Leader of the House of Commons

The Leader of the House of Commons is generally a member or attendee of the cabinet of the United Kingdom.



Leader
of the House of Commons
Incumbent
Jacob Rees-Mogg

since 24 July 2019
Cabinet Office
Office of the Leader of the House of Commons
StyleThe Right Honourable
Formation4 April 1721
First holderSir Robert Walpole
Websitewww.gov.uk

The House of Commons devotes approximately three-quarters of its time to government business, such as bills introduced by the government and ministerial statements. The Leader of the House of Commons, with the parties' chief whips ("the usual channels"), is responsible for organising government business and providing time for non-government (backbench) business to be put before the House of Commons.[1]

Responsibilities

The following are some of the current responsibilities of the Leader of the House of Commons:

The Osmotherly Rules, which set out guidance on how civil servants should respond to parliamentary select committees, are jointly administered by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons and the Cabinet Office.[4]

History

According to parliament.uk, the title was not established until about the middle of the nineteenth-century, although the institution is much older.[3]

Until 1942, the title was usually held by the Prime Minister if he sat in the House of Commons, however, in more recent years, the title has been held by a separate politician.[3]

The title holder is not formally appointed by the Crown and the title alone does not attract a salary,[3] so is now usually held in addition to a sinecure, currently Lord President of the Council.

Deputy Leader of the House of Commons

From 1922, when the Prime Minister was also Leader of the House of Commons, day-to-day duties were frequently carried out by a Deputy Leader of the House of Commons.[3] At other times, a Deputy Leader of the House of Commons was appointed merely to enhance an individual politician's standing within the government.

The title has been in use since 1942, but not since January 2018.[5]

List of Leaders of the House of Commons (1721–present)

Portrait Name
Constituency
Term of office Other ministerial offices held as leader Party Ministry Ref.
Robert Walpole
MP for King's Lynn
4 April
1721
6 February
1742
Whig Walpole–Townshend
Walpole
Samuel Sandys
MP for Worcester
12 February
1742
27 August
1743
Whig Carteret
Henry Pelham
MP for Sussex
27 August
1743
6 March
1754
Whig
Broad Bottom
(I & II)
Thomas Robinson
MP for Christchurch
23 March
1754
October
1755
Whig Newcastle I
Henry Fox
MP for Windsor
14 November
1755
13 November
1756
Whig
William Pitt 'the Elder'
MP for Okehampton
4 December
1756
6 April
1757
Whig Pitt–Devonshire
Vacant April
1757
June
1757
1757 Caretaker
William Pitt 'the Elder'
MP for Bath
27 June
1757
6 October
1761
Whig Pitt–Newcastle
George Grenville
MP for Buckingham
October
1761
May
1762
Whig
(Grenvillite)
Henry Fox
MP for Dunwich
May
1762
April
1763
Whig Bute
(ToryWhig)
George Grenville
MP for Buckingham
16 April
1763
13 July
1765
Whig
(Grenvillite)
Grenville
Henry Seymour Conway
MP for Thetford
July
1765
20 October
1768
Whig
(Rockinghamite)
Rockingham I
Chatham
(WhigTory)
Frederick North
Lord North

MP for Banbury
October
1768
22 March
1782
Tory Grafton
(WhigTory)
North
Charles James Fox
MP for Westminster
27 March
1782
July
1782
Whig Rockingham II
Thomas Townshend
MP for Whitchurch
10 July
1782
6 March
1783
Whig Shelburne
(WhigTory)
Charles James Fox
MP for Westminster
2 April
1783
19 December
1783
Whig Fox–North
Frederick North
Lord North

MP for Banbury
Tory
William Pitt 'the Younger'
MP for Appleby until 1784
MP for Cambridge University from 1784
19 December
1783
14 March
1801
Tory
(Pittite)
Pitt I
Henry Addington
MP for Devizes
17 March
1801
10 May
1804
Tory
(Pittite)
Addington
William Pitt 'the Younger'
MP for Cambridge University
10 May
1804
23 January
1806†
Tory
(Pittite)
Pitt II
Charles James Fox
MP for Westminster
February
1806
13 September
1806†
Whig All the Talents
Charles Grey
Viscount Howick

MP for Northumberland
September
1806
31 March
1807
Whig
Spencer Perceval
MP for Northampton
April
1807
11 May
1812
Tory Portland II
Perceval
Robert Stewart
Viscount Castlereagh

MP for Down until 1821
MP for Orford from 1821
The Marquess of Londonderry from 1821
June
1812
12 August
1822†
Tory Liverpool
George Canning
MP for Liverpool until 1823
MP for Harwich 1823–1826
MP for Newport 1826–1827
MP for Seaford from 1827
16 September
1822
8 August
1827†
Tory
(Canningite)
Canning
(CanningiteWhig)
William Huskisson
MP for Liverpool
3 September
1827
21 January
1828
Tory
(Canningite)
Goderich
(CanningiteWhig)
Sir Robert Peel
MP for Oxford University until 1829
MP for Westbury from 1829
26 January
1828
16 November
1830
Tory Wellington–Peel
John Spencer
Viscount Althorp

MP for Northamptonshire until 1832
MP for South Northamptonshire from 1832
22 November
1830
14 November
1834
Whig Grey
Melbourne I
Vacant 14 November
1834
10 December
1834
Wellington Caretaker
Sir Robert Peel
MP for Tamworth
10 December
1834
8 April
1835
Conservative Peel I
Lord John Russell
MP for Stroud
18 April
1835
30 August
1841
Whig Melbourne II
Sir Robert Peel
MP for Tamworth
30 August
1841
29 June
1846
Conservative Peel II
Lord John Russell
MP for City of London
30 June
1846
21 February
1852
Whig Russell I
Benjamin Disraeli
MP for Buckinghamshire
27 February
1852
17 December
1852
Conservative Who? Who?
Lord John Russell
MP for City of London
28 December
1852
30 January
1855
Whig Aberdeen
(PeeliteWhig)
Henry John Temple
The Viscount Palmerston

MP for Tiverton
6 February
1855
19 February
1858
Whig Palmerston I
Benjamin Disraeli
MP for Buckinghamshire
26 February
1858
11 June
1859
Conservative Derby–Disraeli II
Henry John Temple
The Viscount Palmerston

MP for Tiverton
12 June
1859
18 October
1865†
Liberal Palmerston II
William Ewart Gladstone
MP for South Lancashire
October
1865
26 June
1866
Liberal Russell II
Benjamin Disraeli
MP for Buckinghamshire
6 July
1866
1 December
1868
Conservative Derby–Disraeli III
William Ewart Gladstone
MP for Greenwich
3 December
1868
17 February
1874
Liberal Gladstone I
Benjamin Disraeli
MP for Buckinghamshire
20 February
1874
21 August
1876
Conservative Disraeli II
Stafford Northcote
MP for Devonshire North
21 August
1876
21 April
1880
Conservative
William Ewart Gladstone
MP for Midlothian
23 April
1880
9 June
1885
Liberal Gladstone II
Michael Hicks-Beach
MP for Bristol West
24 June
1885
28 January
1886
Conservative Salisbury I
William Ewart Gladstone
MP for Midlothian
1 February
1886
2 July
1886
Liberal Gladstone III
Lord Randolph Churchill
MP for Paddington South
3 August
1886
14 January
1887
Conservative Salisbury II
W. H. Smith
MP for Strand
17 January
1887
October
1891
Conservative
Arthur Balfour
MP for Manchester East
October
1891
11 August
1892
Conservative
William Ewart Gladstone
MP for Midlothian
15 August
1892
2 March
1894
Liberal Gladstone IV
Sir William Harcourt
MP for Derby
2 March
1894
21 June
1895
Liberal Rosebery
Arthur Balfour
MP for Manchester East
29 June
1895
4 December
1905
Conservative Salisbury
(III & IV)

(Con.Lib.U.)
[6]
Balfour
(Con.Lib.U.)
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
MP for Stirling Burghs
5 December
1905
5 April
1908
Liberal Campbell-Bannerman [6]
H. H. Asquith
MP for East Fife
5 April
1908
5 December
1916
Liberal Asquith
(I–III)
[6]
Asquith Coalition
(Lib.Con.Lab.)
Bonar Law
MP for Bootle until 1918
MP for Glasgow Central from 1918
10 December
1916
23 March
1921
Conservative Lloyd George
(I & II)

(Lib.Con.Lab.)
[6]
Austen Chamberlain
MP for Birmingham West
23 March
1921
19 October
1922
Conservative [6]
Bonar Law
MP for Glasgow Central
23 October
1922
20 May
1923
Conservative Law [6]
Stanley Baldwin
MP for Bewdley
22 May
1923
22 January
1924
Conservative Baldwin I [6]
Ramsay MacDonald
MP for Aberavon
22 January
1924
3 November
1924
Labour MacDonald I [6]
Stanley Baldwin
MP for Bewdley
4 November
1924
4 June
1929
Conservative Baldwin II [6]
Ramsay MacDonald
MP for Seaham
5 June
1929
7 June
1935
Labour MacDonald II [6]
National Labour National I
(N.Lab.Con.Lib.N.
Lib.
)
National II
(N.Lab.Con.Lib.N.
Lib. until 1932
)
Stanley Baldwin
MP for Bewdley
7 June
1935
28 May
1937
Conservative National III
(Con.N.Lab.Lib.N.)
[6]
Neville Chamberlain
MP for Birmingham Edgbaston
28 May
1937
10 May
1940
Conservative National IV
(Con.N.Lab.Lib.N.)
[6]
Chamberlain War
(Con.N.Lab.Lib.N.)
Winston Churchill
MP for Epping
10 May
1940
19 February
1942
Conservative Churchill War
(All parties)
[6]
Sir Stafford Cripps
MP for Bristol East
19 February
1942
22 November
1942
Independent [6]
Anthony Eden
MP for Warwick and Leamington
22 November
1942
23 May
1945
Conservative [6]
Anthony Eden
MP for Warwick and Leamington
23 May
1945
26 July
1945
Conservative Churchill Caretaker
(Con.N.Lib.)
[6]
Herbert Morrison
MP for Lewisham East until 1950
MP for Lewisham South from 1950
27 July
1945
9 March
1951
Labour Attlee
(I & II)
[6]
James Chuter Ede
MP for South Shields
9 March
1951
26 October
1951
Labour [6]
Harry Crookshank
MP for Gainsborough
28 October
1951
20 December
1955
Conservative Churchill III [6]
Eden
R. A. Butler
MP for Saffron Walden
20 December
1955
9 October
1961
Conservative [6]
Macmillan
(I & II)
Iain Macleod
MP for Enfield West
9 October
1961
20 October
1963
Conservative [6]
Selwyn Lloyd
MP for Wirral
20 October
1963
16 October
1964
Conservative Douglas-Home [6]
Herbert Bowden
MP for Leicester South West
16 October
1964
11 August
1966
Labour Wilson
(I & II)
[6]
Richard Crossman
MP for Coventry East
11 August
1966
18 October
1968
Labour [6]
Fred Peart
MP for Workington
18 October
1968
19 June
1970
Labour [6]
Willie Whitelaw
MP for Penrith and The Border
20 June
1970
7 April
1972
Conservative Heath [6]
Robert Carr
MP for Mitcham
7 April
1972
5 November
1972
Conservative [6]
Jim Prior
MP for Lowestoft
5 November
1972
4 March
1974
Conservative [6]
Edward Short
MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central
5 March
1974
8 April
1976
Labour Wilson
(III & IV)
[6]
Michael Foot
MP for Ebbw Vale
8 April
1976
4 May
1979
Labour Callaghan [6]
Norman St John-Stevas
MP for Chelmsford
5 May
1979
5 January
1981
Conservative Thatcher I [6]
Francis Pym
MP for Cambridgeshire
5 January
1981
5 April
1982
Conservative [6]
John Biffen
MP for Oswestry until 1983
MP for Shropshire North from 1983
5 April
1982
13 June
1987
Conservative [6]
Thatcher II
John Wakeham
MP for South Colchester and Maldon
13 June
1987
24 July
1989
Conservative Thatcher III [6]
Sir Geoffrey Howe
MP for East Surrey
24 July
1989
2 November
1990
Conservative [6]
John MacGregor
MP for South Norfolk
2 November
1990
10 April
1992
Conservative [6]
Major I
Tony Newton
MP for Braintree
10 April
1992
2 May
1997
Conservative Major II [7]
Ann Taylor
MP for Dewsbury
2 May
1997
27 July
1998
Labour Blair I [8]
Margaret Beckett
MP for Derby South
27 July
1998
8 June
2001
Labour [9]
Robin Cook
MP for Livingston
8 June
2001
17 March
2003
Labour Blair II [10]
John Reid
MP for Hamilton North and Bellshill
4 April
2003
13 June
2003
Labour [11]
Peter Hain
MP for Neath
11 June
2003
6 May
2005
Labour [12]
Geoff Hoon
MP for Ashfield
6 May
2005
5 May
2006
Labour Blair III [13]
Jack Straw
MP for Blackburn
5 May
2006
27 June
2007
Labour [14]
Harriet Harman
MP for Camberwell and Peckham
28 June
2007
11 May
2010
Labour Brown [15]
Sir George Young
MP for North West Hampshire
12 May
2010
3 September
2012
Conservative Cameron–Clegg
(Con.L.D.)
[16]
Andrew Lansley
MP for South Cambridgeshire
4 September
2012
14 July
2014
Conservative [17]
William Hague
MP for Richmond (Yorks)
14 July
2014
8 May
2015
Conservative [18]
Chris Grayling
MP for Epsom and Ewell
9 May
2015
14 July
2016
Conservative Cameron II [19]
David Lidington
MP for Aylesbury
14 July
2016
11 June
2017
Conservative May I [20]
Andrea Leadsom
MP for South Northamptonshire
11 June
2017
22 May
2019
Conservative May II [21]
Mel Stride
MP for Central Devon
23 May
2019
24 July
2019
Conservative [22]
Jacob Rees-Mogg
MP for North East Somerset
24 July
2019
Incumbent
Conservative Johnson
(III)
[23]

See also

References

  1. "Leader of the House of Commons - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  2. "Leader of the House of Commons - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  3. "Leader of the House of Commons". www.parliament.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  4. Gay, Oonagh (4 August 2005). "The Osmotherly Rules (Standard Note: SN/PC/2671)" (PDF). Parliament and Constitution Centre, House of Commons Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 May 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
  5. "Parliamentary Secretary of State (Deputy Leader of the House of Commons) - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk.
  6. David Butler and Gareth Butler, British Political Facts 1900–1994 (7th edn, Macmillan 1994) 65.
  7. "Lord Newton of Braintree". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  8. "Baroness Taylor of Bolton". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  9. "Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  10. "Rt Hon Robin Cook". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  11. "Lord Reid of Cardowan". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  12. "Lord Hain". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  13. "Mr Geoffrey Hoon". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  14. "Rt Hon Jack Straw". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  15. "Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  16. "Lord Young of Cookham". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  17. "Lord Lansley". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  18. "Lord Hague of Richmond". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  19. "Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  20. "Rt Hon David Lidington MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  21. "Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  22. "Rt Hon Mel Stride MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  23. "Rt Hon Jacob Rees-Mogg MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
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