# Liberal government, 1905–1915

The Liberal government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that began in 1905 and ended in 1915 consisted of two ministries: the first led by Henry Campbell-Bannerman (from 1905 to 1908) and the final three by H. H. Asquith (from 1908 onwards).

## Formation

With the fall of Arthur Balfour's Conservative government in the United Kingdom in December 1905, the Liberals under Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman were called in to form a government. In the subsequent election, the Liberals won an enormous majority. Campbell-Bannerman was succeeded as prime minister by H. H. Asquith in 1908.

## Policies

The Liberal government was supported by 29 Labour Party MPs. Chancellor David Lloyd George crafted the People's Budget and introduced a great deal of social legislation, such as old age pensions and unemployment insurance for a significant part of the working population. For many working people, for whom in old age the threat of the workhouse was very real, these represented a very significant change. Equally groundbreaking was the Parliament Act 1911 which:
* Removed the law-making veto from the House of Lords thus rendering it constitutionally most expedient to run any future government from the House of Commons
* Enshrined into law the previous convention, which the Lords had broken in 1909, that the Lords may not reject Money Bills
* Cut the length of parliaments from seven years to five
Many of the members of Asquith's cabinet, however, opposed the social measures promulgated by leading figures such as Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George. This resistance was arguably a reflection of the extent to which many Liberals still adhered to the Party's Gladstonian, classical liberal tradition in spite of the growth of the "New Liberalism". Morley was opposed to both old-age pensions and the provisions of the Trade Boards Act 1909, while Runciman was against the eight-hour day for miners and compensation for workers. Burns, Bryce, Loreburn, and W. S. Robson were opposed to land reform, insurance, and the feeding of schoolchildren, while several cabinet members (such as Crewe, Fitzmaurice, Harcourt, and McKenna) were critical of Lloyd George's progressive "People's Budget." Nevertheless, according to Neil Smith, the majority of the members of the Edwardian Liberal Cabinets were supportive of social reform and social progress. As noted by one study,
   They (the Liberal Cabinet members) sought to respond to the discontent of the electorate by using the existing structure of government to correct the ills of society through innovative legislation. Two-thirds of the Liberal candidates, including Edwin Montagu, had pledged support for such measures during the campaign. While their support was often expressed in general terms, their intent was clear: Social and economic reform must be the first order of the new government.

## Fate

Although the government lost a great deal of support by the two general elections of 1910, they managed to hold on by dint of support from the Irish Parliamentary Party. After early mismanagement during the First World War, particularly the failure of the Dardanelles Campaign, Asquith was forced to bring the Unionists into the government in a coalition.

## Cabinets
### Campbell-Bannerman ministry

* Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman – Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Leader of the House of Commons
* The Lord Loreburn – Lord Chancellor
* The Earl of Crewe – Lord President of the Council
* The Marquess of Ripon – Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords
* H. H. Asquith – Chancellor of the Exchequer
* Herbert Gladstone – Secretary of State for the Home Department
* Sir Edward Grey, Bt – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
* The Earl of Elgin – Secretary of State for the Colonies
* Richard Haldane – Secretary of State for War
* John Morley – Secretary of State for India
* The Lord Tweedmouth – First Lord of the Admiralty
* David Lloyd George – President of the Board of Trade
* Sir Henry Fowler – Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
* Sir John Sinclair – Secretary for Scotland
* James Bryce – Chief Secretary for Ireland
* John Burns – President of the Local Government Board
* The Earl Carrington – President of the Board of Agriculture
* Augustine Birrell – President of the Board of Education
* Sydney Buxton – Postmaster-General

#### Changes

* January 1907 – Augustine Birrell succeeds Bryce as Irish Secretary. Reginald McKenna succeeds Birrell at the Board of Education.
* March 1907 – Lewis Harcourt, the First Commissioner of Works, enters the cabinet.

### Asquith ministry

| Office | Name | Term |
| Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury | H. H. Asquith | May 1908 – May 1915 |
| Lord Chancellor | The Lord Loreburn | April 1908 – June 1912 |
| Lord Chancellor | The Viscount Haldane | June 1912 – May 1915 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Lord Tweedmouth | April–September 1908 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Viscount Wolverhampton | September 1908 – June 1910 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Earl Beauchamp | June–November 1910 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Viscount Morley of Blackburn | November 1910 – August 1914 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Earl Beauchamp | August 1914 – May 1915 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Marquess of Ripon | May–October 1908 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Earl of Crewe | October 1908 – October 1911 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Earl Carrington | October 1911 – February 1912 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Marquess of Crewe | February 1912 – May 1915 |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | David Lloyd George | May 1908 – May 1915 |
| Home Secretary | Herbert Gladstone | May 1908 – February 1910 |
| Home Secretary | Winston Churchill | February 1910 – October 1911 |
| Home Secretary | Reginald McKenna | October 1911 – May 1915 |
| Foreign Secretary | Sir Edward Grey, Bt | May 1908 – May 1915 |
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | The Earl of Crewe | May 1908 – November 1910 |
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | Lewis Harcourt | November 1910 – May 1915 |
| Secretary of State for War | Richard Haldane | May 1908 – June 1912 |
| Secretary of State for War | Jack Seely | June 1912 – March 1914 |
| Secretary of State for War | H. H. Asquith | March–August 1914 |
| Secretary of State for War | The Earl Kitchener | August 1914 – May 1915 |
| Secretary of State for India | The Viscount Morley of Blackburn | May 1908 – November 1910 |
| Secretary of State for India | The Earl of Crewe | November 1910 – May 1915 |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | Reginald McKenna | May 1908 – October 1911 |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | Winston Churchill | October 1911 – May 1915 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | The Viscount Wolverhampton | May–September 1908 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | The Lord FitzMaurice | September 1908 – June 1909 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Herbert Samuel | June 1909 – May 1910 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Joseph Pease | May 1910 – October 1911 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Charles Hobhouse | October 1911 – February 1914 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Charles Masterman | February 1914 – January 1915 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Edwin Samuel Montagu | January–May 1915 |
| President of the Board of Trade | Winston Churchill | May 1908 – February 1910 |
| President of the Board of Trade | Sydney Buxton | February 1910 – February 1914 |
| President of the Board of Trade | John Burns | February–August 1914 |
| President of the Board of Trade | Walter Runciman | August 1914 – May 1915 |
| Secretary for Scotland | John Sinclair | May 1908 – February 1912 |
| Secretary for Scotland | Thomas McKinnon Wood | February 1912 – May 1915 |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | Augustine Birrell | May 1908 – May 1915 |
| President of the Local Government Board | John Burns | May 1908 – February 1914 |
| President of the Local Government Board | Herbert Samuel | February 1914 – May 1915' |
| President of the Board of Agriculture | The Earl Carrington | May 1908 – October 1911 |
| President of the Board of Agriculture | Walter Runciman | October 1911 – August 1914 |
| President of the Board of Agriculture | The Lord Lucas | August 1914 – May 1915 |
| President of the Board of Education | Walter Runciman | May 1908 – October 1911 |
| President of the Board of Education | Joseph Pease | October 1911 – May 1915 |
| Postmaster General | Sydney Buxton | May 1908 – February 1910 |
| Postmaster General | Herbert Samuel | February 1910 – February 1914 |
| Postmaster General | Charles Hobhouse | February 1914 – May 1915 |
| First Commissioner of Works | Lewis Harcourt | May 1908 – November 1910 |
| First Commissioner of Works | The Earl Beauchamp | November 1910 – August 1914 |
| First Commissioner of Works | The Lord Emmott | August 1914 – May 1915 |
| Attorney General | Sir Rufus Isaacs | June 1912 – October 1913 |
| Attorney General | Sir John Simon | October 1913 – May 1915 |

#### Changes

* September 1908 – Lord Wolverhampton succeeds Lord Tweedmouth as Lord President. Lord FitzMaurice succeeds Lord Wolverhampton as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
* October 1908 – Lord Crewe succeeds Lord Ripon as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords, while remaining also Colonial Secretary.
* June 1909 – Herbert Samuel succeeds Lord FitzMaurice at the Duchy of Lancaster.
* February 1910 – Winston Churchill succeeds Herbert Gladstone as Home Secretary. Sydney Buxton succeeds Churchill at the Board of Trade. Herbert Samuel succeeds Buxton as Postmaster-General. Joseph Pease succeeds Samuel as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
* June 1910 – Lord Beauchamp succeeds Lord Wolverhampton as Lord President.
* November 1910 – Lord Beauchamp succeeds Lewis Vernon Harcourt as First Commissioner of Public Works. Lord Morley of Blackburn succeeds Beauchamp as Lord President. Lord Crewe succeeds Morley as India Secretary, remaining also Lord Privy Seal. Lewis Harcourt succeeds Crewe as Colonial Secretary.
* October 1911 – Winston Churchill and Reginald McKenna switch offices, Churchill taking the Admiralty and McKenna the Home Office. Lord Carrington succeeds Lord Crewe as Lord Privy Seal. Crewe remains India Secretary. Walter Runciman succeeds Lord Carrington at the Board of Agriculture. Joseph Albert Pease succeeds Runciman at the Board of Education. Charles Edward Henry Hobhouse succeeds Pease at the Duchy of Lancaster.
* February 1912 – Lord Crewe succeeds Lord Carrington as Lord Privy Seal, remaining also India Secretary. Thomas McKinnon Wood succeeds Lord Pentland as Secretary for Scotland.
* June 1912 – The Attorney-General, Sir Rufus Isaacs, enters the cabinet. Lord Haldane succeeds Lord Loreburn as Lord Chancellor. Jack Seely succeeds Haldane as Secretary for War.
* October 1913 – Sir John Simon succeeds Sir Rufus Isaacs as Attorney-General.
* February 1914 – John Burns succeeds Sydney Buxton as President of the Board of Trade. Herbert Samuel succeeds Burns at the Local Government Board. Sir Charles Edward Henry Hobhouse succeeds Samuel as Postmaster-General. Charles Frederick Gurney Masterman succeeds Hobhouse at the Duchy of Lancaster.
* March 1914 – Asquith temporarily succeeds Jack Seely as Secretary for War.
* August 1914 – Lord Beauchamp succeeds Lord Morley as Lord President. Lord Emmott succeeds Beauchamp as First Commissioner of Public Works. Walter Runciman succeeds John Burns as President of the Board of Trade. Lord Lucas succeeds Runciman at the Board of Agriculture. Lord Kitchener succeeds Asquith as Secretary for War.
* January 1915 – Edwin Samuel Montagu succeeds Charles Frederick Gurney Masterman as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

## List of ministers

Members of the cabinet are in bold face.
| Office | Name | Date |
| Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Leader of the House of Commons | Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman | 5 December 1905 |
| Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Leader of the House of Commons | H. H. Asquith | 5 April 1908 – 25 May 1915 |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | H. H. Asquith | 10 December 1905 |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | David Lloyd George | 12 April 1908 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons | George Whiteley | 12 December 1905 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons | Jack Pease | 3 June 1908 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons | The Master of Elibank | 14 February 1910 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons | Percy Illingworth | 7 August 1912 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons | John Gulland | 24 January 1915 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Reginald McKenna | 12 December 1905 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Walter Runciman | 29 January 1907 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Charles Hobhouse | 12 April 1908 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Thomas McKinnon Wood | 23 October 1911 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Charles Masterman | 13 February 1912 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Edwin Montagu | 11 February 1914 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Francis Dyke Acland | 3 February 1915 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Herbert Lewis | 18 December 1905 – 7 July 1909 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Jack Pease | 18 December 1905 – 3 June 1908 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Freeman Freeman-Thomas | 21 December 1905 – 2 February 1906 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Cecil Norton | 21 December 1905 – 7 July 1909 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | John Fuller | 2 February 1906 – 27 February 1907 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | John Henry Whitley | 27 February 1907 – 20 February 1910 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Oswald Partington | 7 July 1909 – 19 January 1911 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | John Gulland | 7 July 1909 – 24 January 1915 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | William Wedgwood Benn | 20 February 1910 – 25 May 1915 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Ernest Soares | 20 February 1910 – 16 April 1911 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Percy Illingworth | 28 February 1910 – 7 August 1912 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | William Jones | 19 January 1911 – 25 May 1915 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Freddie Guest | 16 April 1911 – 21 February 1912 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Sir Arthur Haworth | 23 February 1912 – 16 April 1912 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Henry Webb | 16 April 1912 – 25 May 1915 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Cecil Beck | 3 February 1915 – 25 May 1915 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Walter Rea | 3 February 1915 – 25 May 1915 |
| Lord Chancellor | The Lord Loreburn | 10 December 1905 |
| Lord Chancellor | The Viscount Haldane | 10 June 1912 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Earl of Crewe | 10 December 1905 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Lord Tweedmouth | 12 April 1908 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Viscount Wolverhampton | 13 October 1908 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Earl Beauchamp | 16 June 1910 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Viscount Morley of Blackburn | 3 November 1910 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Earl Beauchamp | 5 August 1914 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Marquess of Ripon | 10 December 1905 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Earl of Crewe | 9 October 1908 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Earl Carrington | 23 October 1911 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Marquess of Crewe | 13 February 1912 |
| Secretary of State for the Home Department | Herbert Gladstone | 10 December 1905 |
| Secretary of State for the Home Department | Winston Churchill | 14 February 1910 |
| Secretary of State for the Home Department | Reginald McKenna | 23 October 1911 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | Herbert Samuel | 12 December 1905 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | Charles Masterman | 7 July 1909 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | Ellis Ellis-Griffith | 19 February 1912 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | Cecil Harmsworth | 4 February 1915 |
| Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Sir Edward Grey | 10 December 1905 |
| Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice | 18 December 1905 |
| Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Thomas McKinnon Wood | 19 October 1908 |
| Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Francis Dyke Acland | 23 October 1911 |
| Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Neil Primrose | 4 February 1915 |
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | The Earl of Elgin | 10 December 1905 |
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | The Earl of Crewe | 12 April 1908 |
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | Lewis Harcourt | 3 November 1910 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies | Winston Churchill | 12 December 1905 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies | J. E. B. Seely | 12 April 1908 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies | The Lord Lucas of Crudwell | 23 March 1911 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies | The Lord Emmott | 23 October 1911 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies | The Lord Islington | 10 August 1915 |
| Secretary of State for War | Richard Haldane | 10 December 1905 |
| Secretary of State for War | J. E. B. Seely | 12 June 1912 |
| Secretary of State for War | H. H. Asquith | 30 March 1914 |
| Secretary of State for War | The Earl Kitchener | 5 August 1914 |
| Under-Secretary of State for War | The Earl of Portsmouth | 12 December 1905 |
| Under-Secretary of State for War | The Lord Lucas of Crudwell | 12 April 1908 |
| Under-Secretary of State for War | J. E. B. Seely | 23 March 1911 |
| Under-Secretary of State for War | Harold Tennant | 14 June 1912 |
| Financial Secretary to the War Office | Thomas Buchanan | 14 December 1905 |
| Financial Secretary to the War Office | Francis Dyke Acland | 12 April 1908 |
| Financial Secretary to the War Office | Charles Mallet | 4 March 1910 |
| Financial Secretary to the War Office | Francis Dyke Acland | 31 January 1911 |
| Financial Secretary to the War Office | Harold Tennant | 25 October 1911 |
| Financial Secretary to the War Office | Harold Baker | 14 June 1912 |
| Secretary of State for India | John Morley | 10 December 1905 |
| Secretary of State for India | The Earl of Crewe | 3 November 1910 |
| Secretary of State for India | The Viscount Morley of Blackburn | 7 March 1911 |
| Secretary of State for India | The Earl of Crewe | 25 May 1911 |
| Under-Secretary of State for India | John Ellis | 12 December 1905 |
| Under-Secretary of State for India | Charles Hobhouse | 29 January 1907 |
| Under-Secretary of State for India | Thomas Buchanan | 12 April 1908 |
| Under-Secretary of State for India | The Master of Elibank | 5 June 1909 |
| Under-Secretary of State for India | Edwin Montagu | 20 February 1910 |
| Under-Secretary of State for India | Charles Roberts | 17 February 1914 |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | The Lord Tweedmouth | 10 December 1905 |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | Reginald McKenna | 12 April 1908 |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | Winston Churchill | 23 October 1911 |
| Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty | Edmund Robertson | 12 December 1905 |
| Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty | Thomas Macnamara | 13 April 1908 |
| Civil Lord of the Admiralty | George Lambert | 18 December 1905 |
| President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries | The Earl Carrington | 10 December 1905 |
| President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries | Walter Runciman | 23 October 1911 |
| President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries | The Lord Lucas of Crudwell | 6 August 1914 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries | Sir Edward Strachey | 20 December 1909 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries | The Lord Lucas | 23 October 1911 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries | Sir Harry Verney | 10 August 1914 |
| President of the Board of Education | Augustine Birrell | 10 December 1905 |
| President of the Board of Education | Reginald McKenna | 23 January 1907 |
| President of the Board of Education | Walter Runciman | 12 April 1908 |
| President of the Board of Education | Jack Pease | 23 October 1911 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education | Thomas Lough | 18 December 1905 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education | Thomas McKinnon Wood | 13 April 1908 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education | Sir Charles Trevelyan | 19 October 1908 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education | Christopher Addison | 10 August 1914 |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | James Bryce | 10 December 1905 |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | Augustine Birrell | 23 January 1907 |
| Vice President of the Department of Agriculture for Ireland | Sir Horace Plunkett | 12 December 1905 |
| Vice President of the Department of Agriculture for Ireland | Thomas Russell | 21 May 1907 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Sir Henry Fowler | 10 December 1905 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | The Lord Fitzmaurice | 13 October 1908 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Herbert Samuel | 25 June 1909 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Jack Pease | 14 February 1910 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Charles Hobhouse | 23 October 1911 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Charles Masterman | 11 February 1914 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Edwin Montagu | 3 February 1915 |
| President of the Local Government Board | John Burns | 10 December 1905 |
| President of the Local Government Board | Herbert Samuel | 11 February 1914 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board | Walter Runciman | 18 December 1905 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board | Thomas Macnamara | 29 January 1907 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board | Charles Masterman | 12 April 1908 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board | Herbert Lewis | 7 July 1909 |
| Paymaster General | Richard Causton | 12 December 1905 |
| Paymaster General | Ivor Guest | 23 February 1910 |
| Paymaster General | The Lord Strachie | 23 May 1912 |
| Postmaster-General | Sydney Buxton | 10 December 1905 |
| Postmaster-General | Herbert Samuel | 14 February 1910 |
| Postmaster-General | Charles Hobhouse | 11 February 1914 |
| Assistant Postmaster-General | Sir Henry Norman | 3 January 1910 |
| Assistant Postmaster-General | Cecil Norton | 20 February 1910 |
| Secretary for Scotland | John Sinclair | 12 April 1908 |
| Secretary for Scotland | Thomas McKinnon Wood | 13 February 1912 |
| President of the Board of Trade | David Lloyd George | 10 December 1905 |
| President of the Board of Trade | Winston Churchill | 12 April 1908 |
| President of the Board of Trade | Sydney Buxton | 14 February 1910 |
| President of the Board of Trade | John Burns | 11 February 1914 |
| President of the Board of Trade | Walter Runciman | 5 August 1914 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade | Hudson Kearley | 18 December 1905 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade | Harold Tennant | 10 January 1909 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade | J. M. Robertson | 25 October 1911 |
| First Commissioner of Works | Lewis Harcourt | 10 December 1905 |
| First Commissioner of Works | The Earl Beauchamp | 3 November 1910 |
| First Commissioner of Works | The Lord Emmott | 6 August 1914 |
| Attorney General | Sir John Lawson Walton | 12 December 1905 |
| Attorney General | Sir William Robson | 28 January 1908 |
| Attorney General | Sir Rufus Isaacs | 7 October 1910 |
| Attorney General | Sir John Simon | 19 October 1913 |
| Solicitor General | Sir William Robson | 12 December 1905 |
| Solicitor General | Sir Samuel Thomas Evans | 28 January 1908 |
| Solicitor General | Sir Rufus Isaacs | 6 March 1910 |
| Solicitor General | Sir John Simon | 7 October 1910 |
| Solicitor General | Sir Stanley Buckmaster | 19 October 1913 |
| Lord Advocate | Thomas Shaw | 12 December 1905 |
| Lord Advocate | Alexander Ure | 14 February 1909 |
| Lord Advocate | Robert Munro | 30 October 1913 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | Alexander Ure | 18 December 1905 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | Arthur Dewar | 18 February 1909 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | William Hunter | 18 April 1910 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | Andrew Anderson | 3 December 1911 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | Thomas Morison | 30 October 1913 |
| Attorney General for Ireland | Richard Cherry | 20 December 1905 |
| Attorney General for Ireland | Redmond Barry | 2 December 1909 |
| Attorney General for Ireland | Charles O'Connor | 26 September 1911 |
| Attorney General for Ireland | Ignatius O'Brien | 24 June 1912 |
| Attorney General for Ireland | Thomas Molony | 10 April 1913 |
| Attorney General for Ireland | John Moriarty | 20 June 1913 |
| Attorney General for Ireland | Jonathan Pim | 1 July 1914 |
| Solicitor General for Ireland | Redmond Barry | 20 December 1905 |
| Solicitor General for Ireland | Charles O'Connor | 2 December 1909 |
| Solicitor General for Ireland | Ignatius O'Brien | 19 October 1911 |
| Solicitor General for Ireland | Thomas Molony | 24 June 1912 |
| Solicitor General for Ireland | John Moriarty | 25 April 1913 |
| Solicitor General for Ireland | Jonathan Pim | 20 June 1913 |
| Solicitor General for Ireland | James O'Connor | 1 July 1914 |
| Lord Steward of the Household | The Lord Hawkesbury | 18 December 1905 |
| Lord Steward of the Household | The Earl Beauchamp | 31 July 1907 |
| Lord Steward of the Household | The Earl of Chesterfield | 22 June 1910 |
| Lord Chamberlain of the Household | The Viscount Althorp | 18 December 1905 |
| Lord Chamberlain of the Household | The Lord Sandhurst | 14 February 1912 |
| Vice-Chamberlain of the Household | Wentworth Beaumont | 18 December 1905 |
| Vice-Chamberlain of the Household | John Fuller | 27 February 1907 |
| Vice-Chamberlain of the Household | Geoffrey Howard | 6 February 1911 |
| Master of the Horse | The Earl of Sefton | 18 December 1905 |
| Master of the Horse | The Earl of Granard | 6 September 1907 |
| Treasurer of the Household | Sir Edward Strachey | 18 December 1905 |
| Treasurer of the Household | William Dudley Ward | 20 December 1909 |
| Treasurer of the Household | Freddie Guest | 21 February 1912 |
| Comptroller of the Household | The Master of Elibank | 18 December 1905 |
| Comptroller of the Household | The Earl of Liverpool | 12 July 1909 |
| Comptroller of the Household | The Lord Saye and Sele | 1 November 1912 |
| Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords | The Lord Ribblesdale | 18 December 1905 |
| Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords | The Lord Denman | 29 May 1907 |
| Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords | The Lord Colebrooke | 15 March 1911 |
| Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms | The Earl Beauchamp | 18 December 1905 |
| Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms | The Lord Denman | 31 July 1907 |
| Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms | The Lord Colebrooke | 26 June 1911 |
| Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard | The Duke of Manchester | 18 December 1905 |
| Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard | The Lord Allendale | 29 April 1907 |
| Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard | The Earl of Craven | 2 October 1911 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Denman | 18 December 1905 – 31 July 1907 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Earl of Granard | 18 December 1905 – 21 August 1907 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Acton | 18 December 1905 – 25 May 1915 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Earl Granville | 18 December 1905 – 25 May 1915 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Hamilton of Dalzell | 18 December 1905 – 2 October 1911 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Colebrooke | 21 February 1906 – 26 June 1911 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Herschell | 31 July 1907 – 25 May 1915 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord O'Hagan | 1 November 1907 – 15 April 1910 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Tweedmouth | 15 April 1910 – 4 December 1911 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Willingdon | 19 July 1911 – 31 January 1913 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Viscount Allendale | 2 October 1911 – 25 May 1915 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Ashby St Ledgers | 31 January 1913 – 8 February 1915 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Stanmore | 1 May 1914 – 25 May 1915 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Ranksborough | 8 February 1915 – 25 May 1915 |

### Notes

* ↑ Created Earl Loreburn 4 July 1911.
* ↑ Also Leader of the House of Lords 10 December 1905 – 14 April 1908.
* ↑ Also Leader of the House of Lords; created Marquess of Crewe 3 July 1911.
* ↑ Also Leader of the House of Lords.
* ↑ Created Baron Fitzmaurice 9 January 1906.
* ↑ Also Leader of the House of Lords.
* ↑ Created Viscount Haldane 27 March 1911.
* ↑ Also Prime Minister.
* ↑ Created Viscount Morley of Blackburn 2 May 1908.
* ↑ Also Leader of the House of Lords.
* ↑ Also Leader of the House of Lords; created Marquess of Crewe 3 July 1911.
* ↑ Created Viscount Wolverhampton 4 May 1908.
* ↑ Created Lord Ashby St Ledgers 15 March 1910.
* ↑ Created Baron Pentland 15 February 1909.
* ↑ Created a Baronet 22 July 1908.
* ↑ Entered cabinet 27 March 1907.
* ↑ Entered cabinet 4 June 1912.
* ↑ Created Earl of Liverpool 22 December 1905.
* ↑ Succeeded as 6th Earl Spencer 13 August 1910.
* ↑ Succeeded as 2nd Lord Allendale 13 February 1907.
* ↑ Created a Baronet 7 July 1910.
* ↑ Succeeded as 2nd Lord Wimborne 22 February 1914.