Editing First Secretary of State (section)

== Constitutional position ==
Like the [[Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|deputy prime minister]], the first secretary enjoys no right of automatic succession to the office of [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Norton|first=Philip|title=Governing Britain: Parliament, Ministers and Our Ambiguous Constitution|publisher=[[Manchester University Press]]|year=2020|isbn=9-781526-145451|pages=152}}</ref> However, when Prime Minister [[Boris Johnson]] was moved to an [[intensive care unit]] on 6 April 2020, after contracting [[COVID-19]], First Secretary Dominic Raab was asked "to deputise for him where necessary."<ref>{{Cite web|date=6 April 2020|title=Statement from Downing Street: 6 April 2020|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-from-downing-street-6-april-2020|access-date=3 June 2021|website=[[gov.uk]]|language=}}</ref>

The office temporarily enjoyed some greater constitutional footing between when it was incorporated as a [[corporation sole]] in 2002<ref>[https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/2626/article/3/made The Transfer of Functions (Transport, Local Government and the Regions) Order 2002], art 3(1).</ref> and having all of its remaining functions transferred in 2008.<ref>[https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/1034/made The Transfer of Functions (Miscellaneous) Order 2008], art 7</ref> During most of this time, [[John Prescott]] was First Secretary.