Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
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The secretary of state for Northern Ireland (Template:Langx; Template:Langx),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> also referred to as Northern Ireland Secretary or SoSNI, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the Northern Ireland Office.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The officeholder is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The incumbent secretary of state for Northern Ireland is Hilary Benn.
The officeholder works alongside the other Northern Ireland Office ministers. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland.
HistoryEdit
Historically, the principal ministers for Irish (and subsequently Northern Ireland) affairs in the UK Government and its predecessors were:
- the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (Template:Circa 1171–1922);
- the Chief Secretary for Ireland (1560–1922); and
- the Home Secretary (1922–1972).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In August 1969, for example, Home Secretary James Callaghan approved the sending of British Army soldiers to Northern Ireland.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Scotland and Wales were represented by the roles of Secretary of State for Scotland and Secretary of State for Wales from 1885 and 1964 respectively, but Northern Ireland remained separate, owing to the devolved Government of Northern Ireland and Parliament of Northern Ireland.
The office of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland was created after the Northern Ireland government (at Stormont) was first suspended and then abolished following widespread civil strife. The British government was increasingly concerned that Stormont was losing control of the situation. On 30 March 1972, direct rule from Westminster was introduced.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The secretary of state filled three roles which existed under the previous Stormont regime:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- the governor of Northern Ireland (the nominal head of the executive and representative of the British monarch)
- the prime minister of Northern Ireland (in the present day, a role filled by the first minister of Northern Ireland and deputy first minister of Northern Ireland acting jointly)
- the minister of home affairs (in the present day, a role filled by the minister of justice).
Direct rule was seen as a temporary measure, with a power-sharing devolution preferred as the solution, and was annually renewed by a vote in Parliament.
The Sunningdale Agreement in 1973 resulted in the brief existence of a power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive from 1 January 1974, which was ended by the loyalist Ulster Workers' Council strike on 28 May 1974. The strikers opposed the power-sharing and all-Ireland aspects of the new administration.
The Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention (1975–1976) and Northern Ireland Assembly (1982–1986) were unsuccessful in restoring devolved government. After the Anglo-Irish Agreement on 15 November 1985, the UK Government and Irish Government co-operated more closely on security and political matters.
Following the Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement) on 10 April 1998, devolution returned to Northern Ireland on 2 December 1999. This removed many of the duties of the secretary of state and his Northern Ireland Office colleagues and devolved them to those locally elected politicians who constitute the Northern Ireland Executive.
Formerly holding a large portfolio over home affairs in Northern Ireland, the current devolution settlement has lessened the secretary of state's role, granting many of the former powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive. The secretary of state is now generally limited to representing Northern Ireland in the UK cabinet, overseeing the operation of the devolved administration and a number of reserved and excepted matters which remain the sole competence of the UK Government e.g. security, human rights, certain public inquiries and the administration of elections.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Created in 1972, the position has switched between members of Parliament from the Conservative Party and Labour Party. As Labour has not fielded candidates in Northern Ireland, and the Conservatives have not had candidates elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly or for House of Commons seats in the region, those appointed as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland have not represented a constituency in Northern Ireland. This contrasts with the secretaries of state for Scotland and Wales.
The secretary of state officially resides in Hillsborough Castle, which was previously the official residence of the governor of Northern Ireland, and remains the royal residence of the monarch in Northern Ireland. The secretary of state exercises their duties through, and is administratively supported by, the Northern Ireland Office (NIO).
The devolved administration was suspended several times (especially between 15 October 2002 and 8 May 2007) because the Ulster Unionist Party and Democratic Unionist Party were uncomfortable being in government with Sinn Féin when the Provisional Irish Republican Army had failed to decommission its arms fully and continued its criminal activities. On each of these occasions, the responsibilities of the ministers in the Executive then returned to the secretary of state and his ministers. During these periods, in addition to administration of the region, the secretary of state was also heavily involved in the negotiations with all parties to restore devolved government.
Power was again devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 8 May 2007. The secretary of state retained responsibility for policing and justice until most of those powers were devolved on 12 April 2010.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Robert Hazell has suggested merging the offices of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, for Scotland and for Wales into one secretary of state for the Union,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in a department into which Rodney Brazier has suggested adding a minister of state for England with responsibility for English local government.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
List of secretaries of state for Northern IrelandEdit
Colour key
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TimelineEdit
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width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till bar:Whitelaw from: 24/03/1972 till: 02/12/1973 color:Conservative text:"William Whitelaw" bar:Pym from: 02/12/1973 till: 04/03/1974 color:Conservative text:"Francis Pym" bar:Rees from: 05/03/1974 till: 10/09/1976 color:Labour text:"Merlyn Rees" bar:Mason from: 10/09/1976 till: 04/07/1979 color:Labour text:"Roy Mason" bar:Atkins from: 05/05/1979 till: 14/09/1981 color:Conservative text:"Humphrey Atkins" bar:Prior from: 14/09/1981 till: 11/09/1984 color:Conservative text:"Jim Prior" bar:Hurd from: 11/09/1984 till: 03/09/1985 color:Conservative text:"Douglas Hurd" bar:King from: 03/09/1985 till: 24/07/1989 color:Conservative text:"Tom King" bar:Brooke from: 24/07/1989 till: 10/04/1992 color:Conservative text:"Peter Brooke" bar:Mayhew from: 10/04/1992 till: 02/05/1997 color:Conservative text:"Patrick Mayhew" bar:Mowlam from: 03/05/1997 till: 11/10/1999 color:Labour text:"Mo Mowlam" bar:Mandelson from: 11/10/1999 till: 24/01/2001 color:Labour text:"Peter Mandelson" bar:Reid from: 25/01/2001 till: 24/10/2002 color:Labour text:"John Reid" bar:Murphy from: 24/10/2002 till: 06/05/2005 color:Labour text:"Paul Murphy" bar:Hain from: 06/05/2005 till: 28/06/2007 color:Labour text:"Peter Hain" bar:Woodward from: 28/06/2007 till: 11/05/2010 color:Labour text:"Shaun Woodward" bar:Paterson from: 12/05/2010 till: 04/09/2012 color:Conservative text:"Owen Paterson" bar:Villiers from: 04/09/2012 till: 14/07/2016 color:Conservative text:"Theresa Villiers" bar:Brokenshire from: 14/07/2016 till: 08/01/2018 color:Conservative text:"James Brokenshire" bar:Bradley from: 08/01/2018 till: 24/07/2019 color:Conservative text:"Karen Bradley" bar:Smith from: 24/07/2019 till: 13/02/2020 color:Conservative text:"Julian Smith" bar:Lewis from: 13/02/2020 till: 07/07/2022 color:Conservative text:"Brandon Lewis" bar:Vara from: 07/07/2022 till: 06/09/2022 color:Conservative text:"Shailesh Vara" bar:Heaton-Harris from: 06/09/2022 till: 04/07/2024 color:Conservative text:"Chris Heaton-Harris" bar:Benn from: 05/07/2024 till: $today color:Labour text:"Hilary Benn"
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See alsoEdit
- First Minister of Northern Ireland
- Great Seal of Northern Ireland
- Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
- Secretary of State (United Kingdom)
- Secretary of State for Scotland
- Secretary of State for Wales
- Chief Secretary for Ireland, office that existed until 1922
- Governor of Northern Ireland, office that existed from 1922 to 1973
NotesEdit
Template:Northern Ireland Office Template:Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland Template:Cabinet positions in the United Kingdom