# Parliamentary private secretary

A parliamentary private secretary (PPS) is a member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom who acts as an unpaid assistant to a government minister or a shadow minister. They are selected from backbench MPs as the "eyes and ears" of the minister in the House of Commons.
PPSs are junior to parliamentary under-secretaries of state, a ministerial post salaried by one or more departments.

## Duties and powers of a PPS

Although not paid other than their salary as an MP, PPSs help the government track backbench opinion in Parliament. They are subject to some restrictions, as outlined in the Ministerial Code of the British government, but are not members of the Government.
A PPS can sit on select committees but must avoid "associating themselves with recommendations critical of, or embarrassing to the Government", and must not make statements or ask questions on matters affecting the minister's department. In particular, the PPS in the Department for Communities and Local Government may not participate in planning decisions or in the consideration of planning cases.
PPSs are not members of the government, and all efforts are made to avoid these positions being referred to as such. They are instead considered more simply as normal Members. However, their close confidence with ministers does impose obligations on every PPS. The guidelines surrounding the divulging of classified information by ministers to PPSs are rigid.
Ministers choose their own PPSs, but they are expected to consult the Chief Whip and must seek the written approval for each candidate from the prime minister.
Although not on the government payroll, PPSs are expected to act as part of the payroll vote, voting in line with the government on every division.
When on official Departmental business, a PPS receives travel and subsistence allowance paid out of government funds, as with formal members of the government. This makes the PPS the only type of unpaid advisor who receives reimbursement in the course of duty.
Overseas travel for PPSs must be approved by the Prime Minister and is granted only in exceptional cases.

## The role in the career of MPs

The role of PPS is seen as a starting point for many MPs who aspire to become ministers themselves. According to Philip W. Buck, a professor of political science at Stanford University:
   Nine-tenths of the M.P.s who first won seats in the House of Commons in 1918 or thereafter, and who held some ministerial office in the years from 1918 to 1955, began their progress towards posts in a ministry or a Cabinet by serving as parliamentary secretaries or as junior ministers... Recruitment to the front bench clearly begins with these two offices.
After the leaking of party details in emails associated with Desmond Swayne, PPS to David Cameron, a writer of the Thirsk and Malton Labour Party Constituency Blog commented:
   A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is a thankless job. Despite having risen to the rank of MP, those with Governmental ambitions will need to pay their dues once more – as a bag carrier. Admittedly, PPS is a bit more than that – you are supposed to be the eyes and ears, reporting back to your boss all the gossip, what people are saying about your work in the bars and cafes of Westminster.

## Current Parliamentary Private Secretaries

The following is a list of Parliamentary Private Secretaries in the UK, since the swearing in of the Starmer ministry on 5 July 2024. The Leader of the Opposition usually has at least one Parliamentary Private Secretary as well.
Parliamentary Private Secretaries :
| Office or ministerial team | Incumbent | Parliamentary Private Secretary |
| Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Union and Minister for the Civil Service | Keir Starmer | Liz Twist |
| Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Union and Minister for the Civil Service | Keir Starmer | Chris Ward |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government |||
| Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government | Angela Rayner | Navendu Mishra |
| Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government | Angela Rayner | Harpreet Uppal |
| HM Treasury |||
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Rachel Reeves | Alistair Strathern |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Rachel Reeves | Imogen Walker |
| Chief Secretary to the Treasury | Darren Jones | |
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office |||
| Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs | David Lammy | Alan Gemmell |
| Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs | David Lammy | Jessica Toale |
| Home Office |||
| Secretary of State for the Home Department | Yvette Cooper | Jade Botterill |
| Secretary of State for the Home Department | Yvette Cooper | Louise Jones |
| Ministry of Defence |||
| Secretary of State for Defence | John Healey | Pamela Nash |
| Secretary of State for Defence | John Healey | Rachel Hopkins |
| Ministry of Justice |||
| Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor | Shabana Mahmood | Sally Jameson |
| Department for Health and Social Care |||
| Secretary of State for Health and Social Care | Wes Streeting | Zubir Ahmed |
| Secretary of State for Health and Social Care | Wes Streeting | Ashley Dalton |
| Cabinet Office |||
| Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Pat McFadden | Torsten Bell |
| Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Pat McFadden | Satvir Kaur |
| Department for Energy Security & Net Zero |||
| Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero | Ed Miliband | Katie White |
| Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero | Ed Miliband | Chris McDonald |
| Department for Business and Trade |||
| Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade | Jonathan Reynolds | Preet Kaur Gill |
| Department for Work and Pensions |||
| Secretary of State for Work and Pensions | Liz Kendall | Olivia Bailey |
| Secretary of State for Work and Pensions | Liz Kendall | Gordon McKee |
| Department for Education |||
| Secretary of State for Education | Bridget Phillipson | Alan Strickland |
| Secretary of State for Education | Bridget Phillipson | Emma Foody |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |||
| Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Steve Reed | Kanishka Narayan |
| Department for Transport |||
| Secretary of State for Transport | Heidi Alexander | Liam Conlon |
| Northern Ireland Office |||
| Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | Hilary Benn | Matt Rodda |
| Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland |||
| Secretary of State for Scotland | Ian Murray | Melanie Ward |
| Office of the Secretary of State for Wales |||
| Secretary of State for Wales | Jo Stevens | Becky Gittins |
| Office of the Leader of the House of Lords |||
| Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal | Baroness Smith of Basildon | Jack Abbott |
| Department for Culture, Media and Sport |||
| Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport | Lisa Nandy | Kim Leadbeater |
| Office of the Leader of the House of Commons |||
| Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council | Lucy Powell | Sarah Coombes |
| Attorney General's Office |||
| Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland | Richard Hermer KC, Baron Hermer | Karl Turner |

## Johnson ministry (2022)

The following is a list of Parliamentary Private Secretaries under the Second Johnson ministry as of April 2022.
Parliamentary Private Secretaries :
| Office or ministerial team | Incumbent | Parliamentary Private Secretary |
| Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Union and Minister for the Civil Service | Boris Johnson | Alexander Stafford |
| Ministry of Justice |||
| Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice | Dominic Raab | Mike Wood |
| Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice | Dominic Raab | Julie Marson |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | [Vacant] |
| HM Treasury |||
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Nadhim Zahawi | [Vacant] |
| Chief Secretary to the Treasury | Simon Clarke | [Vacant] |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | [Vacant] |
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office |||
| Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and Minister for Women and Equalities | Liz Truss | John Lamont |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | Laura Farris |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | Dean Russell |
| Home Office |||
| Secretary of State for the Home Department | Priti Patel | Gagan Mohindra |
| Home Office ministerial team | Home Office ministerial team | Matt Vickers |
| Home Office ministerial team | Home Office ministerial team | Luke Evans |
| Ministry of Defence |||
| Secretary of State for Defence | Ben Wallace | Suzanne Webb |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | [Vacant] |
| Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities |||
| Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations | Greg Clark | [Vacant] |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | [Vacant] |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | [Vacant] |
| Department for Health and Social Care |||
| Secretary of State for Health and Social Care | Steve Barclay | [Vacant] |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | [Vacant] |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | [Vacant] |
| Cabinet Office |||
| Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Steve Barclay | Jane Hunt |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | Ian Levy |
| COP26 President and Minister of State | Alok Sharma | Katherine Fletcher |
| Minister without Portfolio (Co-chair of the Conservative Party) | [Vacant] | [Vacant] |
| Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency | Jacob Rees-Mogg | Gareth Bacon |
| Minister without Portfolio and Minister of State | Nigel Adams | Brendan Clarke-Smith |
| Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy |||
| Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy | Kwasi Kwarteng | [Vacant] |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | Felicity Buchan |
| Department for International Trade |||
| Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade | Anne-Marie Trevelyan | [Vacant] |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | [Vacant] |
| Department for Work and Pensions |||
| Secretary of State for Work and Pensions | Thérèse Coffey | Flick Drummond |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | Andy Carter |
| Department for Education |||
| Secretary of State for Education | James Cleverly | [Vacant] |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | [Vacant] |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |||
| Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | George Eustice | [Vacant] |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | Mark Jenkinson |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | [Vacant] |
| Department for Transport |||
| Secretary of State for Transport | Grant Shapps | [Vacant] |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | [Vacant] |
| Northern Ireland Office |||
| Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | Shailesh Vara | [Vacant] |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | [Vacant] |
| Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland |||
| Secretary of State for Scotland | Alister Jack | [Vacant] |
| Office of the Secretary of State for Wales |||
| Secretary of State for Wales | Robert Buckland | [Vacant] |
| Office of the Leader of the House of Lords |||
| Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal | Baroness Evans of Bowes Park | Chris Clarkson |
| Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport |||
| Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport | Nadine Dorries | Paul Bristow |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | Simon Baynes |
| Ministerial team | Ministerial team | Richard Holden |
| Office of the Leader of the House of Commons |||
| Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council | Mark Spencer | [vacant] |
| Attorney General's Office |||
| Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland | Suella Braverman | Alberto Costa |
* ↑ See Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister.
* ↑ See Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Cabinet Office.

## Johnson ministry (2021)

| Post or ministerial team | Post or ministerial team | Parliamentary Private Secretary |
| Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Minister for the Union | Rt Hon. Boris Johnson MP | Alex Burghart MP |
| Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Minister for the Union | Rt Hon. Boris Johnson MP | Trudy Harrison MP |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office | Rt Hon. Stephen Barclay MP | Kevin Hollinrake MP |
| Cabinet Office ministerial team | Cabinet Office ministerial team | Jane Hunt MP |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Rt Hon. Rishi Sunak MP | James Cartlidge MP |
| HM Treasury ministerial team | HM Treasury ministerial team | Claire Coutinho MP |
| Chief Secretary to the Treasury | Rt Hon. Steve Barclay MP | Craig Williams MP |
| Secretary of State for the Home Department | Rt Hon. Priti Patel MP | Mike Wood MP |
| Home Office ministerial team | Home Office ministerial team | Andrew Lewer MP |
| Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and First Secretary of State | Rt. Hon. Liz Truss MP | Bim Afolami MP |
| Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministerial team | Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministerial team | Joy Morrisey MP |
| Secretary of State for Defence | Rt Hon. Ben Wallace MP | Jack Brereton MP |
| Ministry of Defence ministerial team | Ministry of Defence ministerial team | Natalie Elphicke MP |
| Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice | Rt Hon. Robert Buckland QC MP | Chris Clarkson MP |
| Ministry of Justice ministerial team | Ministry of Justice ministerial team | Julie Marson MP |
| Secretary of State for Health and Social Care | Rt Hon. Sajid Javid MP | Steve Double MP |
| Department of Health and Social Care ministerial team | Department of Health and Social Care ministerial team | Virginia Crosbie MP |
| Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy | Rt Hon. Alok Sharma MP | Ben Bradley MP |
| Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ministerial team | Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ministerial team | Jo Gideon MP |
| Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government | Rt Hon. Robert Jenrick MP | Andrea Jenkyns MP |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ministerial team | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ministerial team | Jacob Young MP |
| Ending rough sleeping, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | Ending rough sleeping, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | Adam Holloway MP |
| Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport | Rt Hon. Oliver Dowden MP | John Lamont MP |
| Secretary of State for International Trade, President of the Board of Trade and Minister for Women and Equalities | Rt Hon. Liz Truss MP | David Duguid MP |
| Secretary of State for Education | Rt Hon. Gavin Williamson MP | Scott Mann MP |
| Department for Education ministerial team | Department for Education ministerial team | Angela Richardson MP |
| Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Rt Hon. George Eustice MP | Caroline Ansell MP |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ministerial team | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ministerial team | Fay Jones MP |
| Secretary of State for Transport | Rt Hon. Grant Shapps MP | Robert Courts MP |
| Department for Transport ministerial team | Department for Transport ministerial team | Laura Trott MP |
| Secretary of State for International Development | Rt Hon. Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP | Flick Drummond MP |
| Secretary of State for Work and Pensions | Rt Hon. Thérèse Coffey MP | Bim Afolami MP |
| Secretary of State for Scotland | Rt Hon. Alister Jack MP | Ruth Edwards MP |
| Secretary of State for Wales | Rt Hon. Simon Hart MP | Sarah Atherton MP |
| Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | Rt Hon. Brandon Lewis MP | Sarah Dines MP |
| Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons | Rt Hon. Jacob Rees-Mogg MP | Lucy Allan MP |
| Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal | Rt Hon. Baroness Evans of Bowes Park | Chris Green MP |
| Attorney General | Rt Hon. Suella Braverman QC MP | Alberto Costa MP |
| Minister without Portfolio and Conservative Party Chairman | Rt Hon. Amanda Milling MP | Damien Moore MP |
| The Leader of the Opposition | Rt Hon. Sir Keir Starmer KCB QC MP | Sharon Hodgson MP |

## Notable Parliamentary Private Secretaries to the Prime Minister

While giving the holder a close-up view of the workings of government at the highest levels, relatively few Parliamentary Private Secretaries to the Prime Minister seem to have gone on to serve at the highest level of government themselves, although Sir Alec Douglas-Home served as Prime Minister in 1963–4, while Anthony Barber was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1970 to 1974, Robert Carr, Home Secretary, 1972–4, and Christopher Soames, Peter Shore, and Gavin Williamson, the future Secretary of State for Education, all went on to be senior Cabinet ministers.
* J. C. C. Davidson: to Bonar Law
* Alec Douglas-Home, Lord Dunglass: to Neville Chamberlain, 1937–1940
* Brendan Bracken: to Winston Churchill, 1940–1941
* Christopher Soames: to Winston Churchill, 1952–1955
* Robert Carr: to Sir Anthony Eden, 1955
* Anthony Barber: to Harold Macmillan, 1957–1959
* Peter Shore: to Harold Wilson, 1965–1966
* Timothy Kitson: to Edward Heath, 1970–1974
* Ian Gow: to Margaret Thatcher, 1979–1983
* Peter Morrison: to Margaret Thatcher, 1990
* Graham Bright: to John Major, 1990–1994
* Gavin Williamson: to David Cameron, 2013–2016
* George Hollingbery: to Theresa May, 2016–2017