist government, 1895–1905|Salisbury Template:Small]] Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp	File:Marquess of Lansdowne crop.jpg	Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice 5th Marquess of Lansdowne	12 November 1900	4 December 1905		Template:Party shading/Liberal Unionist rowspan=3 | Liberal Unionist
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp					Edward VII File:Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |						Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Balfour
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |	File:Picture of Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon.jpg	Edward Grey MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed	10 December 1905	10 December 1916		Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) rowspan=4 | Liberal	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Campbell-Bannerman
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp						rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | [[Liberal government, 1905–1915|Asquith Template:Small]]
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp					George V File:Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |						Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Asquith Coalition Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Arthur-James-Balfour-1st-Earl-of-Balfour.jpg	Arthur Balfour MP for the City of London	10 December 1916	23 October 1919		Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) rowspan=2 | [[Lloyd George ministry|Lloyd George Template:Small]]
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp	File:Curzon GGBain.jpg	George Curzon 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston	23 October 1919	22 January 1924		rowspan=3 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |						Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Law
Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Baldwin I
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Ramsay-MacDonald.jpg	Ramsay MacDonald Template:Small	22 January 1924	3 November 1924		Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour | MacDonald I
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Austen Chamberlain nobel.jpg	Austen Chamberlain Template:Small	6 November 1924	4 June 1929		Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Baldwin II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:1910 Arthur Henderson.jpg	Arthur Henderson Template:Small	7 June 1929	24 August 1931		Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour | MacDonald II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Rufus Isaacs.jpg	Rufus Isaacs 1st Marquess of Reading	25 August 1931	5 November 1931		Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | National I Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Viscount Simon.jpg	John Simon MP for Spen Valley	5 November 1931	7 June 1935		Template:Party shading/Liberal National | Liberal National	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | National II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Sir Samuel Hoare GGBain.jpg	Samuel Hoare MP for Chelsea	7 June 1935	18 December 1935		Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	rowspan=4 Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | National III Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp	File:Anthony Eden (retouched).jpg	Anthony Eden Template:Small	22 December 1935	20 February 1938		rowspan=4 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |					Edward VIII File:Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp					George VI File:Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp						rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | National IV
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border-bottom: none" |Template:Zwsp	File:1st Earl of Halifax 1947.jpg	Edward Wood 3rd Viscount Halifax	21 February 1938	22 December 1940		rowspan=3 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |						Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Chamberlain War
rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Churchill War Template:Small
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Anthony Eden (retouched).jpg	Anthony Eden Template:Small	22 December 1940	26 July 1945		rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Churchill Caretaker Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Ernest Bevin cph.3b17494.jpg	Ernest Bevin Template:Smalldiv	27 July 1945	9 March 1951		Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Labour | [[Attlee ministry|Attlee Template:Small]]
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |		Herbert Morrison Template:Small	9 March 1951	26 October 1951		Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
height=50 style="background-color: Template:Party color; border-bottom:none" |	File:Anthony Eden (retouched).jpg	Anthony Eden Template:Small	28 October 1951	7 April 1955		rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Churchill III
height=50 style="background-color: Template:Party color; border-top:none" |					Elizabeth II File:Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom.svg
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Harold Macmillan in 1942.jpg	Harold Macmillan Template:Small	7 April 1955	20 December 1955		Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) rowspan=2 | Eden
rowspan=2 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Selwyn Lloyd cropped.jpg	Selwyn Lloyd Template:Small	20 December 1955	27 July 1960		Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) rowspan=2 | Conservative
Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) rowspan=2 | [[Conservative government, 1957–1964|Macmillan Template:Small]]
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Alec Douglas-Home (c1963).jpg	Alec Douglas-Home 14th Earl of Home	27 July 1960	18 October 1963		Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Rab Butler.jpg	Richard Austen Butler Template:Small	20 October 1963	16 October 1964		Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Douglas-Home
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Template:CSS image crop	Patrick Gordon Walker Template:Small	16 October 1964	22 January 1965		Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour rowspan=4 | [[Labour government, 1964–1970|Wilson Template:Small]]
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Michael Stewart (1966).jpg	Michael Stewart Template:Small	22 January 1965	11 August 1966		Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:George Brown, 1967.jpg	George Brown Template:Small	11 August 1966	16 March 1968		Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Michael Stewart (1966).jpg	Michael Stewart Template:Small	16 March 1968	17 October 1968		Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour

^†{{#if:| }} Died in office.

Secretaries of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs (1968–2020)

Post created through the merger of the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth AffairsTemplate:R

Portrait		NameTemplate:Refn Template:Small	Term of office		Party	Ministry	Sovereign Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Michael Stewart (1966).jpg	Michael Stewart Template:Small	17 October 1968	19 June 1970	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour | [[Labour government, 1964–1970|Wilson Template:Small]]	Elizabeth II File:Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom.svg Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Alec Douglas-Home (c1963) (cropped).jpg	Alec Douglas-Home Template:Small	20 June 1970	4 March 1974	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Heath
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:James Callaghan (1975).jpg	James Callaghan Template:Small	5 March 1974	5 April 1976	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour | [[Labour government, 1974–1979|Wilson Template:Small]]
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Charles-Anthony-Raven-Crosland (cropped).jpg	Anthony Crosland Template:Small	8 April 1976	†|[4]}}	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Labour | Callaghan
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Lord Owen crop 2.jpg	David Owen Template:Small	22 February 1977	4 May 1979	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Peter Carington 1984.jpg	Peter Carington 6th Baron Carrington Template:Small	4 May 1979	5 April 1982	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Thatcher I
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Francis Leslie Pym.jpg	Francis Pym Template:Small	6 April 1982	11 June 1983	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |	File:Geoffrey Howe (1985).jpg	Geoffrey Howe Template:Small	11 June 1983	24 July 1989	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Thatcher II
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp					rowspan=3 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Thatcher III
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Major PM full.jpg	John Major Template:Small	24 July 1989	26 October 1989	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp	File:Lord Hurd (cropped).jpg	Douglas Hurd Template:Small	26 October 1989	5 July 1995	rowspan=3 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |					Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Major I
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp					rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Major II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Malcolm Rifkind 2011 (cropped).jpg	Malcolm Rifkind Template:Small	5 July 1995	2 May 1997	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |	File:Robin Cook official portrait.jpg	Robin Cook Template:Small	2 May 1997	8 June 2001	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour | Blair I
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |	File:Jack Straw 2.jpg	Jack Straw Template:Small	8 June 2001	5 May 2006	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour | Blair II
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp					rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Labour | Blair III
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP crop 2.jpg	Margaret Beckett Template:Small	5 May 2006	27 June 2007	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:David Miliband 2.jpg	David Miliband Template:Small	28 June 2007	11 May 2010	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour | Brown
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:William Hague (2010).jpg	William Hague Template:Small	12 May 2010	14 July 2014	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Cameron–Clegg Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp	File:Official portrait of Mr Philip Hammond crop 2.jpg	Philip Hammond Template:Small	14 July 2014	13 July 2016	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border-top:none" |					Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Cameron II
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |	File:Boris Johnson MP.jpg	Boris Johnson<ref name="bbcgone">Template:Cite news</ref> Template:Small	13 July 2016	9 July 2018	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | May I
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp					rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | May II
style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP crop 2.jpg	Jeremy Hunt<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:Small	9 July 2018	24 July 2019	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |	File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP crop 2.jpg	Dominic Raab<ref name="RaabGuardian">Template:Cite news</ref> Template:Small	24 July 2019	2 September 2020	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Johnson I
style="background-color: Template:Party color; border:none" |Template:Zwsp					Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Johnson II

Secretaries of state for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (2020–present)

Post created through the merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development.

Portrait		NameTemplate:Refn Template:Small	Term of office		Party	Ministry	Sovereign Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color|	File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP crop 2.jpg	Dominic Raab Template:Small	2 September 2020	15 September 2021	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Johnson II	Elizabeth II File:Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom.svg Template:Small
style="background-color: Template:Party color|	File:Liz Truss Official Portrait.jpg	Liz Truss Template:Small	15 September 2021	6 September 2022	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
rowspan=3 style="background-color: Template:Party color|	File:James Cleverly Official Cabinet Portrait (cropped).jpg	James Cleverly Template:Small	6 September 2022	13 November 2023	rowspan=3 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Truss
Charles III File:Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (2022).svg (2022–present)
					rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Sunak
	style="background-color: Template:Party color|	File:David Cameron Official Portrait 2023 (cropped).jpg	David Cameron Template:Small	13 November 2023	5 July 2024	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
	style="background-color: Template:Party color|	File:David Lammy, 2024 (cropped).jpg	David Lammy Template:Small	5 July 2024	Incumbent	Template:Party shading/Labour Party (UK) | Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour Party (UK) | Starmer

Timeline

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 id:whig           value:rgb(1,0.5,0)          legend: Whig
 id:tory           value:rgb(0.2,0.2,0.8)      legend: Tory
 id:conservative   value:rgb(0,0.53,0.86)      legend: Conservative
 id:liberal        value:rgb(1,0.84,0)         legend: Liberal
 id:libunionist    value:rgb(0,0.2,0.56)       legend: Liberal_Unionist
 id:labour         value:rgb(0.86,0.08,0.18)   legend: Labour
 id:natliberal     value:rgb(0.3,0.73,0.96)    legend: National_Liberal
 id:independent    value:rgb(0.6,0.6,0.6)      legend: Independent_or_no_party
 id:liteline       value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9)
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 bar:Bathurst
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 bar:Dudley
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 bar:Granville
 bar:Malmesbury
 bar:Russell
 bar:Clarendon
 bar:Derby
 bar:Salisbury
 bar:Rosebery
 bar:Iddesleigh
 bar:Kimberley
 bar:Lansdowne
 bar:EGrey
 bar:Balfour
 bar:Curzon
 bar:MacDonald
 bar:Chamberlain
 bar:Henderson
 bar:Reading
 bar:Simon
 bar:Hoare
 bar:Eden
 bar:Halifax
 bar:Bevin
 bar:Morrison
 bar:Macmillan
 bar:Lloyd
 bar:Douglas-Home
 bar:RAB
 bar:Gordon-Walker
 bar:Stewart
 bar:Brown
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 bar:Crosland
 bar:Owen
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 bar:Pym
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 bar:Hurd
 bar:Rifkind
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 bar:Cameron
 bar:Lammy

PlotData=

 width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till

bar:Fox
 from: 1782 till: 1782 color:Whig
 from: 1783 till: 1783 color:Whig
 from: 1806 till: 1806 color:Whig         text:"Charles James Fox"
bar:Grantham 
 from: 1782 till: 1783 color:Whig         text:"Thomas Robinson
bar:Temple
 from: 1783 till: 1783 color:Tory         text:"George Nugent-Temple-Grenville
bar:Leeds
 from: 1783 till: 1791 color:Tory         text:"Francis Osborne"
bar:Grenville
 from: 1791 till: 1801 color:Tory         text:"William Grenville"
bar:Liverpool
 from: 1801 till: 1804 color:Tory         text:"Robert Jenkinson"
bar:Harrowby
 from: 1804 till: 1805 color:Tory         text:"Dudley Ryder"
bar:Mulgrave
 from: 1805 till: 1806 color:Tory         text:"Henry Phipps"
bar:Grey
 from: 1806 till: 1807 color:Whig         text:"Charles Grey"
bar:Canning
 from: 1807 till: 1809 color:Tory
 from: 1822 till: 1827 color:Tory         text:"George Canning"
bar:Bathurst
 from: 1809 till: 1809 color:Tory         text:"Henry Bathurst
bar:Wellesley
 from: 1809 till: 1812 color:Independent  text:"Richard Wellesley"
bar:Londonderry
 from: 1812 till: 1822 color:Tory         text:"Robert Stewart"
bar:Dudley
 from: 1827 till: 1828 color:Tory         text:"John Ward"
bar:Aberdeen
 from: 1828 till: 1830 color:Tory
 from: 1841 till: 1846 color:Conservative text:"George Hamilton-Gordon"
bar:Palmerston
 from: 1830 till: 1834 color:Whig
 from: 1835 till: 1841 color:Whig
 from: 1846 till: 1851 color:Whig         text:"Henry John Temple"
bar:Wellington
 from: 1834 till: 1834 color:Tory
 from: 1834 till: 1835 color:Conservative text:"Arthur Wellesley"
bar:Granville
 from: 1851 till: 1852 color:Whig
 from: 1870 till: 1874 color:Liberal
 from: 1880 till: 1885 color:Liberal      text:"Granville Leveson-Gower"
bar:Malmesbury
 from: 1852 till: 1852 color:Conservative
 from: 1858 till: 1859 color:Conservative text:"James Howard Harris"
bar:Russell
 from: 1852 till: 1853 color:Whig   
 from: 1859 till: 1865 color:Liberal      text:"John Russell"
bar:Clarendon
 from: 1853 till: 1858 color:Whig   
 from: 1865 till: 1866 color:Liberal
 from: 1868 till: 1870 color:Liberal      text:"George Villiers"
bar:Derby
 from: 1866 till: 1868 color:Conservative
 from: 1874 till: 1878 color:Conservative text:"Edward Stanley"
bar:Salisbury
 from: 1878 till: 1880 color:Conservative
 from: 1885 till: 1886 color:Conservative
 from: 1887 till: 1892 color:Conservative
 from: 1895 till: 1900 color:Conservative text:"Robert Gascoyne-Cecil"
bar:Rosebery
 from: 1886 till: 1886 color:Liberal
 from: 1892 till: 1894 color:Liberal      text:"Archibald Primrose"
bar:Iddesleigh
 from: 1886 till: 1887 color:Conservative text:"Stafford Northcote"
bar:Kimberley
 from: 1894 till: 1895 color:Liberal      text:"John Wodehouse"
bar:Lansdowne
 from: 1900 till: 1905 color:Libunionist  text:"Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice
bar:EGrey
 from: 1905 till: 1916 color:Liberal      text:"Edward Grey"
bar:Balfour
 from: 1916 till: 1919 color:Conservative text:"Arthur Balfour"
bar:Curzon
 from: 1919 till: 1924 color:Conservative text:"George Curzon"
bar:MacDonald
 from: 1924 till: 1924 color:Labour       text:"Ramsay MacDonald"
bar:Chamberlain
 from: 1924 till: 1929 color:Conservative text:"Austen Chamberlain"
bar:Henderson
 from: 1929 till: 1931 color:Labour       text:"Arthur Henderson"
bar:Reading
 from: 1931 till: 1931 color:Liberal      text:"Rufus Isaacs"
bar:Simon
 from: 1931 till: 1935 color:Natliberal   text:"John Simon"
bar:Hoare
 from: 1935 till: 1935 color:Conservative text:"Samuel Hoare"
bar:Eden
 from: 1935 till: 1938 color:Conservative
 from: 1940 till: 1945 color:Conservative
 from: 1951 till: 1955 color:Conservative text:"Anthony Eden"
bar:Halifax
 from: 1938 till: 1940 color:Conservative text:"Edward Wood
bar:Bevin
 from: 1945 till: 1951 color:Labour       text:"Ernest Bevin
bar:Morrison 
 from: 1951 till: 1951 color:Labour       text:"Herbert Morrison"
bar:Macmillan
 from: 1955 till: 1955 color:Conservative text:"Harold Macmillan"
bar:Lloyd
 from: 1955 till: 1960 color:Conservative text:"Selwyn Lloyd"
bar:Douglas-Home
 from: 1960 till: 1963 color:Conservative
 from: 1970 till: 1974 color:Conservative text:"Alec Douglas-Home"
bar:RAB
 from: 1963 till: 1964 color:Conservative text:"Rab Butler"
bar:Gordon-Walker
 from: 1964 till: 1965 color:Labour       text:"Patrick Gordon Walker"
bar:Stewart 
 from: 1965 till: 1966 color:Labour
 from: 1968 till: 1970 color:Labour       text:"Michael Stewart"
bar:Brown
 from: 1966 till: 1968 color:Labour       text:"George Brown"
bar:Callaghan
 from: 1974 till: 1976 color:Labour       text:"James Callaghan"
bar:Crosland
 from: 1976 till: 1977 color:Labour       text:"Anthony Crosland"
bar:Owen
 from: 1977 till: 1979 color:Labour       text:"David Owen"
bar:Carrington
 from: 1979 till: 1982 color:Conservative text:"Peter Carington"
bar:Pym
 from: 1982 till: 1983 color:Conservative text:"Francis Pym"
bar:Howe
 from: 1983 till: 1989 color:Conservative text:"Geoffrey Howe"
bar:Major
 from: 1989 till: 1989 color:Conservative text:"John Major"
bar:Hurd
 from: 1989 till: 1995 color:Conservative text:"Douglas Hurd"
bar:Rifkind
 from: 1995 till: 1997 color:Conservative text:"Malcolm Rifkind"
bar:Cook
 from: 1997 till: 2001 color:Labour       text:"Robin Cook"
bar:Straw
 from: 2001 till: 2006 color:Labour       text:"Jack Straw"
bar:Backett
 from: 2006 till: 2007 color:Labour       text:"Margaret Beckett"
bar:Milliband
 from: 2007 till: 2010 color:Labour       text:"David Miliband"
bar:Hague
 from: 2010 till: 2014 color:Conservative text:"William Hague"
bar:Hammond
 from: 2014 till: 2016 color:Conservative text:"Philip Hammond"
bar:Johnson
 from: 2016 till: 2018 color:Conservative text:"Boris Johnson"
bar:Hunt
 from: 2018 till: 2019 color:Conservative text:"Jeremy Hunt"
bar:Raab
 from: 2019 till: 2021 color:Conservative text:"Dominic Raab"
bar:Truss
 from: 2021 till: 2022 color:Conservative text:"Liz Truss"
bar:Cleverly
 from: 2022 till: 2023 color:Conservative text:"James Cleverly"
bar:Cameron
 from: 2023 till: 2024 color:Conservative text:"David Cameron"
bar:Lammy
from: 2024 till: $now color:Labour text:"David Lammy"

</timeline>

See also

• Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
• Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
• Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs
• Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
• Secretary of State for the Colonies
• Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
• Ministry of foreign affairs
• Great Offices of State

Further reading

• Cecil, Algernon. British foreign secretaries, 1807–1916: studies in personality and policy (1927). pp. 89–130. online
• Goodman, Sam. The Imperial Premiership: The Role of the Modern Prime Minister in Foreign Policy Making, 1964–2015 (Oxford UP, 2016).
• Hughes, Michael. British Foreign Secretaries in an Uncertain World, 1919–1939. (Routledge, 2004).
• Johnson, Gaynor. "Introduction: The Foreign Office and British Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century", Contemporary British History, (2004) 18:3, 1–12, {{#invoke:doi|main}}
• Neilson, Keith, and Thomas G. Otte. The permanent under-secretary for foreign affairs, 1854–1946 (Routledge, 2008).
• Otte, Thomas G. The Foreign Office Mind: The Making of British Foreign Policy, 1865–1914 (Cambridge UP, 2011).

• Seldon, Anthony. The Impossible Office? The History of the British Prime Minister (2021) excerpt major scholarly history. Covers the relations with Prime Minister in Chapter 8.

• Steiner, Zara. The Foreign Office and Foreign Policy, 1898–1914 (1986).
• Temperley, Harold. "British Secret Diplomacy from Canning to Grey." Cambridge Historical Journal 6.1 (1938): 1–32.
• Theakston, Kevin, ed. British foreign secretaries since 1974 (Routledge, 2004).
• Wilson, Keith M., ed. British foreign secretaries and foreign policy: from Crimean War to First World War (1987).

External links

• FCDO website