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Secretary of State for Defence

The secretary of state for defence, also known as the defence secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Ministry of Defence.[3] As a senior minister, the incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.

The post of secretary of state for defence was created on 1 April 1964, replacing the positions of minister of defence, first lord of the admiralty, secretary of state for war, and secretary of state for air, while the individual offices of the British Armed Forces were abolished and their functions transferred to the Ministry of Defence. In 2019, Penny Mordaunt became the UK's first female defence secretary.[4]

The secretary of state is supported by the other ministers in the Defence Ministerial Team and the MOD permanent secretary. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for defence, and the secretary of state is also scrutinised by the Defence Select Committee.[5]

The current secretary of state for defence is John Healey, who was appointed on 5 July 2024 following the 2024 United Kingdom general election.[6]

Responsibilities

In contrast to what is generally known as a defence minister in many other countries, the Defence Secretary's remit includes:

History


Minister for Co-ordination of Defence (1936–1940)

The position of minister for co-ordination of defence was a British Cabinet-level position established in 1936 to oversee and co-ordinate the rearmament of Britain's defences. It was established by the prime minister, Stanley Baldwin, in response to criticism that Britain's armed forces were understrength compared to those of Nazi Germany. When the Second World War broke out, the new prime minister Neville Chamberlain formed a small War Cabinet and it was expected that the minister would serve as a spokesperson for the three service ministers, the secretary of state for war, the first lord of the admiralty and the secretary of state for air; however, political considerations resulted in all three posts being included in the Cabinet, and this role proved increasingly redundant. In April 1940 the position was formally wound up and the functions transferred to other ministers.

Minister of Defence (1940–1964)

The post of minister of defence was responsible for co-ordination of defence and security from its creation in 1940 until its abolition in 1964. The post was a Cabinet level post and generally ranked above the three service ministers, some of whom, however, continued to also serve in Cabinet.

On his appointment as prime minister in May 1940, Winston Churchill created for himself the new post of minister of defence. The post was created in response to previous criticism that there had been no clear single minister in charge of the prosecution of World War II. In 1946, the post became the only cabinet-level post representing the military, with the three service ministers – the secretary of state for war, the first lord of the admiralty, and the secretary of state for air, now formally subordinated to the minister of defence.

Secretary of State for Defence (1964–present)

The post was created in 1964 as successor to the posts of minister for coordination of defence and minister of defence. It replaced the positions of first lord of the admiralty, secretary of state for war and secretary of state for air, as the Admiralty, War Office and Air Ministry were merged into the Ministry of Defence (the secretary of state for war had already ceased to be a cabinet position in 1946, with the creation of the cabinet-level minister of defence).

Secretaries of state for defence (1964–present)

Timeline

John Healey (politician)Grant ShappsBen Wallace (politician)Penny MordauntGavin WilliamsonMichael FallonPhilip HammondLiam FoxBob AinsworthJohn Hutton, Baron Hutton of FurnessDes BrowneJohn Reid, Baron Reid of CardowanGeoff HoonGeorge Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port EllenMichael PortilloMalcom RifkindTom KingGeorge YoungerMichael HeseltineJohn NottFrancis PymFred MulleyRoy MasonIan GilmourPeter Carrington, 6th Baron CarringtonDenis HealeyPeter ThorneycraftHarold WatkinsonDuncan SandysAntony HeadWalter MoncktonSelwyn LloydHarold MacmillanHarold AlexanderEmanuel ShinwellA. V. AlexanderClement AttleeWinston ChurchillErnle ChatfieldThomas Inskip

References

  1. ^ "Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Secretary of State for Defence". gov.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Penny Mordaunt - the UK's first female defence secretary". BBC News. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2021. Penny Mordaunt has become the UK's first female defence secretary after Gavin Williamson was sacked.
  5. ^ "Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace, faces questioning from Defence Committee". parliament.uk. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Ministerial Appointments: July 2024". GOV.UK. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Secretary of State for Defence - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk.
  8. ^ "Mr Peter Thorneycroft". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  9. ^ "Lord Healey". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  10. ^ "Lord Gilmour of Craigmillar". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  11. ^ "Lord Mason of Barnsley". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  12. ^ "Lord Mulley". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  13. ^ "Lord Pym". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  14. ^ "Rt Hon Sir John Nott". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  15. ^ "Lord Heseltine". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  16. ^ "Rt Hon Sir George Younger". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  17. ^ George Jones (27 January 2003). "Thatcher's ally George Younger dies at 71". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  18. ^ "Lord King of Bridgwater". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  19. ^ "Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind QC". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  20. ^ "Rt Hon Michael Portillo". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  21. ^ "Lord Robertson of Port Ellen". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  22. ^ "Mr Geoffrey Hoon". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  23. ^ "Lord Reid of Cardowan". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  24. ^ "Lord Browne of Ladyton". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  25. ^ "Lord Hutton of Furness". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  26. ^ "Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  27. ^ "Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  28. ^ "Who's who in the coalition cabinet". The Guardian. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  29. ^ "Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  30. ^ "Liam Fox quits as defence secretary". BBC News. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  31. ^ "Rt Hon Sir Michael Fallon MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  32. ^ "Reshuffle at-a-glance: In, out and moved about". BBC News. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  33. ^ "Rt Hon Gavin Williamson MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  34. ^ "Gavin Williamson replaces Michael Fallon as defence secretary". BBC News. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  35. ^ "Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  36. ^ "Gavin Williamson sacked over Huawei leak". 1 May 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  37. ^ "Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  38. ^ "Ben Wallace Named New Defence Secretary". Forces Network. 24 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  39. ^ "Grant Shapps". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 September 2023.

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