| Post: | Secretary |
| Body: | State for Exiting the European Union |
| Insignia: | Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg |
| Insigniacaption: | Royal Arms of Her Majesty's Government |
| Last: | Steve Barclay |
| Department: | Department for Exiting the European Union |
| Style: | Brexit Secretary The Right Honourable |
| Member Of: | Cabinet |
| Reports To: | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
| Seat: | Westminster, London |
| Appointer: | The Monarch |
| Appointer Qualified: | on advice of the Prime Minister |
| Termlength: | At Her Majesty's pleasure |
| First: | David Davis |
| Formation: | 13 July 2016 |
| Abolished: | 31 January 2020 |
The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union or, informally, Brexit Secretary,[1] was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the business of the Department for Exiting the European Union, as well as for the UK's withdrawal from the European Union (EU), informally referred to as "Brexit". The secretary of state oversaw Brexit negotiations following a 2016 referendum, in which a majority of those who voted were in favour of exiting the EU.[2] [3] The officeholder was a member of the Cabinet.
The position was created on 13 July 2016, at the outset of the premiership of Theresa May.[4] The office was abolished on 31 January 2020, during the premiership of Boris Johnson, as the United Kingdom left the European Union.[5] A new cabinet position of Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency was later created.[6]
The Minister of State for Exiting the European Union deputised for the secretary of state. The corresponding shadow minister was the Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union. The secretary of state was also scrutinised by the Exiting the European Union Select Committee.[7]
This page also includes the portfolios of the Chief Negotiator for Exiting the European Union and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union.
May reportedly ordered civil servants to find a building to house a new Department for Exiting the European Union, to be headed by the secretary of state.[8] The headquarters of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) at Whitehall Place, which was to be vacated once the DECC was merged into the newly created Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, was viewed as a potential site for the department.[3] The department later occupied 9 Downing Street.
The inaugural holder was David Davis MP, a longtime Eurosceptic who campaigned for the UK to leave the EU.[9] Davis is a former chairman of the Conservative Party who served in the government of John Major as Minister of State for Europe (1994–97) and in the Shadow Cabinet of David Cameron as shadow home secretary.[10]
Davis resigned on 8 July 2018 shortly before midnight; Dominic Raab was appointed on 9 July as his replacement and resigned on 15 November 2018.[11] Steve Barclay, who had been serving as Minister of State for Health, was selected as Raab's successor on 16 November 2018.[12]
Colour key (for political parties):
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Length of term | Party | Prime Minister | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Davis MP for Haltemprice and Howden | 13 July 2016 | 8 July 2018 | Conservative | Theresa May | [13] | ||||
| Dominic Raab MP for Esher and Walton | 9 July 2018 | 15 November 2018 | [14] | ||||||
| Steve Barclay MP for North East Cambridgeshire | 16 November 2018 | 31 January 2020 | |||||||
| Boris Johnson | |||||||||
Colour key (for political parties):
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Length of term | Party | Prime Minister | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Davis MP for Haltemprice and Howden | 13 July 2016 | 18 September 2017 | Conservative | Theresa May | ||||
| Olly Robbins Prime Minister's Europe Adviser | 18 September 2017 | 24 July 2019 | Civil service | |||||
| David Frost Prime Minister's Europe Adviser | 29 July 2019 | 31 January 2020 | Boris Johnson | |||||
See main article: Minister of State for Exiting the European Union.
Colour key (for political parties):
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Length of term | Party | Prime Minister | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Lord Bridges of Headley | 13 July 2016 | 12 June 2017 | Conservative | Theresa May | ||||
| Steve Baker MP for Wycombe | 13 June 2017 | 9 July 2018 | ||||||
| Chris Heaton-Harris MP for Daventry | 9 July 2018 | 3 April 2019 | ||||||
| James Cleverly MP for Braintree | 4 April 2019 | 24 July 2019 | ||||||
| Suella Braverman MP for Fareham | 9 January 2018 | 15 November 2018 | ||||||
| Kwasi Kwarteng MP for Spelthorne | 16 November 2018 | 24 July 2019 | ||||||
| Robin Walker MP for Worcester | 17 July 2016 | 26 July 2019 | ||||||
| James Duddridge MP for Rochford and Southend East | 27 July 2019 | 31 January 2020 | Boris Johnson | |||||