Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs - wikipedia Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs `` Foreign Secretary '' redirects here. For other uses, see Foreign secretary. Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Royal Arms used by Her Majesty 's Government Incumbent Boris Johnson since 13 July 2016 ( 2016 - 07 - 13 ) Foreign and Commonwealth Office Style The Right Honourable ( within the UK and the Commonwealth ) His Excellency ( in international correspondence ) Foreign Secretary ( informal ) Member of Cabinet Privy Council National Security Council Reports to Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Residence No. 1 Carlton Gardens Chevening Seat Westminster Appointer Monarch of the United Kingdom Term length At Her Majesty 's pleasure Inaugural holder Charles James Fox Formation 27 March 1782 Deputy Sir Alan Duncan as Minister of State for Europe Website Official website United Kingdom This article is part of a series on the politics and government of the United Kingdom Constitution Constitution Cabinet Manual Erskine May Taxation The Crown British Monarchy Monarch Queen Elizabeth II Heir apparent The Prince of Wales Royal family Succession to the British throne Royal prerogative Executive HM Government Prime Minister Theresa May Cabinet Current ministry Her Majesty 's Civil Service Departments Executive agencies Public bodies Privy Council Crown - in - Council Queen Elizabeth II Legislature Parliament ( 56th Parliament ) Crown - in - Parliament Queen Elizabeth II House of Lords Lord Speaker The Lord Fowler House of Commons Speaker John Bercow Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn Her Majesty 's Loyal Opposition Shadow Cabinet State Opening of Parliament Prime Minister 's Questions Act of Parliament Statutory Instruments Judiciary Supreme Court President The Baroness Hale of Richmond Deputy President The Lord Mance Judges of the Supreme Court Courts of the United Kingdom Courts of England and Wales Courts of Scotland Courts of Northern Ireland Devolution Joint Ministerial Committee Scotland Government Parliament Wales Government National Assembly Reserved matters Northern Ireland Executive Assembly Administrative geography England Subdivisions of England Local government in England Scotland Subdivisions of Scotland Local government in Scotland Wales Local government in Wales Northern Ireland Local government in Northern Ireland Elections Parliament constituencies Political parties Last election Next election Referendums Foreign relations History Foreign policy UK and the United Nations Politics of the European Union Commonwealth of Nations United Kingdom portal Other countries Atlas Her Majesty 's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, normally referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior, high - ranking official within the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Foreign Secretary is a member of the Cabinet, and the post is considered one of the Great Offices of State. It is considered a position similar to that of Foreign Minister in other countries. The Foreign Secretary reports directly to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The Foreign Secretary 's remit includes : relations with foreign countries, matters pertaining to the Commonwealth of Nations and the Overseas Territories in addition to the promotion of British interests abroad. The Foreign Secretary also has ministerial oversight for the Secret Intelligence Service ( MI6 ) and the Government Communications Headquarters ( GCHQ ). The Foreign Secretary works out of the Foreign Office in Whitehall, and the post 's official residences are 1 Carlton Gardens in London and Chevening in Kent. Margaret Beckett, appointed in 2006 by Tony Blair, is the only woman to have held the post. The current Foreign Secretary is Boris Johnson, the former Mayor of London, who was appointed by Prime Minister Theresa May in July 2016. Contents 1 History 2 List of Foreign Secretaries 2.1 Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs ( 1782 -- 1968 ) 2.2 Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs ( 1968 -- present ) 3 See also 4 References 5 External links History History of United Kingdom government departments with responsibility for foreign affairs Northern Department 1660 -- 1782 Secretaries Undersecretaries Foreign Office 1782 -- 1968 Secretaries Ministers Undersecretaries Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1968 -- present Secretaries Ministers Undersecretaries Southern Department 1660 -- 1768 Secretaries Undersecretaries Colonial Office 1768 -- 1782 Secretaries Undersecretaries Home Office 1782 -- 1794 Secretaries Undersecretaries War Office 1794 -- 1801 Secretaries Undersecretaries War and Colonial Office 1801 -- 1854 Secretaries Undersecretaries Colonial Office 1854 -- 1925 Secretaries Undersecretaries Colonial Office 1925 -- 1966 Secretaries Ministers Undersecretaries Commonwealth Office 1966 -- 1968 Secretaries Ministers Undersecretaries Southern Department 1768 -- 1782 Secretaries Undersecretaries Dominions Office 1925 -- 1947 Secretaries Undersecretaries Commonwealth Relations Office 1947 -- 1966 Secretaries Ministers Undersecretaries. India Office 1858 -- 1937 Secretaries Undersecretaries India Office and Burma Office 1937 -- 1947 Secretaries Undersecretaries The position of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs was created in the British governmental reorganisation of 1782, in which the Northern and Southern Departments became the Home and Foreign Offices, respectively. Eventually, the position of Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs came into existence in 1968 with the merger of the functions of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs into a single Department of State. The India Office was a constituent predecessor department of the Foreign Office, as were the Colonial Office and the Dominions Office. List of Foreign Secretaries Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs ( 1782 -- 1968 ) Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Portrait Name ( Birth -- Death ) Term of office Party Ministry Monarch ( Reign ) Ref. The Right Honourable Charles James Fox MP for Westminster ( 1749 -- 1806 ) 27 March 1782 5 July 1782 Whig Rockingham II George III ( 1760 -- 1820 ) The Right Honourable Thomas Robinson 2nd Baron Grantham PC ( 1738 -- 1786 ) 13 July 1782 2 April 1783 Whig Shelburne ( Whig -- Tory ) The Right Honourable Charles James Fox MP for Westminster ( 1749 -- 1806 ) 2 April 1783 19 December 1783 Whig Fox -- North The Right Honourable George Nugent - Temple - Grenville 3rd Earl Temple PC ( 1753 -- 1813 ) 19 December 1783 23 December 1783 Tory Pitt I His Grace Francis Osborne 5th Duke of Leeds KG PC ( 1751 -- 1799 ) 23 December 1783 May 1791 Tory The Right Honourable William Grenville 1st Baron Grenville PC PC ( Ire ) ( 1759 -- 1834 ) 8 June 1791 20 February 1801 Tory ​ The Right Honourable Robert Jenkinson 2nd Baron Hawkesbury PC FRS MP for Rye ( 1770 -- 1828 ) 20 February 1801 14 May 1804 Tory Addington The Right Honourable Dudley Ryder 2nd Baron Harrowby PC FSA ( 1762 -- 1847 ) 14 May 1804 11 January 1805 Tory Pitt II The Right Honourable Henry Phipps 3rd Baron Mulgrave PC ( 1755 -- 1831 ) 11 January 1805 7 February 1806 Tory The Right Honourable Charles James Fox MP for Westminster ( 1749 -- 1806 ) 7 February 1806 13 September 1806 Whig All the Talents ( Whig -- Tory ) The Right Honourable Charles Grey 1st Viscount Howick PC MP for Northumberland ( 1764 -- 1845 ) 24 September 1806 25 March 1807 Whig The Right Honourable George Canning MP for Newtown ( Isle of Wight ) -- Hastings ( 1770 -- 1827 ) 25 March 1807 11 October 1809 Tory Portland II The Right Honourable Henry Bathurst 3rd Earl Bathurst PC ( 1762 -- 1834 ) 11 October 1809 6 December 1809 Tory Perceval The Most Honourable Richard Wellesley 1st Marquess Wellesley KG PC PC ( Ire ) ( 1760 -- 1842 ) 6 December 1809 4 March 1812 Independent The Most Honourable Robert Stewart 2nd Marquess of Londonderry KG GCH PC PC ( Ire ) ( 1769 -- 1822 ) 4 March 1812 12 August 1822 Tory Liverpool George IV ( 1820 -- 1830 ) The Right Honourable George Canning FRS MP for 3 constituencies respectively ( 1770 -- 1827 ) 16 September 1822 30 April 1827 Tory The Right Honourable John Ward 1st Earl of Dudley PC FRS ( 1781 -- 1833 ) 30 April 1827 2 June 1828 Tory Canning ( Canningite -- Whig ) Goderich ​ Wellington -- Peel The Right Honourable George Hamilton - Gordon 4th Earl of Aberdeen KT FRS PC FSA Scot ( 1784 -- 1860 ) 2 June 1828 22 November 1830 Tory William IV ( 1830 -- 1837 ) The Right Honourable Henry John Temple 3rd Viscount Palmerston GCB PC MP for 3 constituencies respectively ( 1784 -- 1865 ) 22 November 1830 14 November 1834 Whig Grey Melbourne I Field Marshal His Grace Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke of Wellington KG GCB GCH PC ( 1769 -- 1852 ) 14 November 1834 18 April 1835 Tory Wellington Caretaker Conservative Peel I The Right Honourable Henry John Temple 3rd Viscount Palmerston GCB PC MP for Tiverton ( 1784 -- 1865 ) 18 April 1835 2 September 1841 Whig Melbourne II Victoria ( 1837 -- 1901 ) The Right Honourable George Hamilton - Gordon 4th Earl of Aberdeen KT FRS PC FSA Scot ( 1784 -- 1860 ) 2 September 1841 6 July 1846 Conservative Peel II The Right Honourable Henry John Temple 3rd Viscount Palmerston GCB PC MP for Tiverton ( 1784 -- 1865 ) 6 July 1846 26 December 1851 Whig Russell I The Right Honourable Granville Leveson - Gower 2nd Earl Granville PC ( 1815 -- 1891 ) 26 December 1851 27 February 1852 Whig The Right Honourable James Howard Harris 3rd Earl of Malmesbury PC ( 1807 -- 1889 ) 27 February 1852 28 December 1852 Conservative Who ? Who ? The Right Honourable Lord John Russell FRS MP for the City of London ( 1792 -- 1878 ) 28 December 1852 21 February 1853 Whig Aberdeen ( Peelite -- Whig ) ​ The Right Honourable George Villiers 4th Earl of Clarendon KG GCB PC ( 1800 -- 1870 ) 21 February 1853 26 February 1858 Whig Palmerston I The Right Honourable James Howard Harris 3rd Earl of Malmesbury GCB PC ( 1807 -- 1889 ) 26 February 1858 18 June 1859 Conservative Derby -- Disraeli II The Right Honourable John Russell 1st Earl Russell KG PC FRS ( 1792 -- 1878 ) 18 June 1859 3 November 1865 Liberal Palmerston II ​ Russell II The Right Honourable George Villiers 4th Earl of Clarendon KG GCB PC ( 1800 -- 1870 ) 3 November 1865 6 July 1866 Liberal The Right Honourable Edward Stanley Lord Stanley PC FRS MP for King 's Lynn ( 1826 -- 1893 ) 6 July 1866 9 December 1868 Conservative Derby -- Disraeli III The Right Honourable George Villiers 4th Earl of Clarendon KG GCB PC ( 1800 -- 1870 ) 9 December 1868 6 July 1870 Liberal Gladstone I The Right Honourable Granville Leveson - Gower 2nd Earl Granville KG PC FRS ( 1815 -- 1891 ) 6 July 1870 21 February 1874 Liberal The Right Honourable Edward Stanley 15th Earl of Derby PC FRS ( 1826 -- 1893 ) 21 February 1874 2 April 1878 Conservative Disraeli II The Most Honourable Robert Gascoyne - Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury KG PC FRS DL ( 1830 -- 1903 ) 2 April 1878 28 April 1880 Conservative The Right Honourable Granville Leveson - Gower 2nd Earl Granville KG PC FRS ( 1815 -- 1891 ) 28 April 1880 24 June 1885 Liberal Gladstone II The Most Honourable Robert Gascoyne - Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury KG PC FRS DL ( 1830 -- 1903 ) 24 June 1885 6 February 1886 Conservative Salisbury I The Right Honourable Archibald Primrose 5th Earl of Rosebery PC FRS ( 1847 -- 1929 ) 6 February 1886 3 August 1886 Liberal Gladstone III The Right Honourable Stafford Northcote 1st Earl of Iddesleigh GCB PC FRS ( 1818 -- 1887 ) 3 August 1886 12 January 1887 Conservative Salisbury II The Most Honourable Robert Gascoyne - Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury KG PC FRS DL ( 1830 -- 1903 ) 14 January 1887 11 August 1892 Conservative The Right Honourable Archibald Primrose 5th Earl of Rosebery KG PC FRS ( 1847 -- 1929 ) 18 August 1892 11 March 1894 Liberal Gladstone IV The Right Honourable John Wodehouse 1st Earl of Kimberley KG PC DL ( 1826 -- 1902 ) 11 March 1894 21 June 1895 Liberal Rosebery The Most Honourable Robert Gascoyne - Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury KG PC FRS DL ( 1830 -- 1903 ) 29 June 1895 12 November 1900 Conservative Salisbury III ( Con. -- Lib. U. ) ​ The Most Honourable Henry Petty - Fitzmaurice 5th Marquess of Lansdowne KG GCSI GCMG GCIE PC ( 1845 -- 1927 ) 12 November 1900 4 December 1905 Liberal Unionist ​ Edward VII ( 1901 -- 1910 ) Balfour The Right Honourable Sir Edward Grey Bt DL MP for Berwick - upon - Tweed ( 1862 -- 1933 ) 10 December 1905 10 December 1916 Liberal Campbell - Bannerman ​ Asquith I ​ George V ( 1910 -- 1936 ) Asquith II ( Lib. -- Con. -- et al. ) The Right Honourable Arthur Balfour OM FRS DL MP for the City of London ( 1848 -- 1930 ) 10 December 1916 23 October 1919 Conservative Lloyd George ( I & II ) ​ The Most Honourable George Curzon 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston KG GCSI GCIE PC ( 1859 -- 1925 ) 23 October 1919 22 January 1924 Conservative Law Baldwin I The Right Honourable Ramsay MacDonald MP for Aberavon ( 1866 -- 1937 ) 22 January 1924 3 November 1924 Labour MacDonald I The Right Honourable Sir Austen Chamberlain KG MP for Birmingham West ( 1863 -- 1937 ) 6 November 1924 4 June 1929 Conservative Baldwin II The Right Honourable Arthur Henderson MP for Burnley ( 1863 -- 1935 ) 7 June 1929 24 August 1931 Labour MacDonald II The Most Honourable Rufus Isaacs 1st Marquess of Reading GCB GCSI GCIE GCVO PC KC ( 1860 -- 1935 ) 25 August 1931 5 November 1931 Liberal National I ( N. Lab. -- Con. -- et al. ) The Right Honourable Sir John Simon GCSI OBE MP for Spen Valley ( 1873 -- 1954 ) 5 November 1931 7 June 1935 Liberal National National II The Right Honourable Sir Samuel Hoare Bt GCSI GBE CMG JP MP for Chelsea ( 1880 -- 1959 ) 7 June 1935 18 December 1935 Conservative National III ( Con. -- N. Lab. -- et al. ) ​ The Right Honourable Anthony Eden MC MP for Warwick & Leamington ( 1897 -- 1977 ) 22 December 1935 20 February 1938 Conservative Edward VIII ( 1936 ) ​ George VI ( 1936 -- 1952 ) ​ National IV ​ The Right Honourable Edward Wood 3rd Viscount Halifax PC ( 1881 -- 1959 ) 21 February 1938 22 December 1940 Conservative Chamberlain War Churchill War ( All parties ) The Right Honourable Anthony Eden MC MP for Warwick & Leamington ( 1897 -- 1977 ) 22 December 1940 26 July 1945 Conservative Churchill Caretaker ( Con. -- Lib. N. ) The Right Honourable Ernest Bevin MP for Wandsworth Central -- Woolwich East ( 1881 -- 1951 ) 27 July 1945 9 March 1951 Labour Attlee ( I & II ) The Right Honourable Herbert Morrison MP for Lewisham South ( 1888 -- 1965 ) 9 March 1951 26 October 1951 Labour The Right Honourable Sir Anthony Eden KG MC MP for Warwick & Leamington ( 1897 -- 1977 ) 28 October 1951 7 April 1955 Conservative Churchill III Elizabeth II ( 1952 -- present ) The Right Honourable Harold Macmillan MP for Bromley ( 1894 -- 1986 ) 7 April 1955 20 December 1955 Conservative Eden The Right Honourable Selwyn Lloyd CBE QC MP for Wirral ( 1904 -- 1978 ) 20 December 1955 27 July 1960 Conservative Macmillan ( I & II ) The Right Honourable Alec Douglas - Home 14th Earl of Home PC ( 1903 -- 1995 ) 27 July 1960 20 October 1963 Conservative The Right Honourable Richard Austen Butler CH MP for Saffron Walden ( 1902 -- 1982 ) 20 October 1963 16 October 1964 Conservative Douglas - Home The Right Honourable Patrick Gordon Walker MP for Smethwick ( 1907 -- 1980 ) 16 October 1964 22 January 1965 Labour Wilson ( I & II ) The Right Honourable Michael Stewart MP for Fulham ( 1906 -- 1990 ) 22 January 1965 11 August 1966 Labour The Right Honourable George Brown MP for Belper ( 1914 -- 1985 ) 11 August 1966 16 March 1968 Labour The Right Honourable Michael Stewart MP for Fulham ( 1906 -- 1990 ) 16 March 1968 17 October 1968 Labour ^ † Died in office. Jump up ^ The Prince of Wales served as Prince Regent from 5 February 1811. Jump up ^ Elevated to the Peerage of the United Kingdom in November 1803. Jump up ^ Elected to a new constituency in the 1807 general election. Jump up ^ Elected to a new constituency in the 1950 general election. Jump up ^ Lost seat in the 1964 general election. Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs ( 1968 -- present ) Post created through the merger of the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office. Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Portrait Name ( Birth -- Death ) Term of office Party Ministry Sovereign ( Reign ) Ref. The Right Honourable Michael Stewart MP for Fulham ( 1906 -- 1990 ) 17 October 1968 19 June 1970 Labour Wilson ( I & II ) Elizabeth II ( 1952 -- present ) The Right Honourable Sir Alec Douglas - Home KT MP for Kinross and Western Perthshire ( 1903 -- 1995 ) 20 June 1970 4 March Conservative Heath The Right Honourable James Callaghan MP for Cardiff South East ( 1912 -- 2005 ) 5 March 5 April 1976 Labour Wilson ( III & IV ) The Right Honourable Anthony Crosland MP for Great Grimsby ( 1918 -- 1977 ) 8 April 1976 19 February 1977 Labour Callaghan The Right Honourable David Owen MP for Plymouth Devonport ( born 1938 ) 22 February 1977 4 May 1979 Labour The Right Honourable Peter Carington 6th Baron Carrington KCMG MC PC DL ( born 1919 ) 5 May 1979 5 April 1982 Conservative Thatcher I The Right Honourable Francis Pym MC MP for Cambridgeshire ( 1922 -- 2008 ) 6 April 1982 11 June Conservative The Right Honourable Sir Geoffrey Howe QC MP for East Surrey ( 1926 -- 2015 ) 11 June 24 July 1989 Conservative Thatcher II ​ Thatcher III The Right Honourable John Major MP for Huntingdon ( born 1943 ) 24 July 1989 26 October 1989 Conservative ​ The Right Honourable Douglas Hurd CBE MP for Witney ( born 1930 ) 26 October 1989 5 July 1995 Conservative Major I ​ Major II The Right Honourable Malcolm Rifkind QC MP for Edinburgh Pentlands ( born 1946 ) 5 July 1995 2 May 1997 Conservative The Right Honourable Robin Cook MP for Livingston ( 1946 -- 2005 ) 2 May 1997 8 June 2001 Labour Blair ( I -- III ) The Right Honourable Jack Straw MP for Blackburn ( born 1946 ) 8 June 2001 5 May 2006 Labour The Right Honourable Margaret Beckett MP for Derby South ( born 1943 ) 5 May 2006 28 June 2007 Labour The Right Honourable David Miliband MP for South Shields ( born 1965 ) 28 June 2007 11 May Labour Brown The Right Honourable William Hague FRSL MP for Richmond ( Yorks ) ( born 1961 ) 11 May 14 July 2014 Conservative Cameron -- Clegg ( Con. -- L.D. ) ​ The Right Honourable Philip Hammond MP for Runnymede and Weybridge ( born 1955 ) 14 July 2014 13 July 2016 Conservative Cameron II The Right Honourable Boris Johnson MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip ( born 1964 ) 13 July 2016 Incumbent Conservative May I May II See also Parliamentary Under - Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Permanent Under - Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations Secretary of State for the Colonies Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs Foreign minister Great Offices of State References Jump up ^ `` Public List '' ( PDF ). Protocol and Liaison Service. United Nations. 24 August 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2017. Jump up ^ `` Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs ''. Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 4 September 2014. Jump up ^ `` Ministerial responsibility ''. GCHQ. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2017. Day - to - day ministerial responsibility for GCHQ lies with the Foreign Secretary. ^ Jump up to : `` Past Foreign Secretaries ''. gov.uk. Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 8 September 2017. ^ Jump up to : Including honorifics and constituencies for elected MPs. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Foreign Secretaries of the United Kingdom. FCO website Cabinet of the United Kingdom Great Offices of State Prime Minister / First Lord of the Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer / Second Lord of the Treasury Foreign & Commonwealth Home Other Cabinet posts Leader of the House of Lords / Lord Privy Seal Minister for the Cabinet Office / Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Minister without portfolio Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy Housing, Communities & Local Government Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Defence Education Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Exiting the European Union Health & Social Care International Development International Trade / President of the Board of Trade Lord Chancellor / Secretary of State for Justice Northern Ireland Scotland Transport Wales Work & Pensions Also attend Cabinet Attorney General Chief Secretary to the Treasury Chief Whip Leader of the House of Commons / Lord President of the Council Minister of State for Climate Change and Industry Minister of State for Immigration Great Offices of State of the United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson Home Secretary Sajid Javid Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Secretary_of_State_for_Foreign_and_Commonwealth_Affairs&oldid=843101555 '' Categories : Foreign relations of the United Kingdom Ministerial offices in the United Kingdom Lists of government ministers of the United Kingdom Foreign ministers 1782 establishments in Great Britain 1782 in politics 1968 in politics 1968 establishments in the United Kingdom Hidden categories : Use British English from November 2011 Use dmy dates from November 2011 Official website not in Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Беларуская Català Dansk Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Македонски Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Русский Scots Simple English Svenska ไทย Українська 中文 14 more Edit links This page was last edited on 26 May 2018, at 22 : 03. 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Question: who took over as foreign secretary in 2016
Answer: Boris Johnson