Jump to content

Secretary of State for Scotland

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Secretary of State for Scotland
Scottish Gaelic: Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba
Scots: Secretar o State fir Scotland
Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government in Scotland
Incumbent
Douglas Alexander
since 5 September 2025
Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland
StyleScottish Secretary
(informal)
The Right Honourable
(within the UK and Commonwealth)
TypeMinister of the Crown
StatusSecretary of State
Member of
Reports toThe Prime Minister
SeatWestminster
NominatorThe Prime Minister
AppointerThe Monarch
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
Formation
  • 1 May 1707
    (as Secretary of State for Scotland)
  • 17 August 1885
    (as Secretary for Scotland)
  • 26 July 1926 :
    (as Secretary of State for Scotland)
DeputyParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
Salary£159,038 per annum (2022)[1]
(including £86,584 MP salary)[2]
WebsiteScotland Office

The Secretary of State for Scotland is the main minister responsible for Scotland in the Government of the United Kingdom. They sit in Cabinet and run the Scotland Office.

List

[change | change source]

Secretaries of state for Scotland (1926–)

[change | change source]
Secretary of State Term of office Party Ministry
John Gilmour[3]
MP for Glasgow Pollok		 26 July
1926
Template:Inconsistent		 4 June
1929		 Unionist Baldwin II
William Adamson
MP for West Fife		 7 June
1929		 24 August
1931		 Labour MacDonald II
Archibald Sinclair[4]
MP for Caithness and Sutherland		 25 August
1931		 28 September
1932		 Liberal National I
(N.Lab.–Con.–Lib.N.–Lib.)
National II
(N.Lab.–Con.–Lib.N.–Lib.)
Godfrey Collins[5]
MP for Greenock		 28 September
1932		 29 October
1936		 Liberal National
National III
(Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.)
Walter Elliot[6]
MP for Glasgow Kelvingrove		 29 October
1936		 6 May
1938		 Unionist
National IV
(Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.)
John Colville[7]
MP for Midlothian and Peebles Northern		 6 May
1938		 10 May
1940		 Unionist
Chamberlain War
(Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.)
Ernest Brown[8]
MP for Leith		 14 May
1940		 8 February
1941		 Liberal National Churchill War
(All parties)
Thomas Johnston[9]
MP for West Stirlingshire		 8 February
1941		 23 May
1945		 Labour
Harry Primrose
6th Earl of Rosebery		 25 May
1945		 26 July
1945		 Liberal National Churchill Caretaker
(Con.–N.Lib.)
Joseph Westwood[10]
MP for Stirling and Falkirk		 3 August
1945		 7 October
1947		 Labour Attlee
(I & II)
Arthur Woodburn[11]
MP for Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire		 7 October
1947		 28 February
1950		 Labour
Hector McNeil[12]
MP for Greenock		 28 February
1950		 26 October
1951		 Labour
James Stuart
MP for Moray and Nairn		 30 October
1951		 13 January
1957		 Unionist Churchill III
Eden
John Maclay[13]
MP for West Renfrewshire		 13 January
1957		 13 July
1962		 Unionist Macmillan
(I & II)
Michael Noble[14]
MP for Argyllshire		 13 July
1962		 16 October
1964		 Unionist
Douglas-Home
Willie Ross[15]
MP for Kilmarnock		 18 October
1964		 19 June
1970		 Labour Wilson
(I & II)
Gordon Campbell
MP for Moray and Nairn		 20 June
1970		 4 March
1974		 Conservative Heath
Willie Ross
MP for Kilmarnock		 5 March
1974		 8 April
1976		 Labour Wilson
(III & IV)
Bruce Millan[16]
MP for Glasgow Craigton		 8 April
1976		 4 May
1979		 Labour Callaghan
George Younger[17]
MP for Ayr		 5 May
1979		 11 January
1986		 Conservative Thatcher I
Thatcher II
Malcolm Rifkind[18]
MP for Edinburgh Pentlands		 11 January
1986		 28 November
1990		 Conservative
Thatcher III
Ian Lang[19]
MP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale		 28 November
1990		 5 July
1995		 Conservative Major I
Major II
Michael Forsyth[20]
MP for Stirling		 5 July
1995		 2 May
1997		 Conservative
Donald Dewar[21]
MP for Glasgow Anniesland		 2 May
1997		 17 May
1999		 Labour Blair I
John Reid[22]
MP for Hamilton North and Bellshill		 17 May
1999		 25 January
2001		 Labour
Helen Liddell[23]
MP for Airdrie and Shotts		 25 January
2001		 13 June
2003		 Labour Blair II
Alistair Darling[24][a]
MP for Edinburgh South West[b]
 13 June
2003		 5 May
2006		 Labour
Blair III
Douglas Alexander[25][a]
MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South		 5 May
2006		 28 June
2007		 Labour
Des Browne[26][c]
MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun		 28 June
2007		 3 October
2008		 Labour Brown
Jim Murphy[27]
MP for East Renfrewshire		 3 October
2008		 11 May
2010		 Labour
Danny Alexander[28]
MP for Inverness, Nairn,
Badenoch and Strathspey		 12 May
2010		 29 May
2010		 Liberal Democrat Cameron–Clegg
(Con.–L.D.)
Michael Moore[29]
MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk		 29 May
2010		 7 October
2013		 Liberal Democrat
Alistair Carmichael[30]
MP for Orkney and Shetland		 7 October
2013		 8 May
2015		 Liberal Democrat
David Mundell[31]
MP for Dumfriesshire,
Clydesdale and Tweeddale		 11 May
2015		 24 July
2019		 Conservative Cameron II
May I
May II
Alister Jack[32]
MP for Dumfries and Galloway		 24 July
2019		 5 July
2024		 Conservative Johnson I
Johnson II
Truss
Sunak
Ian Murray
MP for Edinburgh South		 5 July
2024		 5 September
2025		 Labour Starmer
Douglas Alexander
MP for Lothian East		 5 September
2025		 Incumbent Labour

Notes

[change | change source]
  1. 1 2 Concurrently served as Secretary of State for Transport
  2. ↑ MP for Edinburgh Central until 2005; MP for Edinburgh South West thereafter
  3. ↑ Concurrently served as Secretary of State for Defence

References

[change | change source]
  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. ↑ "Mr John Gilmour". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  4. ↑ "Sir Archibald Sinclair". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  5. ↑ "Mr Godfrey Collins". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  6. ↑ "Mr Walter Elliot". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  7. ↑ "Mr John Colville". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  8. ↑ "Mr Ernest Brown". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  9. ↑ "Mr Thomas Johnston". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  10. ↑ "Mr Joseph Westwood". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  11. ↑ "Mr Arthur Woodburn". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  12. ↑ "Mr Hector McNeill". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  13. ↑ "Hon. John Maclay". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  14. ↑ "Mr Michael Noble". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  15. ↑ "Mr William Ross". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  16. ↑ "Rt Hon Bruce Millan". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  17. ↑ "Rt Hon Sir George Younger". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  18. ↑ "Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind QC". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  19. ↑ "Lord Lang of Monkton". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  20. ↑ "Lord Forsyth of Drumlean". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  21. ↑ "Rt Hon Donald Dewar". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  22. ↑ "Lord Reid of Cardowan". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  23. ↑ "Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  24. ↑ "Lord Darling of Roulanish". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  25. ↑ "Rt Hon Douglas Alexander". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  26. ↑ "Lord Browne of Ladyton". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  27. ↑ "Rt Hon Jim Murphy". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  28. ↑ "Rt Hon Danny Alexander". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  29. ↑ "Rt Hon Michael Moore". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  30. ↑ "Rt Hon Alistair Carmichael MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  31. ↑ "Rt Hon David Mundell MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  32. ↑ "Mr Alistair Jack MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Secretary_of_State_for_Scotland&oldid=10534554"