# President of the Board of Trade

The president of the Board of Trade is head of the Board of Trade. A committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, it was first established as a temporary committee of inquiry in the 17th century that evolved gradually into a government department with diverse functions. The current holder of the post is Jonathan Reynolds, who is concurrently the secretary of state for business and trade.

## History

The idea of a Board of Trade was first translated into action by Oliver Cromwell in 1655 when he appointed his son Richard Cromwell to head a body of Lords of the Privy Council, judges and merchants to consider measures to promote trade. Charles II established a Council of Trade on 7 November 1660, followed by a Council of Foreign Plantations on 1 December that year. The two were united on 16 September 1672 as the Board of Trade and Plantations.
After the Board was re-established in 1696, there were 15 (and later 16) members of the Board – the 7 (later 8) great officers of state, and eight unofficial members, who did the majority of the work. The senior unofficial board member was the board president, commonly known as the first lord of trade. The board was abolished on 11 July 1782, but a Committee of the Privy Council was established on 5 March 1784 for the same purposes. On 23 August 1786, a new committee was set up, more strongly focused on commercial functions than the previous boards of trade. At first, the president of the Board of Trade only occasionally sat in the Cabinet. Still, from the early 19th century, it was usually a cabinet-level position.
In 2020, there was an unusual appointment of a deputy president to assist the president. Still, the holder remained only an adviser to the Board. This appears to have been a one-off appointment, and this role no longer exists. However, the president was previously assisted by the vice president.

## List of presidents of the Board of Trade
### First Lord of Trade (1672–1782)

| First Lord | Term of office | Term of office | Monarch |
| Anthony Ashley Cooper 1st Earl of Shaftesbury | 16 September 1672 | 1676 | Charles II (1660–1685) |
| John Egerton 3rd Earl of Bridgewater | 16 December 1695 | 9 June 1699 | William III (1689–1702) |
| Thomas Grey 2nd Earl of Stamford | 9 June 1699 | 19 June 1702 | William III (1689–1702) |
| Thomas Grey 2nd Earl of Stamford | 9 June 1699 | 19 June 1702 | Anne (1702–1714 |
| Thomas Thynne 1st Viscount Weymouth | 19 June 1702 | 1705 | Anne (1702–1714 |
| Thomas Grey 2nd Earl of Stamford | 1705 | 12 June 1711 | Anne (1702–1714 |
| Charles Finch 4th Earl of Winchilsea | 12 June 1711 | 15 September 1713 | Anne (1702–1714 |
| Francis North 2nd Baron Guilford | 15 September 1713 | September 1714 | Anne (1702–1714 |
| Francis North 2nd Baron Guilford | 15 September 1713 | September 1714 | George I (1714–1727 |
| William Berkeley 4th Baron Berkeley of Stratton | September 1714 | 12 May 1715 | George I (1714–1727 |
| Henry Howard 6th Earl of Suffolk | 12 May 1715 | 31 January 1718 | George I (1714–1727 |
| Robert Darcy 3rd Earl of Holderness | 31 January 1718 | 11 May 1719 | George I (1714–1727 |
| Thomas Fane 6th Earl of Westmorland | 11 May 1719 | May 1735 | George I (1714–1727 |
| Thomas Fane 6th Earl of Westmorland | 11 May 1719 | May 1735 | George II (1727–1760 |
| Benjamin Mildmay 1st Earl Fitzwalter | May 1735 | June 1737 | George II (1727–1760 |
| John Monson 1st Baron Monson | June 1737 | 1 November 1748 | George II (1727–1760 |
| George Montagu-Dunk 2nd Earl of Halifax | 1 November 1748 | 21 March 1761 | George II (1727–1760 |
| George Montagu-Dunk 2nd Earl of Halifax | 1 November 1748 | 21 March 1761 | George III (1760–1820) |
| Samuel Sandys 1st Baron Sandys | 21 March 1761 | 1 March 1763 | George III (1760–1820) |
| Charles Townshend | 1 March 1763 | 20 April 1763 | George III (1760–1820) |
| William Petty 2nd Earl of Shelburne | 20 April 1763 | 9 September 1763 | George III (1760–1820) |
| Wills Hill Earl of Hillsborough | 9 September 1763 | 20 July 1765 | George III (1760–1820) |
| William Legge 2nd Earl of Dartmouth | 20 July 1765 | 16 August 1766 | George III (1760–1820) |
| Wills Hill Earl of Hillsborough | 16 August 1766 | December 1766 | George III (1760–1820) |
| Robert Nugent Viscount Clare | 19 January 1767 | 20 January 1768 | George III (1760–1820) |
| Wills Hill Earl of Hillsborough | 20 January 1768 | 31 August 1772 | George III (1760–1820) |
| William Legge 2nd Earl of Dartmouth | 31 August 1772 | 10 November 1775 | George III (1760–1820) |
| George Germain 1st Viscount Sackville | 10 November 1775 | 6 November 1779 | George III (1760–1820) |
| Frederick Howard 5th Earl of Carlisle | 6 November 1779 | 9 December 1780 | George III (1760–1820) |
| Thomas Robinson 2nd Baron Grantham | 9 December 1780 | 11 July 1782 | George III (1760–1820) |

### President of the Committee on Trade and Foreign Plantations (1784–1786)

| President of the Committee | President of the Committee | President of the Committee | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Ministry | Monarch |
| | | Thomas Townshend 1st Viscount Sydney | 5 March 1784 | 23 August 1786 | Whig | Pitt I | George III (1760–1820) |

### President of the Board of Trade (1786–1963)

| President of the Board Constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Ministry | Monarch |
| Charles Jenkinson 1st Earl of Liverpool | 23 August 1786 | 7 June 1804 | Tory | Pitt I | George III (1760–1820) |
| Charles Jenkinson 1st Earl of Liverpool | 23 August 1786 | 7 June 1804 | Tory | Addington | George III (1760–1820) |
| James Graham 3rd Duke of Montrose | 7 June 1804 | 5 February 1806 | Tory | Pitt II | George III (1760–1820) |
| William Eden 1st Baron Auckland | 5 February 1806 | 31 March 1807 | Independent | All the Talents | George III (1760–1820) |
| Henry Bathurst 3rd Earl Bathurst | 31 March 1807 | 29 September 1812 | Tory | Portland II | George III (1760–1820) |
| Henry Bathurst 3rd Earl Bathurst | 31 March 1807 | 29 September 1812 | Tory | Perceval | George III (1760–1820) |
| Henry Bathurst 3rd Earl Bathurst | 31 March 1807 | 29 September 1812 | Tory | Liverpool | George III (1760–1820) |
| Richard Trench 2nd Earl of Clancarty | 29 September 1812 | 24 January 1818 | Tory | Liverpool | George III (1760–1820) |
| F. J. Robinson MP for Ripon | 24 January 1818 | 21 February 1823 | Tory | Liverpool | George III (1760–1820) |
| F. J. Robinson MP for Ripon | 24 January 1818 | 21 February 1823 | Tory | Liverpool | George IV (1820–1830) |
| William Huskisson MP for Liverpool | 21 February 1823 | 4 September 1827 | Tory | Liverpool | George IV (1820–1830) |
| William Huskisson MP for Liverpool | 21 February 1823 | 4 September 1827 | Tory | Canning | George IV (1820–1830) |
| Charles Grant MP for Inverness-shire | 4 September 1827 | 11 June 1828 | Tory | Goderich | George IV (1820–1830) |
| Charles Grant MP for Inverness-shire | 4 September 1827 | 11 June 1828 | Tory | Wellington–Peel | George IV (1820–1830) |
| William Vesey-FitzGerald MP for Newport (Cornwall) | 11 June 1828 | 2 February 1830 | Tory | Wellington–Peel | George IV (1820–1830) |
| John Charles Herries MP for Harwich | 2 February 1830 | 22 November 1830 | Tory | Wellington–Peel | George IV (1820–1830) |
| John Charles Herries MP for Harwich | 2 February 1830 | 22 November 1830 | Tory | Wellington–Peel | William IV (1830–1837) |
| George Eden Lord Auckland | 22 November 1830 | 5 June 1834 | Whig | Grey | William IV (1830–1837) |
| George Eden Lord Auckland | 22 November 1830 | 5 June 1834 | Whig | Melbourne I | William IV (1830–1837) |
| Charles Poulett Thomson MP for Manchester | 5 June 1834 | 14 November 1834 | Whig | Melbourne I | William IV (1830–1837) |
| Alexander Baring MP for North Essex | 15 December 1834 | 8 April 1835 | Tory | Wellington Caretaker | William IV (1830–1837) |
| Alexander Baring MP for North Essex | 15 December 1834 | 8 April 1835 | Tory | Peel I | William IV (1830–1837) |
| Charles Poulett Thomson MP for Manchester | 8 April 1835 | 29 August 1839 | Whig | Melbourne II | William IV (1830–1837) |
| Charles Poulett Thomson MP for Manchester | 8 April 1835 | 29 August 1839 | Whig | Melbourne II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Henry Labouchere MP for Taunton | 29 August 1839 | 30 August 1841 | Whig | Melbourne II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| F. J. Robinson Earl of Ripon | 3 September 1841 | 15 May 1843 | Conservative | Peel II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| William Ewart Gladstone MP for Newark | 15 May 1843 | 5 February 1845 | Conservative | Peel II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| James Broun-Ramsay Earl of Dalhousie | 5 February 1845 | 27 June 1846 | Conservative | Peel II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| George Villiers 4th Earl of Clarendon | 6 July 1846 | 22 July 1847 | Whig | Russell I | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Henry Labouchere MP for Taunton | 22 July 1847 | 21 February 1852 | Whig | Russell I | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| J. W. Henley MP for Oxfordshire | 27 February 1852 | 17 December 1852 | Conservative | Derby–Disraeli I | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Edward Cardwell MP for Oxford | 28 December 1852 | 31 March 1855 | Peelite | Aberdeen | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Edward Stanley 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley | 31 March 1855 | 21 February 1858 | Whig | Palmerston | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| J. W. Henley MP for Oxfordshire | 26 February 1858 | 3 March 1859 | Conservative | Derby–Disraeli II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Richard Hely-Hutchinson 4th Earl of Donoughmore | 3 March 1859 | 11 June 1859 | Conservative | Derby–Disraeli II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Thomas Milner Gibson MP for Ashton-under-Lyne | 6 July 1859 | 26 June 1866 | Liberal | Palmerston II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Thomas Milner Gibson MP for Ashton-under-Lyne | 6 July 1859 | 26 June 1866 | Liberal | Russell III | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Stafford Northcote 1st Earl of Iddesleigh | 6 July 1866 | 8 March 1867 | Conservative | Derby–Disraeli III | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Charles Gordon-Lennox 6th Duke of Richmond | 8 March 1867 | 1 December 1868 | Conservative | Derby–Disraeli III | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| John Bright MP for Birmingham | 9 December 1868 | 14 January 1871 | Liberal | Gladstone I | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue MP for County Louth | 14 January 1871 | 17 February 1874 | Liberal | Gladstone I | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Charles Adderley 1st Baron Norton | 21 February 1874 | 4 April 1878 | Conservative | Disraeli II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Viscount Sandon MP for Liverpool | 4 April 1878 | 21 April 1880 | Conservative | Disraeli II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Joseph Chamberlain MP for Birmingham | 3 May 1880 | 9 June 1885 | Liberal | Gladstone II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Charles Gordon-Lennox 6th Duke of Richmond | 24 June 1885 | 19 August 1885 | Conservative | Salisbury I | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Edward Stanhope MP for Horncastle | 19 August 1885 | 28 January 1886 | Conservative | Salisbury I | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| A. J. Mundella MP for Sheffield Brightside | 17 February 1886 | 20 July 1886 | Liberal | Gladstone III | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Frederick Stanley Lord Stanley of Preston | 3 August 1886 | 21 February 1888 | Conservative | Salisbury II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Michael Hicks Beach 1st Earl St Aldwyn | 21 February 1888 | 11 August 1892 | Conservative | Salisbury II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| A. J. Mundella MP for Sheffield Brightside | 18 August 1892 | 28 May 1894 | Liberal | Gladstone IV | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| James Bryce MP for Aberdeen South | 28 May 1894 | 21 June 1895 | Liberal | Rosebery | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Charles Ritchie MP for Croydon | 29 June 1895 | 7 November 1900 | Conservative | Salisbury III | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Gerald Balfour MP for Leeds Central | 7 November 1900 | 12 March 1905 | Conservative | Salisbury IV | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| Gerald Balfour MP for Leeds Central | 7 November 1900 | 12 March 1905 | Conservative | Salisbury IV | Edward VII (1901–1910) |
| Gerald Balfour MP for Leeds Central | 7 November 1900 | 12 March 1905 | Conservative | Balfour | Edward VII (1901–1910) |
| James Gascoyne-Cecil 4th Marquess of Salisbury | 12 March 1905 | 4 December 1905 | Conservative | Balfour | Edward VII (1901–1910) |
| David Lloyd George MP for Carnarvon Boroughs | 10 December 1905 | 12 April 1908 | Liberal | Campbell-Bannerman | Edward VII (1901–1910) |
| Winston Churchill MP for Dundee | 12 April 1908 | 14 February 1910 | Liberal | Asquith I | Edward VII (1901–1910) |
| Sydney Buxton MP for Poplar | 14 February 1910 | 11 February 1914 | Liberal | Asquith II | Edward VII (1901–1910) |
| Sydney Buxton MP for Poplar | 14 February 1910 | 11 February 1914 | Liberal | Asquith II | George V (1910–1936) |
| Sydney Buxton MP for Poplar | 14 February 1910 | 11 February 1914 | Liberal | Asquith III | George V (1910–1936) |
| John Burns MP for Battersea | 11 February 1914 | 5 August 1914 | Liberal | Asquith III | George V (1910–1936) |
| Walter Runciman MP for Dewsbury | 5 August 1914 | 5 December 1916 | Liberal | Asquith III | George V (1910–1936) |
| Walter Runciman MP for Dewsbury | 5 August 1914 | 5 December 1916 | Liberal | Asquith Coalition | George V (1910–1936) |
| Albert Stanley MP for Ashton-under-Lyne | 10 December 1916 | 26 May 1919 | Conservative | Lloyd George I | George V (1910–1936) |
| Albert Stanley MP for Ashton-under-Lyne | 10 December 1916 | 26 May 1919 | Conservative | Lloyd George II | George V (1910–1936) |
| Auckland Geddes MP for Basingstoke | 26 May 1919 | 19 March 1920 | Conservative | Lloyd George II | George V (1910–1936) |
| Robert Horne MP for Glasgow Hillhead | 19 March 1920 | 1 April 1921 | Conservative | Lloyd George II | George V (1910–1936) |
| Stanley Baldwin MP for Bewdley | 1 April 1921 | 19 October 1922 | Conservative | Lloyd George II | George V (1910–1936) |
| Philip Cunliffe-Lister MP for Hendon | 24 October 1922 | 22 January 1924 | Conservative | Law | George V (1910–1936) |
| Philip Cunliffe-Lister MP for Hendon | 24 October 1922 | 22 January 1924 | Conservative | Baldwin I | George V (1910–1936) |
| Sidney Webb MP for Seaham | 22 January 1924 | 3 November 1924 | Labour | MacDonald I | George V (1910–1936) |
| Philip Cunliffe-Lister MP for Hendon | 6 November 1924 | 4 June 1929 | Conservative | Baldwin II | George V (1910–1936) |
| William Graham MP for Edinburgh Central | 7 June 1929 | 24 August 1931 | Labour | MacDonald II | George V (1910–1936) |
| Philip Cunliffe-Lister MP for Hendon | 25 August 1931 | 5 November 1931 | Conservative | National I | George V (1910–1936) |
| Walter Runciman MP for St Ives | 5 November 1931 | 28 May 1937 | Liberal National | National II | George V (1910–1936) |
| Walter Runciman MP for St Ives | 5 November 1931 | 28 May 1937 | Liberal National | National II | Edward VIII (1936) |
| Walter Runciman MP for St Ives | 5 November 1931 | 28 May 1937 | Liberal National | National II | George VI (1936–1952) |
| Walter Runciman MP for St Ives | 5 November 1931 | 28 May 1937 | Liberal National | National III | George VI (1936–1952) |
| Oliver Stanley MP for Westmorland | 28 May 1937 | 5 January 1940 | Conservative | National IV | George VI (1936–1952) |
| Oliver Stanley MP for Westmorland | 28 May 1937 | 5 January 1940 | Conservative | Chamberlain War | George VI (1936–1952) |
| Andrew Rae Duncan MP for City of London | 5 January 1940 | 3 October 1940 | Independent | Chamberlain War | George VI (1936–1952) |
| Andrew Rae Duncan MP for City of London | 5 January 1940 | 3 October 1940 | Independent | Churchill War | George VI (1936–1952) |
| Oliver Lyttelton MP for Aldershot | 3 October 1940 | 29 June 1941 | Conservative | Churchill War | George VI (1936–1952) |
| Andrew Rae Duncan MP for City of London | 29 June 1941 | 4 February 1942 | Independent | Churchill War | George VI (1936–1952) |
| John Jestyn Llewellin MP for Uxbridge | 4 February 1942 | 22 February 1942 | Conservative | Churchill War | George VI (1936–1952) |
| Hugh Dalton MP for Peckham | 22 February 1942 | 23 May 1945 | Labour | Churchill War | George VI (1936–1952) |
| Oliver Lyttelton MP for Aldershot | 25 May 1945 | 26 July 1945 | Conservative | Churchill Caretaker | George VI (1936–1952) |
| Stafford Cripps MP for Bristol East | 27 July 1945 | 29 September 1947 | Labour | Attlee I | George VI (1936–1952) |
| Harold Wilson MP for Ormskirk → Huyton | 29 September 1947 | 23 April 1951 | Labour | Attlee I | George VI (1936–1952) |
| Harold Wilson MP for Ormskirk → Huyton | 29 September 1947 | 23 April 1951 | Labour | Attlee II | George VI (1936–1952) |
| Hartley Shawcross MP for St Helens | 24 April 1951 | 26 October 1951 | Labour | Attlee II | George VI (1936–1952) |
| Peter Thorneycroft MP for Monmouth | 30 October 1951 | 13 January 1957 | Conservative | Churchill III | George VI (1936–1952) |
| Peter Thorneycroft MP for Monmouth | 30 October 1951 | 13 January 1957 | Conservative | Churchill III | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Peter Thorneycroft MP for Monmouth | 30 October 1951 | 13 January 1957 | Conservative | Eden | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| David Eccles MP for Chippenham | 13 January 1957 | 14 October 1959 | Conservative | Macmillan I | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Reginald Maudling MP for Barnet | 14 October 1959 | 9 October 1961 | Conservative | Macmillan II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Frederick Erroll MP for Altrincham and Sale | 9 October 1961 | 20 October 1963 | Conservative | Macmillan II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |

### President of the Board of Trade (1963–present)

| President of the Board Constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Concurrent office(s) | Party | Ministry | Monarch |
| Edward Heath MP for Bexley | 20 October 1963 | 16 October 1964 | Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development | Conservative | Douglas-Home | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Douglas Jay MP for Battersea North | 18 October 1964 | 29 August 1967 | None | Labour | Wilson I | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Douglas Jay MP for Battersea North | 18 October 1964 | 29 August 1967 | None | Labour | Wilson II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Anthony Crosland MP for Great Grimsby | 29 August 1967 | 6 October 1969 | None | Labour | Wilson II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Roy Mason MP for Barnsley Central | 6 October 1969 | 19 June 1970 | None | Labour | Wilson II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Michael Noble MP for Argyll | 20 June 1970 | 15 October 1970 | None | Conservative | Heath | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| John Davies MP for Knutsford | 15 October 1970 | 5 November 1972 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Conservative | Heath | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Peter Walker MP for Worcester | 5 November 1972 | 4 March 1974 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Conservative | Heath | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Peter Shore MP for Stepney and Poplar | 5 March 1974 | 8 April 1976 | Secretary of State for Trade | Labour | Wilson III | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Peter Shore MP for Stepney and Poplar | 5 March 1974 | 8 April 1976 | Secretary of State for Trade | Labour | Wilson IV | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Edmund Dell MP for Birkenhead | 8 April 1976 | 11 November 1978 | Secretary of State for Trade | Labour | Callaghan | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| John Smith MP for North Lanarkshire | 11 November 1978 | 4 May 1979 | Secretary of State for Trade | Labour | Callaghan | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| John Nott MP for St Ives | 5 May 1979 | 5 January 1981 | Secretary of State for Trade | Conservative | Thatcher I | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| John Biffen MP for Oswestry | 5 January 1981 | 6 April 1982 | Secretary of State for Trade | Conservative | Thatcher I | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Arthur Cockfield Baron Cockfield | 6 April 1982 | 12 June 1983 | Secretary of State for Trade | Conservative | Thatcher I | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Cecil Parkinson MP for Hertsmere | 12 June 1983 | 11 October 1983 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Conservative | Thatcher II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Norman Tebbit MP for Chingford | 16 October 1983 | 2 September 1985 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Conservative | Thatcher II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Leon Brittan MP for Richmond (Yorks) | 2 September 1985 | 22 January 1986 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Conservative | Thatcher II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Paul Channon MP for Southend West | 24 January 1986 | 13 June 1987 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Conservative | Thatcher II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| David Young Baron Young of Graffham | 13 June 1987 | 24 July 1989 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Conservative | Thatcher III | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Nicholas Ridley MP for Cirencester and Tewkesbury | 24 July 1989 | 13 July 1990 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Conservative | Thatcher III | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Peter Lilley MP for St Albans | 14 July 1990 | 10 April 1992 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Conservative | Thatcher III | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Peter Lilley MP for St Albans | 14 July 1990 | 10 April 1992 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Conservative | Major I | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Michael Heseltine MP for Henley | 10 April 1992 | 5 July 1995 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Conservative | Major II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Ian Lang MP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale | 5 July 1995 | 2 May 1997 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Conservative | Major II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Margaret Beckett MP for Derby South | 2 May 1997 | 27 July 1998 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Labour | Blair I | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Peter Mandelson MP for Hartlepool | 27 July 1998 | 23 December 1998 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Labour | Blair I | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Stephen Byers MP for North Tyneside | 23 December 1998 | 8 June 2001 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Labour | Blair I | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Patricia Hewitt MP for Leicester West | 8 June 2001 | 6 May 2005 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Labour | Blair II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Alan Johnson MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle | 6 May 2005 | 5 May 2006 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Labour | Blair III | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Alistair Darling MP for Edinburgh South West | 5 May 2006 | 28 June 2007 | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Labour | Blair III | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| John Hutton MP for Barrow and Furness | 28 June 2007 | 3 October 2008 | Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform | Labour | Brown | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Peter Mandelson MP for Hartlepool | 3 October 2008 | 12 May 2010 | Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform | Labour | Brown | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Peter Mandelson MP for Hartlepool | 3 October 2008 | 12 May 2010 | Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills | Labour | Brown | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Vince Cable MP for Twickenham | 12 May 2010 | 8 May 2015 | Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills | Liberal Democrats | Cameron–Clegg | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Sajid Javid MP for Bromsgrove | 11 May 2015 | 15 July 2016 | Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills | Conservative | Cameron II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Greg Clark MP for Tunbridge Wells | 15 July 2016 | 19 July 2016 | Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy | Conservative | May I | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Liam Fox MP for North Somerset | 19 July 2016 | 24 July 2019 | Secretary of State for International Trade | Conservative | May I | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Liam Fox MP for North Somerset | 19 July 2016 | 24 July 2019 | Secretary of State for International Trade | Conservative | May II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Liz Truss MP for South West Norfolk | 24 July 2019 | 15 September 2021 | Secretary of State for International Trade | Conservative | Johnson I | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Liz Truss MP for South West Norfolk | 24 July 2019 | 15 September 2021 | Secretary of State for International Trade | Conservative | Johnson II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed | 15 September 2021 | 6 September 2022 | Secretary of State for International Trade | Conservative | Johnson II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Kemi Badenoch MP for Saffron Walden | 6 September 2022 | 5 July 2024 | Secretary of State for International Trade | Conservative | Truss | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| Kemi Badenoch MP for Saffron Walden | 6 September 2022 | 5 July 2024 | Secretary of State for International Trade | Conservative | Truss | Charles III (2022–) |
| Kemi Badenoch MP for Saffron Walden | 6 September 2022 | 5 July 2024 | Secretary of State for International Trade | Conservative | Sunak | Charles III (2022–) |
| Kemi Badenoch MP for Saffron Walden | 6 September 2022 | 5 July 2024 | Secretary of State for Business and Trade | Conservative | Sunak | Charles III (2022–) |
| Jonathan Reynolds MP for Stalybridge and Hyde | 5 July 2024 | Incumbent | Secretary of State for Business and Trade | Labour | Starmer | Charles III (2022–) |