# Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

The secretary of state for work and pensions, also referred to as the work and pensions secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the business of the Department for Work and Pensions. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.
The office holder works alongside the other work and pensions ministers. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for work and pensions. The performance of the secretary of state is also scrutinised by the Work and Pensions Select Committee.
The office is currently held by Liz Kendall.

## Responsibilities

Corresponding to what is generally known as a labour minister in many other countries, the work and pensions secretary's remit includes:
* Support people of working age
* Oversight of employers and pensions
* Fiscal Consolidation
* Providing support for disability
* Support for families and children

## History

It was created on 8 June 2001 by the merger of the employment division of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security.
The Ministry of Pensions was created in 1916 to handle the payment of war pensions to former members of the Armed Forces and their dependants. In 1944 a separate Ministry of National Insurance (titled the Ministry of Social Insurance until 17 November 1944) was formed; the two merged in 1953 as the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance. In 1966 the Ministry was renamed the Ministry of Social Security, but this was short-lived, as the ministry merged with the Ministry of Health in 1968 to form the Department of Health and Social Security. Confusingly, the secretary of state responsible for this department was titled the Secretary of State for Social Services. The department was de-merged in 1988, creating the separate Department of Health and Department of Social Security.

## List of ministers and secretaries of state

Colour key (for political parties): Labour / Conservative / Liberal / National Labour / National Independent

### Minister of Pensions (1916–1953)

| Minister | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Cabinet |
| George Nicoll Barnes | 10 December 1916 | 17 August 1917 | Labour | Lloyd George |
| John Hodge | 17 August 1917 | 10 January 1919 | Labour | Lloyd George |
| Laming Worthington-Evans | 10 January 1919 | 2 April 1920 | Conservative | Lloyd George |
| Ian Macpherson | 2 April 1920 | 19 October 1922 | Liberal | Lloyd George |
| George Tryon | 31 October 1922 | 22 January 1924 | Conservative | Law |
| George Tryon | 31 October 1922 | 22 January 1924 | Conservative | Baldwin I |
| Frederick Roberts | 23 January 1924 | 3 November 1924 | Labour | MacDonald I |
| George Tryon | 11 November 1924 | 4 June 1929 | Conservative | Baldwin II |
| Frederick Roberts | 7 June 1929 | 24 August 1931 | Labour | MacDonald II |
| George Tryon | 3 September 1931 | 18 June 1935 | Conservative | National I |
| George Tryon | 3 September 1931 | 18 June 1935 | Conservative | National II |
| Robert Hudson | 18 June 1935 | 30 July 1936 | Conservative | National III |
| Herwald Ramsbotham | 30 July 1936 | 7 June 1939 | Conservative | National III |
| Herwald Ramsbotham | 30 July 1936 | 7 June 1939 | Conservative | National IV |
| Walter Womersley | 7 June 1939 | 26 July 1945 | Conservative | Chamberlain War |
| Walter Womersley | 7 June 1939 | 26 July 1945 | Conservative | Churchill War |
| Walter Womersley | 7 June 1939 | 26 July 1945 | Conservative | Churchill Caretaker |
| Wilfred Paling | 3 August 1945 | 17 April 1947 | Labour | Attlee |
| John Burns Hynd | 17 April 1947 | 7 October 1947 | Labour | Attlee |
| George Buchanan | 7 October 1947 | 2 July 1948 | Labour | Attlee |
| Hilary Marquand | 2 July 1948 | 17 January 1951 | Labour | Attlee |
| George Isaacs | 17 January 1951 | 26 October 1951 | Labour | Attlee |
| Derick Heathcoat-Amory | 5 November 1951 | 3 September 1953 | Conservative | Churchill III |

### Minister of Social Insurance/National Insurance (1944–1953)

| Minister | Minister | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Cabinet |
| | William Jowitt | 8 October 1944 | 23 May 1945 | Labour | Churchill War |
| | Leslie Hore-Belisha | 25 May 1945 | 26 July 1945 | National Independent | Churchill Caretaker |
| | Jim Griffiths | 4 August 1945 | 28 February 1950 | Labour | Attlee |
| | Edith Summerskill | 28 February 1950 | 26 October 1951 | Labour | Attlee |
| | Osbert Peake | 31 October 1951 | 3 September 1953 | Conservative | Churchill III |
| Posts of Minister of Pensions and Minister of National Insurance merged in 1953. |||||||

### Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1953–1966)

| Minister | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Cabinet |
| Osbert Peake | 3 September 1953 | 20 December 1955 | Conservative | Churchill III |
| Osbert Peake | 3 September 1953 | 20 December 1955 | Conservative | Eden |
| John Boyd-Carpenter | 20 December 1955 | 16 July 1962 | Conservative | Eden |
| John Boyd-Carpenter | 20 December 1955 | 16 July 1962 | Conservative | Macmillan I |
| John Boyd-Carpenter | 20 December 1955 | 16 July 1962 | Conservative | Macmillan II |
| Niall Macpherson | 16 July 1962 | 21 October 1963 | Conservative | Macmillan II |
| Richard Wood | 21 October 1963 | 16 October 1964 | Conservative | Douglas-Home |
| Margaret Herbison | 18 October 1964 | 6 August 1966 | Labour | Wilson I |

### Minister of Social Security (1966–1968)

| Minister | Minister | Minister | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Cabinet |
| | | Margaret Herbison | 6 August 1966 | 26 July 1967 | Labour | Wilson II |
| | | Judith Hart | 26 July 1967 | 1 November 1968 | Labour | Wilson II |

### Secretary of State for Social Services (1968–1988)

| Secretary of State | Secretary of State | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Cabinet |
| | Richard Crossman | 1 November 1968 | 19 June 1970 | Labour | Wilson II |
| | Keith Joseph | 20 June 1970 | 4 March 1974 | Conservative | Heath |
| | Barbara Castle | 5 March 1974 | 8 April 1976 | Labour | Wilson III |
| | Barbara Castle | 5 March 1974 | 8 April 1976 | Labour | Wilson IV |
| | David Ennals | 8 April 1976 | 4 May 1979 | Labour | Callaghan |
| | Patrick Jenkin | 5 May 1979 | 13 September 1981 | Conservative | Thatcher I |
| | Norman Fowler | 14 September 1981 | 13 June 1987 | Conservative | Thatcher II |
| | John Moore | 13 June 1987 | 24 July 1988 | Conservative | Thatcher III |
| Post split into the Secretary of State for Social Security and the Secretary of State for Health in 1988. |||||||

### Secretary of State for Social Security (1988–2001)

| Secretary of State | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Cabinet |
| John Moore | 25 July 1988 | 22 July 1989 | Conservative | Thatcher III |
| Tony Newton | 23 July 1989 | 9 April 1992 | Conservative | Thatcher III |
| Tony Newton | 23 July 1989 | 9 April 1992 | Conservative | Major I |
| Peter Lilley | 10 April 1992 | 1 May 1997 | Conservative | Major II |
| Harriet Harman | 1 May 1997 | 27 July 1998 | Labour | Blair I |
| Alistair Darling | 27 July 1998 | 8 June 2001 | Labour | Blair I |

### Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2001–present)

| Secretary of State | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Cabinet |
| Alistair Darling | 8 June 2001 | 29 May 2002 | Labour | Blair II |
| Andrew Smith | 29 May 2002 | 8 September 2004 | Labour | Blair II |
| Alan Johnson | 8 September 2004 | 6 May 2005 | Labour | Blair II |
| David Blunkett | 6 May 2005 | 2 November 2005 | Labourur | Blair III |
| John Hutton | 2 November 2005 | 28 June 2007 | Labour | Blair III |
| Peter Hain | 28 June 2007 | 24 January 2008 | Labour | Brown |
| James Purnell MP for Stalybridge and Hyde | 24 January 2008 | 5 June 2009 | Labour | Brown |
| Yvette Cooper MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford | 6 June 2009 | 6 May 2010 | Labour | Brown |
| Iain Duncan Smith MP for Chingford and Woodford Green | 12 May 2010 | 18 March 2016 | Conservative | Cameron-Clegg |
| Iain Duncan Smith MP for Chingford and Woodford Green | Duncan Smith's tenure | Duncan Smith's tenure | Conservative | Cameron II |
| Stephen Crabb MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire | 19 March 2016 | 14 July 2016 | Conservative | Cameron II |
| Damian Green MP for Ashford | 14 July 2016 | 11 June 2017 | Conservative | May I |
| David Gauke MP for South West Hertfordshire | 11 June 2017 | 8 January 2018 | Conservative | May II |
| Esther McVey MP for Tatton | 8 January 2018 | 15 November 2018 | Conservative | May II |
| Amber Rudd MP for Hastings and Rye | 16 November 2018 | 7 September 2019 | Conservative | May II |
| Amber Rudd MP for Hastings and Rye | 16 November 2018 | 7 September 2019 | Conservative | Johnson I |
| Thérèse Coffey MP for Coastal Suffolk | 8 September 2019 | 6 September 2022 | Conservative | Johnson I |
| Thérèse Coffey MP for Coastal Suffolk | 8 September 2019 | 6 September 2022 | Conservative | Johnson II |
| Chloe Smith MP for Norwich North | 6 September 2022 | 25 October 2022 | Conservative | Truss |
| Mel Stride MP for Central Devon | 25 October 2022 | 5 July 2024 | Conservative | Sunak |
| Liz Kendall MP for Leicester West | 5 July 2024 | Incumbent | Labour | Starmer |
* Incumbent's length of term last updated: 6 February 2025.