List of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom

2008/9 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: British History

This is a list of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor state the Kingdom of Great Britain, from when the first Prime Minister (in the modern sense), Robert Walpole, took office in 1721, until the present day. The office is currently held by Gordon Brown.

18th century Prime Ministers

Prime Ministers during the 18th century were Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Great Britain (formed by the Acts of Union 1707 and comprising England and Wales and Scotland). Robert Harley and Sidney Godolphin had formed governments during the reign of Queen Anne but are not considered to be Prime Ministers.

Name		Portrait	Entered office	Left office	Political party	Other ministerial offices held	Notes and key events
	Sir Robert Walpole (from 1742 as Earl of Orford)		4 April 1721	11 February 1742	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	Regarded as the first Prime Minister in the modern sense; The South Sea Company bubble; criticised for Great Britain's poor performance in the War of Jenkins' Ear.
	The Earl of Wilmington		16 February 1742	2 July 1743	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury	Increased tax on spirits; in poor health for much of his time as Prime Minister, the government was led de facto by John Carteret.
	Henry Pelham		27 August 1743	6 March 1754	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	Reorganisation of the Royal Navy; 1745 Jacobite Rebellion; adoption of the Gregorian Calendar; Marriage Act 1753; helped end the War of the Austrian Succession.
	The Duke of Newcastle (1st term)		16 March 1754	16 November 1756	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Led Great Britain into the Seven Years' War with France in North America.
	The Duke of Devonshire		16 November 1756	25 June 1757	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	The government was largely run by William Pitt the Elder.
	The Duke of Newcastle (2nd term)		2 July 1757	26 May 1762	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Great Britain gained more influence abroad in the Seven Years' War; the war was largely prosecuted by Pitt the Elder as Secretary of State.
	The Earl of Bute		26 May 1762	8 April 1763	Tory	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Ended the dominance of the Whigs and the Seven Years' War.
	George Grenville		16 April 1763	13 July 1765	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	Lowered domestic tax at the expense of the colonies; introduced the Stamp Act 1765 (which ultimately led to the American Revolution).
	The Marquess of Rockingham (1st term)		13 July 1765	30 July 1766	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Repealed the controversial Stamp Act, inspired by protests from both American colonists and British manufacturers who were hurt by it.
	The Earl of Chatham, "William Pitt the Elder"		30 July 1766	14 October 1768	Whig	Lord Privy Seal	The first real Imperialist; credited with the birth of the British Empire; indirectly responsible for the French Revolution (due to Great Britain's defeat of France in Canada).
	The Duke of Grafton		14 October 1768	28 January 1770	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Attempted to reconcile with the American colonies.
	Lord North		28 January 1770	22 March 1782	Tory	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	Led Great Britain into the American Revolution, making a number of tactical errors; the Gordon Riots; attempted reform in Ireland; resigned after a vote of no confidence against the will of the King.
	The Marquess of Rockingham (2nd term)		27 March 1782	1 July 1782	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Acknowledged the independence of the United States; began a process of economic reform (however died in office).
	The Earl of Shelburne		4 July 1782	2 April 1783	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Planned political reform; secured peace with the United States, France and Spain.
	The Duke of Portland (1st term)		2 April 1783	19 December 1783	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Titular head of the Fox-North Coalition. Attempted to reform the British East India Company, but was blocked by George III.
	William Pitt the Younger (1st term)		19 December 1783	14 March 1801	Tory	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	India Act 1784; attempted to remove rotten boroughs; youngest Prime Minister; personally opposed to the slave trade; reduced the national debt due to the rebellion in the North American colonies; formed the Triple Alliance; Constitutional Act of 1791; war with France starting in 1793; introduced the first income tax; Act of Union 1800.

19th century Prime Ministers

Prime Ministers during the 19th century were Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, following the Act of Union 1800 (which merged the Kingdom of Ireland with the Kingdom of Great Britain).

Name		Portrait	Entered office	Left office	Political party	Other ministerial offices held	Notes and key events
	Henry Addington		17 March 1801	10 May 1804	Tory	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	Negotiated the Treaty of Amiens with France in 1802.
	William Pitt the Younger (2nd term)		10 May 1804	23 January 1806	Tory	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	Alliance with Russia, Austria and Sweden against France ( Third Coalition); Battle of Trafalgar; Battle of Ulm; Battle of Austerlitz.
	The Lord Grenville		11 February 1806	31 March 1807	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Abolition of the slave trade.
	The Duke of Portland (2nd term)		31 March 1807	4 October 1809	Tory	First Lord of the Treasury	Headed a Tory government; was old and ill, leaving the Cabinet to their own devices (largely headed by Spencer Perceval).
	Spencer Perceval		4 October 1809	11 May 1812	Tory	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster & Leader of the House of Commons	Descent of George III into madness; his administration was notable for the lack of senior statesmen (Perceval also served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer); Peninsular War, part of the Napoleonic Wars; as of 2008, the only Prime Minister to have been assassinated.
	The Earl of Liverpool		8 June 1812	9 April 1827	Tory	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Oversaw the United Kingdom's victory in the Napoleonic Wars; the Congress of Vienna; an economic recession in 1817; The War of 1812 (in Britain, the American War of 1812 to 1815); Peterloo Massacre in 1819; return to the gold standard in 1819; the Cato Street Conspiracy to assassinate Liverpool in 1820.
	George Canning		10 April 1827	8 August 1827	Tory	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	Died shortly after taking office.
	The Viscount Goderich		31 August 1827	21 January 1828	Tory	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Lacked support amongst colleagues; resigned.
	The Duke of Wellington (1st term)		22 January 1828	16 November 1830	Tory	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Catholic Emancipation Bill (over which he fought a duel).
	The Earl Grey		22 November 1830	9 July 1834	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Reform Act 1832; restriction of employment of children; abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire.
	The Viscount Melbourne (1st term)		16 July 1834	14 November 1834	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	William IV's opposition forced him to resign.
	The Duke of Wellington (2nd term)		14 November 1834	10 December 1834	Tory	First Lord of the Treasury, Secretary of State for the Home Department, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies & Leader of the House of Lords	Caretaker government while Sir Robert Peel was located and returned to London. Held many of the major posts himself.
	Sir Robert Peel (1st term)		10 December 1834	8 April 1835	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	Unable to form a majority in Parliament so resigned.
	The Viscount Melbourne (2nd term)		18 April 1835	30 August 1841	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	A father figure to Queen Victoria; Municipal Corporations Act 1835.
	Sir Robert Peel (2nd term)		30 August 1841	29 June 1846	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	Mines Act 1842; Factory Act 1844; Railway Act 1844; repeal of the Corn Laws (triggered by the Great Irish Potato Famine).
	The Lord John Russell (1st term) (afterwards PM as Earl Russell)		30 June 1846	21 February 1852	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	Education Act 1847; Australian Colonies Act 1850; improved the Poor Law.
	The Earl of Derby (1st term)		23 February 1852	17 December 1852	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Government collapsed when his Chancellor's Budget was defeated.
	The Earl of Aberdeen		19 December 1852	30 January 1855	Peelite/Whig	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Led the country into the Crimean War; resigned after defeat in the vote for an enquiry into the conduct of the war. First and last Peelite Prime Minister.
	The Viscount Palmerston (1st term)		6 February 1855	19 February 1858	Whig	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	Responded to the Indian mutiny of 1857; introduced the India Bill.
	The Earl of Derby (2nd term)		20 February 1858	11 June 1859	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Government of India Act 1858, transferring ownership of the East India Company to the Crown; Jews Relief Act, allowing Jews to become MPs.
	The Viscount Palmerston (2nd term)		12 June 1859	18 October 1865	Liberal	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	Between periods in office he founded the Liberal Party; died in office.
	The Earl Russell (2nd term) (previously PM as Lord John Russell)		29 October 1865	26 June 1866	Liberal	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Attempted to introduce a further Reform Bill, but was opposed by his Cabinet.
	The Earl of Derby (3rd term)		28 June 1866	25 February 1868	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	Reform Act 1867; considered by some to be the father of the modern Conservative Party.
	Benjamin Disraeli (1st term)		27 February 1868	1 December 1868	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	The UK's first and, as of 2008, only, Prime Minister from Jewish ancestry; dissolved Parliament as the Conservatives did not have a majority.
	William Ewart Gladstone (1st term)		3 December 1868	17 February 1874	Liberal	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons 3 December 1868 - 17 February 1874; Chancellor of the Exchequer 11 August 1873 - 17 February 1874	Introduced reforms to the British Army, Civil Service and local government; made peacetime flogging illegal; Ballot Act 1872; failed to prevent the Franco-Prussian War.
	Benjamin Disraeli (2nd term) (from 1876 as Earl of Beaconsfield)		20 February 1874	21 April 1880	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury 20 February 1874 - 21 April 1880; Leader of the House of Commons 20 February 1874 - 21 August 1876; Leader of the House of Lords 21 August 1876 - 21 April 1880; Lord Privy Seal 21 August 1876 - 2 April 1878	Various reforms including the Climbing Boys Act 1875, the Public Health Act 1875 and the Employers and Workmen Act 1878; Congress of Berlin; breaking up of the League of the Three Emperors, the Zulu War.
	William Ewart Gladstone (2nd term)		23 April 1880	9 June 1885	Liberal	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons 23 April 1880 - 9 June 1885; Chancellor of the Exchequer 23 April 1880 - 16 December 1882	First Boer War; Irish Coercion Act; Redistribution of Seats Act 1885; Reform Act, 1884; failure to rescue General Gordon in Khartoum, Sudan.
	The Marquess of Salisbury (1st term)		23 June 1885	28 January 1886	Conservative	Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs & Leader of the House of Lords	Legislation providing for housing the working class.
	William Ewart Gladstone (3rd term)		1 February 1886	20 July 1886	Liberal	First Lord of the Treasury, Lord Privy Seal & Leader of the House of Commons	First introduction of the Home Rule Bill for Ireland, which split the Liberal Party, resulting in the end of Gladstone's government.
	The Marquess of Salisbury (2nd term)		25 July 1886	11 August 1892	Conservative	Leader of the House of Lords 25 July 1886 - 11 August 1892; First Lord of the Treasury 25 July 1886 - January 14, 1887; Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs January 14, 1887 - 11 August 1892	Opposed Irish home rule; Local Government Act 1888; Partition of Africa; Free Education Act 1891; creation of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
	William Ewart Gladstone (4th term)		15 August 1892	2 March 1894	Liberal	First Lord of the Treasury, Lord Privy Seal & Leader of the House of Commons	Reintroduction of the Home Rule Bill, which was passed by the House of Commons but rejected by the House of Lords leading to his resignation.
	The Earl of Rosebery		5 March 1894	22 June 1895	Liberal	First Lord of the Treasury, Lord President of the Council & Leader of the House of Lords	Imperialist; plans for expanding the Royal Navy caused disagreement within the Liberal Party; resigned following a vote of censure over military supplies.
	The Marquess of Salisbury (3rd term)		25 June 1895	11 July 1902	Conservative	Leader of the House of Lords 25 June 1895 - 11 July 1902; Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs 25 June 1895 - November 12, 1900; Lord Privy Seal November 12, 1900 - 11 July 1902	Workmen's Compensation Act 1897; Second Boer War; Anglo-Japanese Alliance.

20th century Prime Ministers

There was no change in the jurisdiction of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (and hence the area the Prime Minister was Prime Minister of) until 1922, when following the Anglo-Irish War, 26 counties in Ireland seceded from the United Kingdom, forming the Irish Free State. The other six counties, in the northeast of Ireland, remained in the Union, becoming Northern Ireland. The official name of the United Kingdom became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1927.

Name		Portrait	Entered office	Left office	Political party	Other ministerial offices held	Notes and key events
	Arthur Balfour		11 July 1902	5 December 1905	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	Had poor relations with Edward VII; his cabinet was split over free trade; establishment of the Committee of Imperial Defence; Entente Cordiale.
	Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman		5 December 1905	7 April 1908	Liberal	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	Restored autonomy to Transvaal and the Orange Free State; Anglo-Russian Entente; first Prime Minister to be referred to as such in Parliamentary legislation.
	H. H. Asquith		7 April 1908	7 December 1916	Liberal	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons 5 April 1908 - 5 December 1916; Secretary of State for War March 30 1914 - August 5, 1914	Liberal Welfare Reforms; People's Budget; Parliament Act 1911; National Insurance and pensions; Home Rule Act 1914; World War I; Easter Rising.
	David Lloyd George		7 December 1916	19 October 1922	Liberal	First Lord of the Treasury	End of World War I; Paris Peace Conference; attempted to extend conscription to Ireland during the First World War; granted women over 30 the vote; formation of the Irish Free State; the only Prime Minister, as of 2007, whose mother tongue was not English (it was Welsh).
	Andrew Bonar Law		23 October 1922	20 May 1923	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	Resigned due to ill health; died six months after leaving office.
	Stanley Baldwin (1st term)		23 May 1923	16 January 1924	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons 23 May 1923 - 16 January 1924; Chancellor of the Exchequer 23 May 1923 - 27 August 1923	Called a general election to gain a mandate for protectionist tariffs but failed to gain a majority; resigned after losing a vote of confidence.
	Ramsay MacDonald (1st term)		22 January 1924	4 November 1924	Labour	First Lord of the Treasury, Leader of the House of Commons & Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	First Labour prime minister; did not have a majority so could not introduce radical legislation; settled reparations with Germany following World War I.
	Stanley Baldwin (2nd term)		4 November 1924	5 June 1929	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	Treaty of Locarno; signatory of the Kellogg-Briand Pact; Pensions Act; enfranchisement of women over 21; UK General Strike of 1926.
	Ramsay MacDonald (2nd term)		5 June 1929	24 August 1931	Labour	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	Appointed the first female minister, Margaret Bondfield; economic crises following the Wall Street Crash of 1929.
	Ramsay MacDonald (3rd term)		24 August 1931	7 June 1935	National Labour ( National Government)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	Unable to retain the support of the Labour Party, MacDonald officially resigned and was then re-appointed to form a National Government with the support of the Conservative and Liberal parties. He was expelled from the Labour Party.
	Stanley Baldwin (3rd term)		7 June 1935	28 May 1937	Conservative ( National Government)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	Managed the abdication crisis of Edward VIII; started rearmament but later criticised for failing to rearm more when Adolf Hitler broke Germany's Treaty of Versailles obligations.
	Neville Chamberlain		28 May 1937	10 May 1940	Conservative ( National Government)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	Attempted to prevent World War II through appeasement of Germany; widely criticised following the invasion of Poland; resigned after failing to form a Coalition Government.
	Winston Churchill (1st term)		10 May 1940	23 May 1945	Conservative (Coalition)	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister of Defence 10 May 1940 - 23 May 1945; Leader of the House of Commons 10 May 1940 - February 19, 1942	World War II; led a Coalition Government; foundation of the United Nations; proposed what would eventually lead to the European Union.
	Winston Churchill (2nd term)		23 May 1945	27 July 1945	Conservative ( Caretaker)	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister of Defence	Following the ending of his all-party coalition, Churchill formed a "caretaker" government out of Conservatives, Liberal Nationals and non-party figures. However after two months it was defeated in the 1945 general election.
	Clement Attlee		27 July 1945	26 October 1951	Labour	First Lord of the Treasury 27 July 1945 - 26 October 1951; Minister of Defence 27 July 1945 - December 1946	Initiated the post-war consensus; introduced nationalisation of utilities; foundation of the National Health Service; extended national insurance scheme; independence of India and the end of the British role in Palestine; foundation of NATO.
	Winston Churchill (3rd term)		26 October 1951	7 April 1955	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury 26 October 1951 - 7 April 1955; Minister of Defence 26 October 1951 - March 12, 1952	Domestic policy interrupted by foreign disputes ( Operation Ajax, Mau Mau Uprising, Malayan Emergency).
	Anthony Eden		7 April 1955	10 January 1957	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury	Failed to prevent the Egyptian nationalisation of the Suez Canal; invaded Egypt leading to the Suez Crisis.
	Harold Macmillan		10 January 1957	19 October 1963	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury	The UK applied to join the European Economic Community for the first time, the application split the Conservatives and was rejected by Charles de Gaulle, President of France; Profumo Affair.
	Alec Douglas-Home		19 October 1963	16 October 1964	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury	Was the Earl of Home when he became Prime Minister, and renounced his peerage on 23 October 1963 in order to stand for the House of Commons.
	Harold Wilson (1st term)		16 October 1964	19 June 1970	Labour	First Lord of the Treasury	Social reforms, including legalisation of abortion and decriminalisation of homosexuality; Rhodesian U.D.I.; adopted, then abandoned, the National Plan for the economy; Devaluation of the pound; foundation of the Open University; dispute over In Place of Strife trade union reforms.
	Edward Heath		19 June 1970	4 March 1974	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury	U-turned over intervention in industry; negotiated Britain's entry to the European Community; Violence due to Northern Ireland's 'Troubles' peaked; the Sunningdale Agreement agreed; Three-Day Week; called early election in backfiring attempt to confront striking miners.
	Harold Wilson (2nd term)		4 March 1974	5 April 1976	Labour	First Lord of the Treasury	Ended dispute with miners; Social Contract with trade unions over the economy; Health and Safety at Work Act; Renegotiated terms for EC membership, then 1975 referendum validated entry; North Sea oil, Cod War.
	James Callaghan		5 April 1976	4 May 1979	Labour	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister for the Civil Service	International Monetary Fund loan to support the pound; the Lib-Lab pact; enacted devolution to Scotland and Wales but referendums stopped them; relations with trade unions broke down in the Winter of Discontent.
	Margaret Thatcher		4 May 1979	28 November 1990	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister for the Civil Service	First female Prime Minister of the UK; Falklands War; sold council housing to tenants ( right to buy) without replacement; miners' strike 1984-5; privatisation of many previously government-owned industries; decreased the power of trade unions; Anglo-Irish Agreement; Section 28; abolition of GLC; negotiation of the UK rebate towards the European Community budget; the " Poll tax".
	John Major		28 November 1990	2 May 1997	Conservative	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister for the Civil Service	Global recession; Gulf War; ratification of the Maastricht Treaty and the Maastricht Rebels; forced exit from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (" Black Wednesday"); the Downing Street Declaration (initiating the Northern Ireland peace process); Citizen's charter; Sunday Shopping; " Back to Basics" campaign; Cones Hotline; Dangerous Dogs Act.
	Tony Blair		2 May 1997	27 June 2007	Labour	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister for the Civil Service	Independence for the Bank of England; Belfast Agreement; Human Rights Act; devolution to Scotland and Wales; House of Lords Reform; minimum wage; Kosovo War; Mayor of London and GLA; war in Afghanistan; Iraq War; university tuition fees; Civil Partnership Act; July 7th Bombing; Cash for Peerages; Ecclestone scandal; Iraq Dossier; Kelly suicide

21st century Prime Ministers

Name		Portrait	Entered office	Left office	Political party	Other ministerial offices held	Notes and key events
	Gordon Brown		27 June 2007	Incumbent	Labour	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister for the Civil Service	London car bombs; Glasgow Airport attack; foot-and-mouth outbreak (2007); national floods; child benefit data misplaced; Donorgate ; Northern Rock; Treaty of Lisbon