Cabinet Members and other high officials are members of the Privy
Council of the Queen for life and thereafter styled (The) Rt. Hon. For the rest
of the government see United Kingdoms Ministers
1929-31 Minister of Employment Rt. Hon. Margaret Bondsfield
She was Chairperson of the Trade Union Conference 1923, MP 1923-31. 1924
Junior Minister of
Labour. She lived
(1873-1953)
1945-47(†) Minister of Education Rt. Hon. Ellen Cicely Wilkinson
Junior Minister of Pensions 1940 and 1940-45
Junior Minister of Home Security,
Chairperson of Labour 1945. She lived (1891-1947)
1953-54 Minister of Education Rt. Hon. Florence Horsburgh
Junior Minister of Food 1939 and 1945, 1940-45
Junior Minister of Health
and 1951-54 Minister of Education outside the cabinet.
1964-65 Minister of Overseas Development
Rt. Hon. Barbara Castle
1965-68 Minister of Transport
1968-70 First Secretary of State, Secretary of State for Employment
and Productivity
1974-76 Secretary of State of Social Security and Health
The third ranking Minister in the Cabinet 1968-70. Vice-Chairperson
1957-58 and Chairperson of Labour 1958-59
and 1961 Leadership Candidate, Vice-President
of the Socialist Group of the European Parliament 1985-89, Created Baroness
Castle of Blackburn in 1989 and remained a very active member of the
House of Lords until her death. She lived (1910-2002).
1969-70 and 1977-79 Minister of Overseas Development Rt. Hon. Judith Hart
She was Junior Minister of
the Scottish Office 1964-66, 1966-67
Foreign Office Minister,
1967-67 Minister of Social Affairs, 1968-69 Paymaster General, 1974-75 Minister of Overseas Development
(Outside the Cabinet). She was Chairperson of Labour 1981-82 (Dame), Sometime Vice-President of
the General Assembly of The UN, 1987 created Baroness Hart of South
Lanark. She lived (1924-91)
1970-74 Secretary of State of Education
Margaret Thatcher
1975-79 Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition (The Rt. Hon.)
1979-90 Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister of
the Civil Service (5.5.79-28.11.90)
MP 1959-90, 1961-64 Junior Minister of Pensions and National Insurance 1974 Shadow Minister of Environment and
Housing, 1974-75,
Shadow Special Minister of Finance and Public Expenditure, 1975-90 Leader
of The Conservative Party,1990 Created Baroness Thatcher of Kestaven.
(b. 1925-)
1974-76 Secretary of State of Prize and Consumer’s Affairs Rt. Hon. Shirley
Williams
1976-79 Paymaster General and Secretary of State of Education (In Cabinet)
She was Junior Minister of Labour 1966-67, Junior
Minister of Technology
1967-68 and 1969-70 Home Office Minister, Shadow Home Secretary 1971-73, Labour Leadership-Candidate 1976, 1982-87
President of Social Democratic Party and afterwards a leading member of
the Liberal Democrats after the merger of SDP with the Liberal Party, 1993
created Baroness Williams of Crosby. (b. 1930- )
1981-83 Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal and Leader of The House
of Lords Rt. Hon The Baroness Young of Farnworth
Baroness-in-Waiting (Whip) 1972-73, Vice-Chairperson of the Conservative Party
1973-83 and 1973-74 Junior Minister of Environment,
1978-79 Baroness-in-Waiting, 1979-81 Education and Science
Minister, 1981 Minister in Charge of the Civil Service, 1981-83 Minister
in Management and Personnel Office, 1981-82 Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
and 1983-87 Foreign Office Minister.
From 1987 Director
in WestMinister’s National Bank, 1992 Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire.
Janet Young was created a Baroness in 1971. She lived (1926-2002)
1992-95 Secretary of State of Health
Rt. Hon. Virgina Bottomley
1995-97 Secretary of State of National Heritage (Cultural Affairs)
She was Conservative MP 1984-2005, Junior Minister of Environment 1985-86, Minister of Overseas Development 1986-87, Foreign Office
Minister 1987-88 and
1988 Junior Minister of Foreign and Commonwealth
Office, 1988-89 Environment Minister, 1989-92
Health Minister. She had posts in the Conservative Shadow
Cabinets 1997-99. Created Baroness Bottomley of
Surrey South in 2005. (b.1948-).
1992-93 Secretary of State of Employment
Rt. Hon. Gillian Shepard
1993-94 Secretary of Agriculture, Fisheries and Foods
1994-97 Secretary of State of Education
1995-97 Secretary of State of Employment
Economic Secretary to the Treasury 1988-89, Junior Minister
of Social Security 1989-90, Treasury Minister
1990-92 and member of the Conservative Shadow Cabinet 1997-99.
Created Baroness Shephard of South West
Norfolk in 2005. (b. 1940-).
1994 Acting Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition
The Rt. Hon Margaret Beckett
1997-98 President of the Board of Trade and Secretary of State for
Trade and Industry
1998-2001 President of the Council and Leader of The House of Commons,
Deputy Government Spokesperson and Minister in charge of the Millennium Bug
2001-06 Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
2006-07 Secretary of State of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
She was Assistant Government Whip 1975-76 and 1976-79 Junior
Minister of Education,
Deputy Leader of Labour 1992-94, Acting leader after the death of John Smith, and
she was a candidate for both the Leadership and the Deputy Leadership
of Labour. She had various Posts in the Labour Shadow Cabinets 1989-97.
(b. 1943-)
1997-99 Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Rt. Hon. Dr. Mo Mowlan
1999-2001 Minister in the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of
Lanchester
As Minister in the Cabinet Office she is "Cabinet Enforcer" and Coordinator
of the government policies. She lived (1949-2005 )
1997-98 President of the Council and Leader of
The House of Commons Rt. Hon. Ann Taylor
1998-2001 The
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
Labour MP 1974-2005, Assistant Government Whip 1977-79
and had a number of Shadow Cabinet posts,
As Leader of the House of Commons
her full title was Lord President of Her Majesty The Queen’s Privy Council.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of Defence (Minister for Defence
Equipment and Support) from 2007. She was created Baroness Taylor of
Bolton in 2005. (b. 1947-)
1997-2003 Secretary of State for of International Development
Rt. Hon.
Claire Short
Vice-Chairperson of Labour 1996-97. (b. 193?-)
1997-98 Secretary of State for Social Security and Minister for Women
Rt. Hon. Harriet Harman
2007- Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal, ecretary of State for Equalities, Minister for Women and Labour Party Chairperson
She had a number of Shadow Ministry posts before 1997, Solicitor General
2001-05, Constitutional Affairs Minister 2005-07 and Minister of State of Justice in 2007. Deputy Leader of Labour from 2007 (b. 1950- )
1998-2001 Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords and Minister
of Women The Rt. Hon. Baroness Jay of Paddington
National Health Service Minister 1997-98. Margaret Jay was created a Baroness in 1992. She is daughter of former
Prime Minister James Callaghan now Baron Callaghan of Cardiff (1912- ) Married
secondly to Professor M.W. Adler. (b. 1939-)
1999 Transport Minister Rt. Hon. Helen Liddell
2001-03 Secretary of State of Scotland
Scottish Labour Party Secretary General 1977-88 and 1997-98 Economic
Secretary to the Treasury, 1998-99 Deputy Scottish
Secretary and Minister of Education and Industry in Scotland and 1999-2001 Minister for Energy and Competitiveness
in Europe (b. 1950-)
2001-02 Secretary of State of Education and Skills Rt. Hon.
Estelle Morris
Labour MP 1992-2005, Opposition
Whip 1994-95, Schools
Minister 1997-98 and
Minister of School Standards
1998-2001 and Arts Minister 2003-05. Created
Baroness Morris of Birmingham Yardley in 2005. (b. 1960-).(b. 1960-)
2001-07 Secretary of State of Culture, Media and Sport Rt.
Hon. Tessa Jowell
2007- Minister for the Olympics and London and South East
(Attending Cabinet)
Labour Whip 1994-95, Public
Health Minister 1997-99, Minister of State of Women’s
Affairs 1998-2001 and Minister for the New
Deal 1999-2001. Minister for the Olympics since 2005 and Minister for Women
2005-06. (b. 1947-)
2001-05 Secretary of State of
Trade and Industry and
Minister for Women Rt. Hon. Patricia Hewitt
2005-07 Secretary of State of Health
Economic Secretary to the Treasury 1998-99, and 1999-2001 Trade
Minister (b. 1949-)
2001-06 The Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief
Whip) The Rt. Hon. Hilary Armstrong
2006-07 Minister for the Cabinet Office and Social Exclusion and Chancellor of the
Duchy of Lancaster
Housing and Local Government
Minister 1997-2001. (b. 1946-)
2003 Secretary of State of International Development The Rt Hon Baroness
Amos of Brondesbury
2003-07 Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of
the Council
Baroness-in-Waiting (Whip)
and Spokesperson on International Development
and Social Security, and
Spokesperson on Women's Issues in the Lords 1998-2001,
Junior Foreign Minister.
2001-03. Valerie Amos was created a Baroness Amos of Brondesbury, in the London
Borough of Brent in 1997 as the first black woman.
She was the first female and second black person in the Cabinet.
(b. 1954-).
2004-06 Secretary of State of Education and Skills Rt. Hon. Ruth Kelly
2006-07 Secretary of State of Communities and Local Government and Minister for
Women
2007- Secretary of State for Transport
She was previously the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Nick Brown at the
Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (since 1998). She was a member of
the Treasury Select Committee between 1997 and 1998.
2001-02 Economic Secretary, 2002-04
Financial Secretary and in 2004 Minister for the Cabinet Office.
2006-07 Chief Whip and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury Rt. Hon Jacqui Smith
2007- Secretary of State for the Home Department
Parliamentary Under-Secretary
of State for Education and Employment
for Lifelong Learning 1999-2001, Minister of State of Health 2001-03, Minister of state for Trade and Industry and Deputy Minister for Women
2003-05 and Minister of State of Education and Skills (Schools) (Deputy to the
Secretary of State)
2005-06. (b. 1962-).
2006-07 Minister without Portfolio and Chairperson of the Labour Party Rt. Hon.
Hazel Blears
2007- Secretary of State of Communities and Local Government
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State of Health 1997-98 and
to the Chief Secretary to Her Majesty's Treasury 1998-99.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of Health
2001-03, Minister of State of the Home Office 2003-06 and Deputy Home Secretary
2005-06. Candidate for the post of Deputy Leader of Labour in 2007. (b.
1956-).
2007- Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council Rt. Hon the Baroness Ashton of Upholland
Baroness from 1999, Parliamentary
Under-Secretary of State of Education and Skills 2001-04, Parliamentary Under-Secretary
of Constitutional Affairs 2004-06 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs 2006-07.
2007- Attorney General (Attending Cabinet) Rt. Hon. the Baroness Scotland of Asthal
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of
State of Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1999-2001, Parliamentary Secretary in the Lord Chancellor's Department
2001-03, Minister of State of the Home Office 2003-07.
2007- Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister (Attending Cabinet) Angela Smith
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State of the Home Office 1999-2001 and to the Secretary of State of the same department 2000-01, Assistant Government Whip 2001-02, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of the Northern Ireland Office
2002-06, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of
Communities and Local Government
2006-07. (b. 1959-).
2007- Minister for Children and Youth Justice and Minister for the North West
The Rt. Hon
Beverley Hughes (Attending Cabinet when Social Policies are discussed)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of
State for Environment, Transport and The Regions 2001-02, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of the Home Office, Minister of State of the Home Office
2002-04 and Minister of State of Education and Skills
2005-07.
2007-08 Minister for Housing (Attending
the Cabinet) Rt. Hon. Yvette Cooper
2008- Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of
State of Health 1999-2002, Parliamentary Secretary in the Lord Chancellor's Office
2002-03, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of the
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
2003-05,
Minister of State of Housing 2005-06, Minister of State of Communities and Local Government 2006-07
2008- Minister
for Housing (Attending Cabinet)
Rt. Hon.
Caroline Flint
MP from 1997, Parliamentary Private Secretary to John Reid 2002-03 and prior to
that to the the Minister for Europe (Peter Haine), Parliamentary Under-Secretary
of the Home Office for Reducing Organised and International Crime, Anti Drugs
Co-ordination and International and European Issues 2003-05,
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of Health 2005-07 and
Minister of State for Works and Pensions and
Minister for
Yorkshire and the Humber
2007-08. (b. 1961-).
Last update
25.01.08