Home Secretary

; Secretary of State; for the Home Department
	Royal Arms of the Home Office
	Incumbent; Priti Patel; since 24 July 2019
	Home Office
Style	Home Secretary; (informal); The Right Honourable; (UK and the Commonwealth)
Status	Great Office of State
Member of	Cabinet; Privy Council; National Security Council
Reports to	The prime minister
Seat	Westminster
Appointer	The Crown; on advice of the prime minister
Term length	At Her Majesty's pleasure
Formation	27 March 1782
First holder	Earl of Shelburne
Website	www.gov.uk

The home secretary,[note 1] is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of the Home Office. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the home secretary is a senior member of the British Cabinet.

The current secretary of state for the Home Department is Priti Patel, MP, who was appointed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in July 2019.[1]

Responsibilities

Corresponding to what is generally known as an interior minister in many other countries, the home secretary's remit includes:

Law enforcement in England and Wales
Matters of national security
Issues concerning immigration
Oversight of the Security Service (MI5).[2]

History

The position of Secretary of State for the Home Department was created in the British governmental reorganisation of 1782, in which the Northern and Southern Departments became the Foreign Office and Home Office respectively.

Formerly, the Home Secretary was the minister responsible for prisons and probation in England and Wales; however in 2007 those responsibilities were transferred to the Ministry of Justice under the lord chancellor.

List of home secretaries

Secretary of State for the Home Department[2]
Name[note 2] (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Party	Ministry	Monarch (Reign)	Ref.
The Right Honourable William Petty 2nd Earl of Shelburne KGPC (1737–1805)	27 March 1782	10 July 1782	Whig	Rockingham II	George III (1760–1820) [note 3]	[3]
The Right Honourable Thomas Townsend MP for Whitchurch (1733–1800)	10 July 1782	2 April 1783	Whig	Shelburne (Whig–Tory)		[3]
The Right Honourable Frederick North Lord North KG MP for Banbury (1732–1792)	2 April 1783	19 December 1783	Tory	Fox–North		[3]
The Right Honourable George Nugent-Temple-Grenville 3rd Earl Temple PC (1753–1813)	19 December 1783	23 December 1783	Tory	Pitt I		[4]
The Right Honourable Thomas Townsend 1st Baron Sydney PC (1733–1800)	23 December 1783	5 June 1789	Whig			[3]
The Right Honourable William Grenville 1st Baron Grenville PCPC (Ire) MP for Buckinghamshire[note 4] (1759–1834)	5 June 1789	8 June 1791	Tory			[3]
The Right Honourable Henry Dundas MP for Edinburgh (1742–1811)	8 June 1791	11 July 1794	Tory			[3]
His Grace William Cavendish-Bentinck 3rd Duke of Portland KGPCFRS (1738–1809)	11 July 1794	30 July 1801	Tory			[3]
	11 July 1794	30 July 1801	Tory	Addington		[3]
The Right Honourable Thomas Pelham 4th Baron Pelham of Stanmer PCPC (Ire)FRS (1756–1826)	30 July 1801	17 August 1803	Whig			[3]
The Right Honourable Charles Philip Yorke FRSFSA MP for Cambridgeshire (1764–1834)	17 August 1803	12 May 1804	Tory			[3]
The Right Honourable Robert Jenkinson 2nd Baron Hawkesbury PCFRS (1770–1828)	12 May 1804	5 February 1806	Tory	Pitt II		[3]
The Right Honourable George Spencer 2nd Earl Spencer KGPCDLFRSFSA (1758–1834)	5 February 1806	25 March 1807	Whig	All the Talents (Whig–Tory)		[3]
The Right Honourable Robert Jenkinson 2nd Earl of Liverpool PCFRS (1770–1828)	25 March 1807	1 November 1809	Tory	Portland II		[3]
The Right Honourable Richard Ryder MP for Tiverton (1766–1832)	1 November 1809	8 June 1812	Tory	Perceval		[3]
The Right Honourable Henry Addington 1st Viscount Sidmouth PC (1757–1844)	11 June 1812	17 January 1822	Tory	Liverpool		[3]
	11 June 1812	17 January 1822	Tory		George IV (1820–1830)	[3]
The Right Honourable Robert Peel FRS MP for Oxford University (1788–1850)	17 January 1822	10 April 1827	Tory			[3]
The Right Honourable William Sturges Bourne MP for Ashburton (1769–1845)	30 April 1827	16 July 1827	Tory	Canning (Canningite–Whig)		[3]
The Most Honourable Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne PCFRS (1780–1863)	16 July 1827	22 January 1828	Whig	Canning (Canningite–Whig)		[3]
	16 July 1827	22 January 1828	Whig	Goderich		[3]
The Right Honourable Sir Robert Peel BtFRS MP for 3 constituencies respectively (1788–1850)	26 January 1828	22 November 1830	Tory	Wellington–Peel		[3]
	26 January 1828	22 November 1830	Tory	Wellington–Peel	William IV (1830–1837)	[3]
The Right Honourable William Lamb 2nd Viscount Melbourne PC (1779–1848)	22 November 1830	16 July 1834	Whig	Grey		[3]
The Right Honourable John Ponsonby 1st Baron Duncannon PC (1781–1847)	19 July 1834	15 November 1834	Whig	Melbourne I		[3]
Field MarshalHis Grace Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke of Wellington KGGCBGCHPC (1769–1852)	15 November 1834	15 December 1834	Tory	Wellington Caretaker		[3]
The Right Honourable Henry Goulburn FRS MP for Cambridge University (1784–1856)	15 December 1834	18 April 1835	Conservative	Peel I		[3]
The Right Honourable Lord John Russell MP for Stroud (1792–1878)	18 April 1835	30 August 1839	Whig	Melbourne II		[4]
	18 April 1835	30 August 1839	Whig		Victoria (1837–1901)	[4]
The Most Honourable Constantine Phipps 1st Marquess of Normanby GCHPC (1797–1863)	30 August 1839	30 August 1841	Whig			[4]
The Right Honourable Sir James Graham Bt MP for Dorchester (1792–1861)	6 September 1841	30 June 1846	Conservative	Peel II		[4]
The Right Honourable Sir George Grey Bt MP for Devonport → North Northumberland[note 5] (1799–1882)	8 July 1846	23 February 1852	Whig	Russell I		[4]
The Right Honourable Spencer Horatio Walpole QC MP for Midhurst (1806–1898)	27 February 1852	19 December 1852	Conservative	Who? Who?		[4]
The Right Honourable Henry John Temple 3rd Viscount Palmerston GCBPCFRS MP for Tiverton (1784–1865)	28 December 1852	6 February 1855	Whig	Aberdeen (Peelite–Whig)		[4]
The Right Honourable Sir George Grey Bt MP for Morpeth (1799–1882)	8 February 1855	26 February 1858	Whig	Palmerston I		[4]
The Right Honourable Spencer Horatio Walpole QC MP for Cambridge University (1806–1898)	26 February 1858	3 March 1859	Conservative	Derby–Disraeli II		[4]
The Right Honourable Thomas Henry Sutton Sotheron-Estcourt DLJP MP for North Wiltshire (1801–1876)	3 March 1859	18 June 1859	Conservative	Derby–Disraeli II		[4]
The Right Honourable Sir George Cornewall Lewis Bt MP for Radnor (1806–1863)	18 June 1859	25 July 1861	Liberal	Palmerston II		[4]
The Right Honourable Sir George Grey Bt MP for Morpeth (1799–1882)	25 July 1861	28 June 1866	Liberal	Palmerston II		[4]
	25 July 1861	28 June 1866	Liberal	Russell II		[4]
The Right Honourable Spencer Horatio Walpole QC MP for Cambridge University (1806–1898)	6 July 1866	17 May 1867	Conservative	Derby–Disraeli III		[4]
The Right Honourable Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy MP for Oxford University (1814–1906)	17 May 1867	3 December 1868	Conservative	Derby–Disraeli III		[4]
The Right Honourable Henry Bruce JPDL MP for Merthyr Tydfil → Renfrewshire[note 6] (1815–1895)	9 December 1868	9 August 1873	Liberal	Gladstone I		[4]
The Right Honourable Robert Lowe MP for London University (1811–1892)	9 August 1873	20 February 1874	Liberal	Gladstone I		[4]
The Right Honourable R. A. Cross GCBFRSDL MP for South West Lancashire (1823–1914)	21 February 1874	23 April 1880	Conservative	Disraeli II		[4]
The Right Honourable Sir William Harcourt QC MP for Derby (1827–1904)	28 April 1880	23 June 1885	Liberal	Gladstone II		[4]
The Right Honourable R. A. Cross GCBFRSDL MP for Newton (1823–1914)	24 June 1885	1 February 1886	Conservative	Salisbury I		[4]
The Right Honourable Hugh Childers MP for Edinburgh South (1827–1896)	6 February 1886	25 July 1886	Liberal	Gladstone III		[4]
The Right Honourable Henry Matthews QC MP for Birmingham East (1826–1913)	3 August 1886	15 August 1892	Conservative	Salisbury II		[4]
The Right Honourable H. H. Asquith QC MP for East Fife (1852–1928)	18 August 1892	25 June 1895	Liberal	Gladstone IV		[4]
	18 August 1892	25 June 1895	Liberal	Rosebery		[4]
The Right Honourable Sir Matthew White Ridley BtDL MP for Blackpool (1842–1904)	29 June 1895	12 November 1900	Conservative	Salisbury (III & IV) (Con.–Lib.U.)		[4]
The Right Honourable Charles Ritchie MP for Croydon (1838–1906)	12 November 1900	11 August 1902	Conservative			[4]
					Edward VII (1901–1910)
				Balfour
The Right Honourable Aretas Akers-Douglas JPDL MP for St Augustine's (1851–1926)	11 August 1902	5 December 1905	Conservative	Balfour		[4]
The Right Honourable Herbert Gladstone JP MP for Leeds West (1854–1930)	11 December 1905	19 February 1910	Liberal	Campbell-Bannerman		[4]
	11 December 1905	19 February 1910	Liberal	Asquith (I–III)		[4]
The Right Honourable Winston Churchill MP for Dundee (1874–1965)	19 February 1910	24 October 1911	Liberal			[4]
	19 February 1910	24 October 1911	Liberal		George V (1910–1936)	[4]
The Right Honourable Reginald McKenna MP for North Monmouthshire (1863–1943)	24 October 1911	27 May 1915	Liberal			[4]
The Right Honourable Sir John Simon MP for Walthamstow (1873–1954)	27 May 1915	12 January 1916	Liberal	Asquith Coalition (Lib.–Con.–et al.)		[4]
The Right Honourable Herbert Samuel MP for Cleveland (1870–1963)	12 January 1916	7 December 1916	Liberal	Asquith Coalition (Lib.–Con.–et al.)		[4]
The Right Honourable George Cave 1st Viscount Cave PC MP for Kingston[note 7] (1856–1928)	11 December 1916	14 January 1919	Conservative	Lloyd George (I & II)		[4]
The Right Honourable Edward Shortt KC MP for Newcastle upon Tyne West (1862–1935)	14 January 1919	23 October 1922	Liberal	Lloyd George (I & II)		[4]
The Right Honourable William Bridgeman JPDL MP for Oswestry (1864–1935)	25 October 1922	22 January 1924	Conservative	Law		[4]
	25 October 1922	22 January 1924	Conservative	Baldwin I		[4]
The Right Honourable Arthur Henderson MP for Burnley[note 8] (1863–1935)	23 January 1924	4 November 1924	Labour	MacDonald I		[4]
The Right Honourable Sir William Joynson-Hicks BtPC (NI)DL MP for Twickenham (1865–1932)	7 November 1924	5 June 1929	Conservative	Baldwin II		[4]
The Right Honourable John Robert Clynes MP for Manchester Platting (1869–1949)	8 June 1929	26 August 1931	Labour	MacDonald II		[4]
The Right Honourable Herbert Samuel GCBGBE MP for Darwen (1870–1963)	26 August 1931	1 October 1932	Liberal	National I (N.Lab.–Con.–et al.)		[4]
	26 August 1931	1 October 1932	Liberal	National II		[4]
The Right Honourable Sir John Gilmour BtDSOTDJPDL MP for Glasgow Pollok (1876–1940)	1 October 1932	7 June 1935	Unionist	National II		[4]
The Right Honourable Sir John Simon GCSIGCVOOBE MP for Spen Valley (1873–1954)	7 June 1935	28 May 1937	Liberal National	National III (Con.–N.Lab.–et al.)		[4]
					Edward VIII (1936)
					George VI (1936–1952)
The Right Honourable Sir Samuel Hoare BtGCSIGBECMGJP MP for Chelsea (1880–1959)	28 May 1937	3 September 1939	Conservative	National IV		[4]
The Right Honourable Sir John Anderson GCBGCSIGCIEPC (Ire) MP for Combined Scottish Universities (1882–1958)	4 September 1939	4 October 1940	Independent (National)	Chamberlain War		[4]
	4 September 1939	4 October 1940	Independent (National)	Churchill War (All parties)		[4]
The Right Honourable Herbert Morrison MP for Hackney South (1888–1965)	4 October 1940	23 May 1945	Labour	Churchill War (All parties)		[4]
The Right Honourable Sir Donald Somervell KC MP for Crewe (1889–1960)	25 May 1945	26 July 1945	Conservative	Churchill Caretaker (Con.–Lib.N.)		[4]
The Right Honourable James Chuter Ede JPDL MP for South Shields (1882–1965)	3 August 1945	26 October 1951	Labour	Attlee (I & II)		[4]
The Right Honourable Sir David Maxwell Fyfe GCVOQC MP for Liverpool West Derby (1900–1967)	27 October 1951	19 October 1954	Conservative	Churchill III		[4]
	27 October 1951	19 October 1954	Conservative		Elizabeth II (1952–present)	[4]
The Right Honourable Gwilym Lloyd George TD MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North (1894–1967)	19 October 1954	14 January 1957	National Liberal & Conservative			[4]
	19 October 1954	14 January 1957	National Liberal & Conservative	Eden		[4]
The Right Honourable Richard Austen Butler CH MP for Saffron Walden (1902–1982)	14 January 1957	13 July 1962	Conservative	Macmillan (I & II)		[4]
The Right Honourable Henry Brooke MP for Hampstead (1903–1984)	14 July 1962	16 October 1964	Conservative	Macmillan (I & II)		[4]
	14 July 1962	16 October 1964	Conservative	Douglas-Home		[4]
The Right Honourable Sir Frank Soskice QC MP for Newport (1902–1979)	18 October 1964	23 December 1965	Labour	Wilson (I & II)		[4]
The Right Honourable Roy Jenkins MP for Birmingham Stechford (1920–2003)	23 December 1965	30 November 1967	Labour			[4]
The Right Honourable James Callaghan MP for Cardiff South East (1912–2005)	30 November 1967	19 June 1970	Labour			[4]
The Right Honourable Reginald Maudling MP for Barnet (1917–1979)	20 June 1970	18 July 1972	Conservative	Heath		[4]
The Right Honourable Robert Carr MP for Carshalton (1916–2012)	18 July 1972	4 March 1974	Conservative	Heath		[4]
The Right Honourable Roy Jenkins MP for Birmingham Stechford (1920–2003)	5 March 1974	10 September 1976	Labour	Wilson (III & IV)		[4]
	5 March 1974	10 September 1976	Labour	Callaghan		[4]
The Right Honourable Merlyn Rees MP for Leeds South (1920–2006)	10 September 1976	4 May 1979	Labour	Callaghan		[4]
The Right Honourable William Whitelaw CHMCDL MP for Penrith and The Border (1918–1999)	4 May 1979	11 June 1983	Conservative	Thatcher I		[4]
The Right Honourable Leon Brittan QC MP for Richmond (Yorks) (1939–2015)	11 June 1983	2 September 1985	Conservative	Thatcher II		[4]
The Right Honourable Douglas Hurd CBE MP for Witney (born 1930)	2 September 1985	26 October 1989	Conservative	Thatcher II		[4]
	2 September 1985	26 October 1989	Conservative	Thatcher III		[4]
The Right Honourable David Waddington QCDL MP for Ribble Valley (1929–2017)	26 October 1989	28 November 1990	Conservative	Thatcher III		[4]
The Right Honourable Kenneth Baker MP for Mole Valley (born 1934)	28 November 1990	10 April 1992	Conservative	Major I		[4]
The Right Honourable Kenneth Clarke QC MP for Rushcliffe (born 1940)	10 April 1992	27 May 1993	Conservative	Major II		[4]
The Right Honourable Michael Howard QC MP for Folkestone and Hythe (born 1941)	27 May 1993	2 May 1997	Conservative	Major II		[4]
The Right Honourable Jack Straw MP for Blackburn (born 1946)	2 May 1997	8 June 2001	Labour	Blair I		[4]
The Right Honourable David Blunkett MP for Sheffield Brightside (born 1947)	8 June 2001	15 December 2004	Labour	Blair II		[4]
The Right Honourable Charles Clarke MP for Norwich South (born 1950)	15 December 2004	5 May 2006	Labour	Blair II		[4]
	15 December 2004	5 May 2006	Labour	Blair III		[4]
The Right Honourable John Reid MP for Airdrie and Shotts (born 1947)	5 May 2006	27 June 2007	Labour	Blair III		[5]
The Right Honourable Jacqui Smith MP for Redditch (born 1962)	28 June 2007	5 June 2009	Labour	Brown		[6]
The Right Honourable Alan Johnson MP for Hull West and Hessle (born 1950)	5 June 2009	11 May 2010	Labour	Brown		[7]
The Right Honourable Theresa May MP for Maidenhead (born 1956)	12 May 2010	13 July 2016	Conservative	Cameron–Clegg (Con.–L.D.)		[8]
	May's tenure as Home Secretary		Conservative	Cameron II		[8]
The Right Honourable Amber Rudd MP for Hastings and Rye (born 1963)	13 July 2016	29 April 2018	Conservative	May I		[9]
	13 July 2016	29 April 2018	Conservative	May II		[9]
The Right Honourable Sajid Javid MP for Bromsgrove (born 1969)	30 April 2018	24 July 2019	Conservative	May II		[10]
The Right Honourable Priti Patel MP for Witham (born 1972)	24 July 2019	Incumbent	Conservative	Johnson I		[1]
	24 July 2019	Incumbent	Conservative	Johnson II

Notes

Officially: Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department
Including honorifics and constituencies for elected MPs.
The Prince of Wales served as Prince Regent from 5 February 1811.
Elevated to the Peerage of Great Britain in 1790
Elected to a new constituency in the 1847 general election.
Lost seat in the 1868 general election and elected to a new constituency in the Renfrewshire by-election.
Elevated to the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1918.
Elected on 28 February 1924 in the Burnley by-election.

References

Citations

"Priti Patel appointed UK interior minister: statement". 24 July 2019 – via www.reuters.com.
"Secretary of State for the Home Department". gov.uk. Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
Gibson 2008.
"Home Secretary". Hansard. Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
"Clarke is fired in Cabinet purge". BBC News. 5 May 2006. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
"First female boss for Home Office". BBC News. 28 June 2007. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
"Hutton quits in cabinet reshuffle". BBC News. 5 June 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
"Cameron coalition: Theresa May made home secretary". BBC News. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
"Theresa May shakes up government with new-look cabinet". BBC News. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
"Sajid Javid announced as new Home Secretary after Amber Rudd's resignation". Sky News. Retrieved 30 April 2018.

Sources

Gibson, Bryan (2008). The New Home Office: An Introduction (2nd ed.). Waterside Press. pp. 148–149. ISBN 978-1-904380-49-8.

External links

Home Office website

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[a-1] Officially: Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department

[4] Including honorifics and constituencies for elected MPs.

[5] The Prince of Wales served as Prince Regent from 5 February 1811.

[8] Elevated to the Peerage of Great Britain in 1790

[9] Elected to a new constituency in the 1847 general election.

[10] Lost seat in the 1868 general election and elected to a new constituency in the Renfrewshire by-election.

[11] Elevated to the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1918.

[12] Elected on 28 February 1924 in the Burnley by-election.

[auto-2] "Priti Patel appointed UK interior minister: statement". 24 July 2019 – via www.reuters.com.

[gov.uk-3] "Secretary of State for the Home Department". gov.uk. Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 18 July 2016.

[FOOTNOTEGibson2008-6] Gibson 2008.

[Hansard-7] "Home Secretary". Hansard. Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 12 September 2017.

[13] "Clarke is fired in Cabinet purge". BBC News. 5 May 2006. Retrieved 13 September 2017.

[14] "First female boss for Home Office". BBC News. 28 June 2007. Retrieved 13 September 2017.

[15] "Hutton quits in cabinet reshuffle". BBC News. 5 June 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2017.

[16] "Cameron coalition: Theresa May made home secretary". BBC News. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2017.

[17] "Theresa May shakes up government with new-look cabinet". BBC News. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2017.

[18] "Sajid Javid announced as new Home Secretary after Amber Rudd's resignation". Sky News. Retrieved 30 April 2018.

Home Office
Headquarters: 2 Marsham Street Home Secretary: Priti Patel
Ministers	Immigration Immigration Compliance and Courts Crime, Policing and the Fire Service Safeguarding Security Under-Secretary of State
Divisions	Border Force HM Passport Office Immigration Enforcement National DNA Database UK Visas and Immigration Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism
Non-departmental public bodies	Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Animals in Science Committee Disclosure and Barring Service Gangmasters Licensing Authority Independent Office for Police Conduct Investigatory Powers Tribunal National DNA Database Ethics Group Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner Security Industry Authority

UK Cabinet Portfolios
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
Cabinet ministers	Prime Minister / First Lord of the Treasury / Minister for the Union / Minister for the Civil Service Chancellor of the Exchequer Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Secretary / First Secretary Home Secretary Minister for the Cabinet Office / Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Lord Chancellor / Justice Secretary Defence Secretary Health and Social Care Secretary Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary International Trade Secretary / President of the Board of Trade / Minister for Women and Equalities Work and Pensions Secretary Education Secretary Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Transport Secretary Northern Ireland Secretary Scotland Secretary Wales Secretary Leader of the House of Lords / Lord Privy Seal Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Minister without portfolio
Also attending Cabinet	Chief Secretary to the Treasury Lord President of the Council / Leader of the House of Commons Chief Whip Attorney General