Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:More citations needed Template:Infobox official post Template:PoliticsUK The secretary of state for work and pensions, also referred to as the work and pensions secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the business of the Department for Work and Pensions.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.

The office holder works alongside the other work and pensions ministers. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for work and pensions. The performance of the secretary of state is also scrutinised by the Work and Pensions Select Committee.

The office is currently held by Liz Kendall.

Responsibilities

Corresponding to what is generally known as a labour minister in many other countries, the work and pensions secretary's remit includes:

• Support people of working age
• Oversight of employers and pensions
• Fiscal Consolidation
• Providing support for disability
• Support for families and children<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

History

It was created on 8 June 2001 by the merger of the employment division of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security.<ref name="DWP Century">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Ministry of Pensions was created in 1916 to handle the payment of war pensions to former members of the Armed Forces and their dependants. In 1944 a separate Ministry of National Insurance (titled the Ministry of Social Insurance until 17 November 1944) was formed; the two merged in 1953 as the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance.<ref name="DWP Century" /> In 1966 the Ministry was renamed the Ministry of Social Security, but this was short-lived, as the ministry merged with the Ministry of Health in 1968 to form the Department of Health and Social Security. Confusingly, the secretary of state responsible for this department was titled the Secretary of State for Social Services. The department was de-merged in 1988, creating the separate Department of Health and Department of Social Security.

List of ministers and secretaries of state

Colour key (for political parties):
Template:Legend2 / Template:Legend2 / Template:Legend2 / Template:Legend2 / Template:Legend2

Minister of Pensions (1916–1953)

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

Minister			Term of office		Political party	Cabinet
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:George Nicoll Barnes.png	George Nicoll Barnes	10 December 1916	17 August 1917	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	rowspan="4" Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Lloyd George
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:John Hodge.JPG	John Hodge	17 August 1917	10 January 1919	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Worthington-Evans MP.jpg	Laming Worthington-Evans	10 January 1919	2 April 1920	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Ian Macpherson.jpg	Ian Macpherson	2 April 1920	19 October 1922	Template:Party shading/Liberal (UK) | Liberal
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Lord Tyron.jpg	George Tryon	31 October 1922	22 January 1924	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Law
Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Baldwin I
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Frederick Owen Rogers.png	Frederick Roberts	23 January 1924	3 November 1924	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour |MacDonald I
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Lord Tyron.jpg	George Tryon	11 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:Frederick Owen Rogers.png	Frederick Roberts	7 June 1929	24 August 1931	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour |MacDonald II
rowspan="2" style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Lord Tyron.jpg	George Tryon	3 September 1931	18 June 1935	rowspan="2" Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | National I
Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | National II
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Viscount Hudson.jpg	Robert Hudson	18 June 1935	30 July 1936	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	rowspan="2" Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | National III
rowspan="2" style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Herwald Ramsbotham, 1st Viscount Soulbury.jpg	Herwald Ramsbotham	30 July 1936	7 June 1939	rowspan="2" Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | National IV
rowspan="3" style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Sir Walter Womersley.jpg	Walter Womersley	7 June 1939	26 July 1945	rowspan="3" Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Chamberlain War
Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Churchill War
Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Churchill Caretaker
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Wilfred Paling.jpg	Wilfred Paling	3 August 1945	17 April 1947	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	rowspan="5" Template:Party shading/Labour |Attlee
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |		John Burns Hynd	17 April 1947	7 October 1947	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:George Buchanan.jpg	George Buchanan	7 October 1947	2 July 1948	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Hilary Marquand.png	Hilary Marquand	2 July 1948	17 January 1951	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.png	George Isaacs	17 January 1951	26 October 1951	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Derick Heathcoat-Amory.png	Derick Heathcoat-Amory	5 November 1951	3 September 1953	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Churchill III

Minister of Social Insurance/National Insurance (1944–1953)

Minister			Term of office		Political party	Cabinet
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:William Jowitt.png	William Jowitt	8 October 1944	23 May 1945	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Churchill War
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.png	Leslie Hore-Belisha	25 May 1945	26 July 1945	National Independent	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Churchill Caretaker
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.png	Jim Griffiths	4 August 1945	28 February 1950	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	rowspan="2" Template:Party shading/Labour |Attlee
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.png	Edith Summerskill	28 February 1950	26 October 1951	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.png	Osbert Peake	31 October 1951	3 September 1953	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Churchill III
Posts of Minister of Pensions and Minister of National Insurance merged in 1953.

Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1953–1966)

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

Minister			Term of office		Political party	Cabinet
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.png	Osbert Peake	3 September 1953	20 December 1955	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Churchill III
rowspan="2" Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Eden
rowspan="3" style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.png	John Boyd-Carpenter	20 December 1955	16 July 1962	rowspan="3" Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Macmillan I
rowspan="2" Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Macmillan II
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.png	Niall Macpherson	16 July 1962	21 October 1963	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.png	Richard Wood	21 October 1963	16 October 1964	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Douglas-Home
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |		Margaret Herbison	18 October 1964	6 August 1966	Template:Party shading/Labour |Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour |Wilson I

Template:AnchorMinister of Social Security (1966–1968)

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

Minister			Term of office		Political party	Cabinet
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |		Margaret Herbison	6 August 1966	26 July 1967	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	rowspan="2" Template:Party shading/Labour |Wilson II
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.png	Judith Hart	26 July 1967	1 November 1968	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour

Secretary of State for Social Services (1968–1988)

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

Secretary of State			Term of office		Political party	Cabinet
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Crossland MP.jpg	Richard Crossman	1 November 1968	19 June 1970	Template:Party shading/Labour |Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour |Wilson II
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |		Keith Joseph	20 June 1970	4 March 1974	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Heath
rowspan="2" style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Barbara Castle, 1965 (cropped).jpg	Barbara Castle	5 March 1974	8 April 1976	rowspan="2" Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour |Wilson III
Template:Party shading/Labour |Wilson IV
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:David Ennals.jpg	David Ennals	8 April 1976	4 May 1979	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour |Callaghan
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |		Patrick Jenkin<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	5 May 1979	13 September 1981	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Thatcher I
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Lord Fowler crop 2.jpg	Norman Fowler<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	14 September 1981	13 June 1987	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Thatcher II
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Mr John Moore M.P. addressing the Annual LSE Society Dinner, 5th June, 1985.jpg	John Moore<ref name="Moore">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	13 June 1987	24 July 1988	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Thatcher III
Post split into the Secretary of State for Social Security and the Secretary of State for Health in 1988.

Secretary of State for Social Security (1988–2001)

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

Secretary of State			Term of office		Political party	Cabinet
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Mr John Moore M.P. addressing the Annual LSE Society Dinner, 5th June, 1985.jpg	John Moore<ref name="Moore" />	25 July 1988	22 July 1989	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	rowspan="2" Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Thatcher III
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Tony Newton 1995.png	Tony Newton<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	23 July 1989	9 April 1992	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Major I
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Lord Lilley, 2022.jpg	Peter Lilley<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	10 April 1992	1 May 1997	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Major II
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP crop 2.jpg	Harriet Harman<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1 May 1997	27 July 1998	Template:Party shading/Labour |Labour	rowspan="2" Template:Party shading/Labour |Blair I
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:AlistairDarlingABr cropped.jpg	Alistair Darling<ref name="Darling">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	27 July 1998	8 June 2001	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2001–present)

Secretary of State			Term of office		Political party	Cabinet
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:AlistairDarlingABr cropped.jpg	Alistair Darling<ref name="Darling"/>	8 June 2001	29 May 2002	Template:Party shading/Labour |Labour	rowspan="3" Template:Party shading/Labour |Blair II
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Andrew Smith MP 20050127.jpg	Andrew Smith<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	29 May 2002	8 September 2004	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Alan Johnson MP.jpg	Alan Johnson<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	8 September 2004	6 May 2005	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official Portrait of Lord Blunkett crop 1.jpg	David Blunkett<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	6 May 2005	2 November 2005	LaboTemplate:Party shading/Labour | Labour	rowspan="2" Template:Party shading/Labour |Blair III
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Msc 2009-Sunday, 11.00 - 12.30 Uhr-Zwez 005 Hutton detail.jpg	John Hutton<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2 November 2005	28 June 2007	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Lord Hain crop 2, 2019.jpg	Peter Hain<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	28 June 2007	24 January 2008	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	rowspan="3" Template:Party shading/Labour |Brown
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:James Purnell Ministerial portrait.jpg	James Purnell<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Small	24 January 2008	5 June 2009	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP crop 2.jpg	Yvette Cooper<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Small	6 June 2009	6 May 2010	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP crop 2.jpg	Iain Duncan Smith<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Small	12 May 2010	18 March 2016	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Coalition (UK) | Cameron-Clegg
Duncan Smith's tenure			rowspan="2" Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Cameron II
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Stephen Crabb MP crop 2.jpg	Stephen Crabb<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Small	19 March 2016	14 July 2016	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Damian Green MP crop 2.jpg	Damian Green<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Small	14 July 2016	11 June 2017	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |May I
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Mr David Gauke crop 2.jpg	David Gauke<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Small	11 June 2017	8 January 2018	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	rowspan="3" Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |May II
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Esther McVey crop 2.jpg	Esther McVey<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Small	8 January 2018	15 November 2018	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Amber Rudd crop 2.jpg	Amber Rudd<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Small	16 November 2018	7 September 2019	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
rowspan="2" Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Johnson I
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Dr Thérèse Coffey crop 2.jpg	Thérèse Coffey<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Small	8 September 2019	6 September 2022	rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative
Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Johnson II
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Chloe Smith MP crop 2.jpg	Chloe Smith<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Small	6 September 2022	25 October 2022	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Truss
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Mel Stride MP crop 2.jpg	Mel Stride Template:Small	25 October 2022	5 July 2024	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) | Conservative	Template:Party shading/Conservative (UK) |Sunak
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Liz Kendall Official Cabinet Portrait, July 2024 (cropped) 2.jpg	Liz Kendall Template:Small	5 July 2024	Incumbent	Template:Party shading/Labour | Labour	Template:Party shading/Labour |Starmer

* Incumbent's length of term last updated: Template:Date.

Timeline

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bar:Hodge
 from: 17/08/1917 till: 10/01/1919 color:Labour       text:"John Hodge"
bar:Worthington-Evans
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bar:Tryon
 from: 31/10/1922 till: 22/01/1924 color:Conservative
 from: 11/11/1924 till: 04/06/1929 color:Conservative
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bar:Marquand 
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bar:Isaacs
 from: 17/01/1951 till: 26/10/1951 color:Labour       text:"George Isaacs"
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bar:Hart
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bar:Crossman
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bar:Joseph
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bar:Castle
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 from: 02/11/2005 till: 28/06/2007 color:Labour       text:"John Hutton"
bar:Hain
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bar:Purnell
 from: 24/01/2008 till: 05/06/2009 color:Labour       text:"James Purnell"
bar:Cooper
 from: 06/06/2009 till: 06/05/2010 color:Labour       text:"Yvette Cooper"
bar:Duncan_Smith
 from: 06/05/2010 till: 18/03/2016 color:Conservative text:"Iain Duncan Smith"
bar:Crabb
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 from: 11/06/2017 till: 08/01/2018 color:Conservative text:"David Gauke"
bar:McVey
 from: 08/01/2018 till: 15/11/2018 color:Conservative text:"Esther McVey"
bar:Rudd 
 from: 16/11/2018 till: 07/09/2019 color:Conservative text:"Amber Rudd"
bar:Coffey
 from: 08/09/2019 till: 06/09/2022 color:Conservative text:"Thérèse Coffey"
bar:CSmith
 from: 06/09/2022 till: 25/10/2022 color:Conservative text:"Chloe Smith"
bar:Stride
 from: 25/10/2022 till: 05/07/2024 color:Conservative text:"Mel Stride"
bar:Kendall
 from: 05/07/2024 till: $today     color:Labour text:"Liz Kendall"

</timeline>

See also

• Secretary of State for Employment
• Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pensions and Financial Inclusion