Secretary of State for Work and Pensions explained

Post:
Secretary of State
for Work and Pensions
Insignia:Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government) (2022).svg
Insigniacaption:Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
Department:Department for Work and Pensions
Incumbent:Liz Kendall
Incumbentsince:5 July 2024
Style:Work and Pensions Secretary

The Right Honourable
Type:Minister of the Crown
Status:Secretary of State
Reports To:The Prime Minister
Seat:Westminster
Nominator:The Prime Minister
Appointer:The Monarch
Termlength:At His Majesty's Pleasure
Formation:
  • 10 December 1916:
  • 8 June 2001:
Salary:£159,038 per annum [1]
(including £86,584 MP salary)[2]
Deputy:Minister of State for Employment
First:George Barnes

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.[3] 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 and the shadow secretary of state for the future of work. 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:

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.[5]

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. 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):
/ / / /

Minister of Pensions (1916–1953)

MinisterTerm of officePolitical partyCabinet
George Nicoll Barnes10 December 191617 August 1917LabourLloyd George
John Hodge17 August 191710 January 1919Labour
Laming Worthington-Evans10 January 19192 April 1920Conservative
Ian Macpherson2 April 192019 October 1922Liberal
George Tryon31 October 192222 January 1924ConservativeLaw
Baldwin I
Frederick Roberts23 January 19243 November 1924LabourMacDonald I
George Tryon11 November 19244 June 1929ConservativeBaldwin II
Frederick Roberts7 June 192924 August 1931LabourMacDonald II
George Tryon3 September 193118 June 1935ConservativeNational I
National II
Robert Hudson18 June 193530 July 1936ConservativeNational III
Herwald Ramsbotham30 July 19367 June 1939Conservative
National IV
Walter Womersley7 June 193926 July 1945ConservativeChamberlain War
Churchill War
Churchill Caretaker
Wilfred Paling3 August 194517 April 1947LabourAttlee
John Burns Hynd17 April 19477 October 1947Labour
George Buchanan7 October 19472 July 1948Labour
Hilary Marquand2 July 194817 January 1951Labour
George Isaacs17 January 195126 October 1951Labour
Derick Heathcoat-Amory5 November 19513 September 1953ConservativeChurchill III

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

MinisterTerm of officePolitical partyCabinet
William Jowitt8 October 194423 May 1945LabourChurchill War
Leslie Hore-Belisha25 May 194526 July 1945National IndependentChurchill Caretaker
Jim Griffiths4 August 194528 February 1950LabourAttlee
Edith Summerskill28 February 195026 October 1951Labour
Osbert Peake31 October 19513 September 1953ConservativeChurchill III
Posts of Minister of Pensions and Minister of National Insurance merged in 1953.

Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1953–1966)

MinisterTerm of officePolitical partyCabinet
Osbert Peake3 September 195320 December 1955ConservativeChurchill III
Eden
John Boyd-Carpenter20 December 195516 July 1962Conservative
Macmillan I
Macmillan II
Niall Macpherson16 July 196221 October 1963Conservative
Richard Wood21 October 196316 October 1964ConservativeDouglas-Home
Margaret Herbison18 October 19646 August 1966LabourWilson I

Minister of Social Security (1966–1968)

MinisterTerm of officePolitical partyCabinet
Margaret Herbison6 August 196626 July 1967LabourWilson II
Judith Hart26 July 19671 November 1968Labour

Secretary of State for Social Services (1968–1988)

See main article: Secretary of State for Social Services.

Secretary of StateTerm of officePolitical partyCabinet
Richard Crossman1 November 196819 June 1970LabourWilson II
Keith Joseph20 June 19704 March 1974ConservativeHeath
Barbara Castle5 March 19748 April 1976LabourWilson III
Wilson IV
David Ennals8 April 19764 May 1979LabourCallaghan
Patrick Jenkin[6] 5 May 197913 September 1981ConservativeThatcher I
Norman Fowler[7] 14 September 198113 June 1987ConservativeThatcher II
John Moore[8] 13 June 198724 July 1988ConservativeThatcher 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)

Secretary of StateTerm of officePolitical partyCabinet
John Moore25 July 198822 July 1989ConservativeThatcher III
Tony Newton[9] 23 July 19899 April 1992Conservative
Major I
Peter Lilley[10] 10 April 19921 May 1997ConservativeMajor II
Harriet Harman[11] 1 May 199727 July 1998LabourBlair I
Alistair Darling[12] 27 July 19988 June 2001Labour

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

Secretary of StateTerm of officePolitical partyCabinet
Alistair Darling8 June 200129 May 2002LabourBlair II
Andrew Smith[13] 29 May 20028 September 2004Labour
Alan Johnson[14] 8 September 20046 May 2005Labour
David Blunkett[15] 6 May 20052 November 2005Labo LaboururBlair III
John Hutton[16] 2 November 200528 June 2007Labour
Peter Hain[17] 28 June 200724 January 2008LabourBrown
James Purnell[18]
24 January 20085 June 2009Labour
Yvette Cooper[19]
6 June 20096 May 2010Labour
Iain Duncan Smith[20]
12 May 201018 March 2016ConservativeCameron-Clegg
Duncan Smith's tenureCameron II
Stephen Crabb[21]
19 March 201614 July 2016Conservative
Damian Green[22]
14 July 201611 June 2017ConservativeMay I
David Gauke[23]
11 June 20178 January 2018ConservativeMay II
Esther McVey[24]
8 January 201815 November 2018Conservative
Amber Rudd[25]
16 November 20187 September 2019Conservative
Johnson I
Thérèse Coffey[26]
8 September 20196 September 2022Conservative
Johnson II
Chloe Smith[27]
6 September 202225 October 2022ConservativeTruss
Mel Stride
25 October 20225 July 2024ConservativeSunak
Liz Kendall
5 July 2024IncumbentLabourStarmer

* Incumbent's length of term last updated: .

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23 . 15 December 2022.
  2. Web site: Pay and expenses for MPs . 15 December 2022 . parliament.uk.
  3. Web site: Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. 30 June 2021. gov.uk.
  4. Web site: Secretary of State for Work and Pensions - GOV.UK.
  5. Web site: Department for Work and Pensions . A century of support: Department for Work and Pensions turns 100 years old . Department for Work and Pensions . 29 May 2019.
  6. Web site: Lord Jenkin of Roding . UK Parliament . 10 September 2021.
  7. Web site: Lord Fowler . UK Parliament . 10 September 2021.
  8. Web site: Lord Moore of Lower Marsh . UK Parliament . 10 September 2021.
  9. Web site: Lord Newton of Braintree . UK Parliament . 10 September 2021.
  10. Web site: Lord Lilley . UK Parliament . 10 September 2021.
  11. Web site: Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP . UK Parliament . 10 September 2021.
  12. Web site: Lord Darling of Roulanish . UK Parliament . 10 September 2021.
  13. Web site: Rt Hon Andrew Smith . UK Parliament . 10 September 2021.
  14. Web site: Rt Hon Alan Johnson . UK Parliament . 10 September 2021.
  15. Web site: Lord Blunkett . UK Parliament . 10 September 2021.
  16. Web site: Lord Hutton of Furness . UK Parliament . 10 September 2021.
  17. Web site: Lord Hain . UK Parliament . 31 August 2021.
  18. Web site: James Purnell . UK Parliament . 31 August 2021.
  19. Web site: Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP . UK Parliament . 31 August 2021.
  20. Web site: Rt Hon Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP . UK Parliament . 31 August 2021.
  21. Web site: Rt Hon Stephen Crabb MP . UK Parliament . 31 August 2021.
  22. Web site: Rt Hon Damian Green MP . UK Parliament . 31 August 2021.
  23. Web site: Rt Hon David Gauke . UK Parliament . 31 August 2021.
  24. Web site: Rt Hon Esther McVey MP . UK Parliament . 31 August 2021.
  25. Web site: Rt Hon Amber Rudd . UK Parliament . 31 August 2021.
  26. Web site: Rt Hon Dr Thérèse Coffey MP . UK Parliament . 31 August 2021.
  27. Web site: Chloe Smith MP . 6 September 2022.

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