# Chancellor of the Exchequer

The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of His Majesty’s Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the chancellor is a high-ranking member of the British Cabinet.
Responsible for all economic and financial matters, the role is equivalent to that of a finance minister in other countries. The chancellor is now always second lord of the Treasury as one of at least six lords commissioners of the Treasury, responsible for executing the office of the Treasurer of the Exchequer – the others are the prime minister and Commons government whips. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, it was common for the prime minister also to serve as Chancellor of the Exchequer if he sat in the Commons; the last Chancellor who was simultaneously prime minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer was Stanley Baldwin in 1923. Formerly, in cases when the chancellorship was vacant, the lord chief justice of the King's Bench would act as chancellor pro tempore. The last lord chief justice to serve in this way was Lord Denman in 1834.
The chancellor is the third-oldest major state office in English and British history, and in recent times has come to be the most powerful office in British politics after the prime minister. It originally carried responsibility for the Exchequer, the medieval English institution for the collection and auditing of royal revenues. The earliest surviving records which are the results of the exchequer's audit date from 1129 to 1130 under King Henry I and show continuity from previous years. The chancellor has oversight of fiscal policy, therefore of taxation and public spending across government departments. It previously controlled monetary policy as well until 1997, when the Bank of England was granted independent control of its interest rates.
Since 1718, all chancellors of the exchequer, except at times the lord chief justice as interim holders, have been members of the House of Commons, with Lord Stanhope being the last chancellor from the House of Lords.
The office holder works alongside the other Treasury ministers and the permanent secretary to the Treasury. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow chancellor of the Exchequer, and the chancellor is also scrutinised by the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson and the Treasury Select Committee.
The current chancellor is Rachel Reeves.

## Second Lord of the Treasury

The holder of the office of chancellor of the exchequer is ex officio second lord of the Treasury as a member of the commission exercising the ancient office of treasurer of the exchequer. As second lord, her official residence is 11 Downing Street in London, next door to the residence of the first lord of the Treasury (a title that has for many years been held by the prime minister), who resides in 10 Downing Street. While in the past both houses were private residences, today they serve as interlinked offices, with the occupant living in an apartment made from attic rooms previously resided in by servants.
Since 1827, the chancellor has always simultaneously held the office of second lord of the Treasury when that person has not also been the prime minister.

## Roles and responsibilities

A previous chancellor, Robert Lowe, described the office in the following terms in the House of Commons, on 11 April 1870: "The Chancellor of the Exchequer is a man whose duties make him more or less of a taxing machine. He is entrusted with a certain amount of misery which it is his duty to distribute as fairly as he can."

### Fiscal policy

The chancellor has considerable control over other departments as it is the Treasury that sets Departmental Expenditure Limits. The amount of power this gives to an individual chancellor depends on their personal forcefulness, their status within their party and their relationship with the prime minister. Gordon Brown, who became chancellor when Labour came into Government in 1997, had a large personal power base in the party. Perhaps as a result, Tony Blair chose to keep him in the same position throughout his ten years as prime minister; making Brown an unusually dominant figure and the longest-serving chancellor since the Reform Act 1832. This has strengthened a pre-existing trend towards the chancellor occupying a clear second position among government ministers, elevated above their traditional peers, the foreign secretary and home secretary.
One part of the chancellor's key roles involves the framing of the annual year budget. As of 2017, the first is the Autumn Budget, also known as Budget Day which forecasts government spending in the next financial year and also announces new financial measures. The second is a Spring Statement, also known as a "mini-Budget". Britain's tax year has retained the old Julian end of year: 24 March (Old Style) / 5 April (New Style, i.e. Gregorian). From 1993, the Budget was in spring, preceded by an annual autumn statement. This was then called Pre-Budget Report. The Autumn Statement usually took place in November or December. The 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012 and 2016 budgets were all delivered on a Wednesday, summarised in a speech to the House of Commons.
The budget is a state secret until the chancellor reveals it in the speech given to Parliament. Hugh Dalton, on his way to giving the budget speech in 1947, inadvertently blurted out key details to a newspaper reporter, and they appeared in print before he made his speech. Dalton was forced to resign.

### Monetary policy

Although the Bank of England is responsible for setting interest rates, the chancellor also plays an important part in the monetary policy structure. They set the inflation target which the Bank must set interest rates to meet. Under the Bank of England Act 1998 the chancellor has the power of appointment of four out of nine members of the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee – the so-called 'external' members. They also have a high level of influence over the appointment of the Bank's Governor and Deputy Governors, and has the right of consultation over the appointment of the two remaining MPC members from within the Bank. The Act also provides that the Government has the power to give instructions to the Bank on interest rates for a limited period in extreme circumstances. This power has never been officially used.

### Ministerial arrangements

At HM Treasury the chancellor is supported by a political team of four junior ministers and by permanent civil servants. The most important junior minister is the chief secretary to the Treasury, a member of the Cabinet, to whom the negotiations with other government departments on the details of government spending are delegated, followed by the paymaster general, the financial secretary to the Treasury and the economic secretary to the Treasury. Whilst not continuously in use, there can also be appointed a commercial secretary to the Treasury and an exchequer secretary to the Treasury. Two other officials are given the title of a secretary to the Treasury, although neither is a government minister in the Treasury: the parliamentary secretary to the Treasury is the Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons; the permanent secretary to the Treasury is not a minister but the senior civil servant in the Treasury.
The chancellor is obliged to be a member of the Privy Council, and thus is styled the Right Honourable (Rt. Hon.). Because the House of Lords is excluded from financial matters by tradition confirmed by the Parliament Acts, the office is effectively limited to members of the House of Commons; apart from the occasions when the lord chief justice of the King's Bench has acted as interim Chancellor. The last peer to hold the office was Henry Booth, 2nd Baron Delamer (created Earl of Warrington shortly after leaving office) from 9 April 1689 to 18 March 1690. The chancellor holds the formerly independent office of Master of the Mint as a subsidiary office.

## Perquisites of the office
### Official residence

The chancellor of the Exchequer has no official London residence as such but since 1828 in their role as Second Lord of the Treasury they live in the second lord's official residence, No. 11 Downing Street. In 1997, the then first and second Lords, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown respectively, swapped apartments, as the chancellor's larger apartment in No. 11 better accommodated Blair's substantial family (besides himself and his wife, he had three children under 18 upon taking office, and a fourth was born in 2000); meanwhile, Brown was then unmarried and had no children.

### Dorneywood

Dorneywood is the summer residence that is traditionally made available to the chancellor, though it is the prime minister who ultimately decides who may use it. Gordon Brown, on becoming chancellor in 1997, refused to use it and the house, which is set in 215 acres (87 ha) of parkland, was allocated to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. In 2007, it reverted to the then-chancellor, Alistair Darling.

### Budget box

The chancellor traditionally carries his or her budget speech to the House of Commons in a particular red despatch box. The so-called ‘Budget Box’ is identical to the cases used by all other government ministers (known as ministerial boxes or "despatch boxes") to transport their official papers, but is better known because the chancellor traditionally displays the box, containing the budget speech, to the press before leaving 11 Downing Street for the House of Commons.
The original budget box was first used by William Ewart Gladstone in 1853 and continued in use until 1965 when James Callaghan was the first chancellor to break with tradition when he used a newer box. Prior to Gladstone, a generic red despatch box of varying design and specification was used. The practice is said to have begun in the late 16th century, when Queen Elizabeth I's representative Francis Throckmorton presented the Spanish Ambassador, Bernardino de Mendoza, with a specially constructed red briefcase filled with black puddings.
In July 1997, Gordon Brown became the second chancellor to use a new box for the Budget. Made by industrial trainees at Babcock Rosyth Defence Ltd ship and submarine dockyard in Fife, the new box is made of yellow pine, with a brass handle and lock, covered in scarlet leather and embossed with the Royal cypher and crest and the chancellor's title. In his first Budget, in March 2008, Alistair Darling reverted to using the original budget box and his successor, George Osborne, continued this tradition for his first budget, before announcing that it would be retired due to its fragile condition. The key to the original budget box has been lost.

### Budget tipple

By tradition, the chancellor has been allowed to drink whatever they wish while making the annual budget speech to Parliament. This includes alcohol, which is otherwise banned under parliamentary rules.
Previous chancellors have opted for whisky (Kenneth Clarke), gin and tonic (Geoffrey Howe), brandy and water (Benjamin Disraeli and John Major), spritzer (Nigel Lawson) and sherry and beaten egg (William Gladstone).
The chancellors after Clarke, Philip Hammond, George Osborne, Alistair Darling and Gordon Brown, opted for water. In fact Darling drank what was named "Standard Water" in reference to, and support of, the London Evening Standard newspaper's campaign to have plain tap water available in restaurants at no charge to customers.

### Robe of office

The chancellor, as Master of the Mint, has a robe of office, similar to that of the lord chancellor (as seen in several of the portraits depicted below). In recent times, it has only regularly been worn at coronations, but some chancellors (at least until the 1990s) have also worn it when attending the Trial of the Pyx as Master of the Mint. According to George Osborne, the robe (dating from Gladstone's time in office, and worn by the likes of Lloyd George and Churchill) 'went missing' during Gordon Brown's time as chancellor.

## List of chancellors of the exchequer
### England (c. 1221 – c. 1558)

| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Chancellor of the Exchequer | Term of office | Term of office | Monarch (Reign) | Monarch (Reign) |
| | Eustace of Fauconberg Bishop of London | c. 1221 | — | Henry III (1216–1272) |
| | John Maunsell Secretary of State | c. 1234 | — | Henry III (1216–1272) |
| | Ralph de Leicester | before 1248 | before 1248 | | Henry III (1216–1272) |
| | Edward of Westminster | 1248 | — | Henry III (1216–1272) |
| | Albric de Fiscamp | before 1263 | before 1263 | | Henry III (1216–1272) |
| | John Chishull Lord Chancellor | 1263 | 1265 | Henry III (1216–1272) |
| | Walter Giffard Bishop of Bath and Wells | 1265 | 1266 | Henry III (1216–1272) |
| | Godfrey Giffard Lord Chancellor | 1266 | 1268 | Henry III (1216–1272) |
| | John Chishull Lord Chancellor | 1268 | 1269 | Henry III (1216–1272) |
| | Richard of Middleton Archdeacon of Northumberland | 1269 | 1272 | Henry III (1216–1272) |
| | Roger de la Leye | before 1283 | before 1283 | | Henry III (1216–1272) |
| | Geoffrey de Neuband | before 1283 | before 1283 | Edward I (1272–1307) |
| | Philip de Willoughby | 1283 | 1305 | Edward I (1272–1307) |
| | John Benstead Secretary of State | 1305 | 1306 | Edward I (1272–1307) |
| | John Sandale Bishop of Winchester | c. July 1307 | 1308 | Edward II (1307–1327) |
| | John of Markenfield | 1309 | 1312 | Edward II (1307–1327) |
| | John Hotham Bishop of Ely | 1312 | 1316 | Edward II (1307–1327) |
| | Hervey de Stanton | 1316 | c. 1323 | Edward II (1307–1327) |
| | Walter Stapledon Lord High Treasurer | 1323 | c. 1324 | Edward II (1307–1327) |
| | Hervey de Stanton Chief Justice of the Common Pleas | 1324 | c. January 1327 | Edward II (1307–1327) |
| | Adam de Harvington | c. January 1327 | 1330 | Edward III (1327–1377) |
| | Robert Wodehouse | 1330 | 1331 | Edward III (1327–1377) |
| | Robert de Stratford Bishop of Chichester | 1331 | 1334 | Edward III (1327–1377) |
| | John Hildesle | c. 1338 | — | Edward III (1327–1377) |
| | William de Everdon | 1341 | — | Edward III (1327–1377) |
| | William Askeby Archdeacon of Northampton | 1363 | — | Edward III (1327–1377) |
| | Robert de Ashton | 1375 | c. June 1377 | Edward III (1327–1377) |
| | Sir Walter Barnham | c. June 1377 | c. September 1399 | Richard II (1377–1399) |
| | Henry Somer MP for Middlesex | 1410 | 1437 | Henry IV (1399–1413) |
| | Henry Somer MP for Middlesex | 1410 | 1437 | Henry V (1413–1422) |
| ​ | Henry Somer MP for Middlesex | 1410 | 1437 | Henry VI (1422–1461) |
| | John Somerset | 1441 | 1447 | Henry VI (1422–1461) |
| | Thomas Browne MP for Dover | 1440? | 1450? | Henry VI (1422–1461) |
| | Thomas Witham | 1454 | — | Henry VI (1422–1461) |
| | Thomas Thwaites | c. March 1461 | — | Edward IV (1461–1470) |
| | Thomas Witham | 1465 | 1469 | Edward IV (1461–1470) |
| ​ | Richard Fowler | 1469 | c. April 1471 | Edward IV (1461–1470) |
| | Richard Fowler | 1469 | c. April 1471 | Henry VI (1470–1471) |
| | Thomas Thwaites Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | c. April 1471 | c. April 1483 | Edward IV (1471–1483) |
| | William Catesby Speaker of the House of Commons | c. April 1483 | c. 1484 | Edward V (1483) |
| | William Catesby Speaker of the House of Commons | c. April 1483 | c. 1484 | Richard III (1483–1485) |
| | Thomas Lovell Speaker of the House of Commons | c. August 1485 | 1524 | Henry VII (1485–1509) |
| ​ | Thomas Lovell Speaker of the House of Commons | c. August 1485 | 1524 | Henry VIII (1509–1547) |
| | John Bourchier 2nd Baron Berners | 1524 | 1533? | Henry VIII (1509–1547) |
| | Thomas Cromwell 1st Earl of Essex Secretary of State | 12 April 1533 | 10 June 1540 | Henry VIII (1509–1547) |
| ​ | John Baker MP for Kent | 1545 | c. November 1558 | Henry VIII (1509–1547) |
| | John Baker MP for Kent | 1545 | c. November 1558 | Edward VI (1547–1553) |
| | John Baker MP for Kent | 1545 | c. November 1558 | Mary I (1553–1558) |
    ^† Died in office.
* ↑ Served until 1264.
* ↑ Lord Lancaster served as Regent of England during the minority of Edward III.
* ↑ The Regency government led by the Regency Council governed England during the minority of Henry VI.
* ↑ The Duke of Gloucester served as Regent of England during the reign of Edward V.
* ↑ Served until 1488.
* ↑ Margaret Beaufort served as Regent of England during the minority of Henry VIII.
* ↑ The Duke of Somerset and Duke of Northumberland served as Regent of England successively during the reign of Edward VI.

### England (c. 1558 – 1708)

| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Chancellor of the Exchequer | Term of office | Term of office | Monarch (Reign) | Monarch (Reign) |
| | Richard Sackville MP for Sussex | February 1559 | 21 April 1566 | Elizabeth I (1558–1603) | Elizabeth I (1558–1603) |
| | Walter Mildmay MP for Northamptonshire | 1566 | 31 May 1589 | Elizabeth I (1558–1603) | Elizabeth I (1558–1603) |
| | John Fortescue MP for Buckinghamshire →Middlesex | 1589 | 1603 | Elizabeth I (1558–1603) | Elizabeth I (1558–1603) |
| | George Home 1st Earl of Dunbar | 24 May 1603 | April 1606 | James I (1603–1625) | James I (1603–1625) |
| | Julius Caesar MP for Middlesex | 11 April 1606 | 1614 | James I (1603–1625) | James I (1603–1625) |
| | Fulke Greville MP for Warwickshire | 15 October 1614 | 1621 | James I (1603–1625) | James I (1603–1625) |
| | Richard Weston MP for 7 constituencies successively | 29 January 1621 | 15 July 1628 | James I (1603–1625) | James I (1603–1625) |
| Charles I (1625–1649) ||
| | Edward Barrett 1st Lord Barrett of Newburgh | 14 August 1628 | 1629 | Charles I (1625–1649) | Charles I (1625–1649) |
| | Francis Cottington 1st Baron Cottington | 18 April 1629 | 6 January 1642 | Charles I (1625–1649) | Charles I (1625–1649) |
| | John Colepeper MP for Kent | 6 January 1642 | 22 February 1643 | Charles I (1625–1649) | Charles I (1625–1649) |
| | Edward Hyde | February 1643 | 1646 | Charles I (1625–1649) | Charles I (1625–1649) |
| Vacancy during the Interregnum (1649–1660) ||||||
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Chancellor of the Exchequer | Term of office | Term of office | Ministry | Monarch (Reign) |
| | Edward Hyde 1st Baron Hyde | 1660 | 13 May 1661 | Clarendon | Charles II (1660–1685) |
| | Anthony Ashley Cooper 1st Baron Ashley | 13 May 1661 | 22 November 1672 | Clarendon | Charles II (1660–1685) |
| | Anthony Ashley Cooper 1st Baron Ashley | 13 May 1661 | 22 November 1672 | Cabal | Charles II (1660–1685) |
| | John Duncombe MP for Bury St Edmunds | 22 November 1672 | 2 May 1676 | Cabal | Charles II (1660–1685) |
| | John Duncombe MP for Bury St Edmunds | 22 November 1672 | 2 May 1676 | Danby I | Charles II (1660–1685) |
| ​ | John Ernle MP for 4 constituencies successively | 2 May 1676 | 9 April 1689 | Danby I | Charles II (1660–1685) |
| | John Ernle MP for 4 constituencies successively | 2 May 1676 | 9 April 1689 | Privy Council | Charles II (1660–1685) |
| ​ | John Ernle MP for 4 constituencies successively | 2 May 1676 | 9 April 1689 | Chits | Charles II (1660–1685) |
| | John Ernle MP for 4 constituencies successively | 2 May 1676 | 9 April 1689 | Chits | James II (1685–1688) |
| ​ | John Ernle MP for 4 constituencies successively | 2 May 1676 | 9 April 1689 | Chits | William III & Mary II (1689–1694) |
| | Henry Booth 2nd Baron Delamer | 9 April 1689 | 18 March 1690 | Carmarthen–Halifax | William III & Mary II (1689–1694) |
| | Richard Hampden MP for Buckinghamshire | 18 March 1690 | 10 May 1694 | Carmarthen | William III & Mary II (1689–1694) |
| | Charles Montagu MP for Maldon → Westminster | 10 May 1694 | 31 May 1699 | Whig Junto I | William III & Mary II (1689–1694) |
| | Charles Montagu MP for Maldon → Westminster | 10 May 1694 | 31 May 1699 | Whig Junto I | William III (1694–1702) |
| | John Smith MP for Andover | 31 May 1699 | 23 March 1701 | Pembroke | William III (1694–1702) |
| ​ | Henry Boyle MP for Cambridge University → Westminster | 27 March 1701 | 22 April 1708 | Pembroke | William III (1694–1702) |
| | Henry Boyle MP for Cambridge University → Westminster | 27 March 1701 | 22 April 1708 | Godolphin–Marlborough (Tory–Whig) | Anne (1702–1714) |
* ↑ Served until 1589 during the 9th Parliament of Queen Elizabeth I.
* ↑ Served from 1601 prior to the Golden Speech.
* ↑ Served during the 3rd Parliament of King James I in 1621.
* ↑ Elected to a new constituency in the 1695 general election.
* ↑ Elected to a new constituency in the 1705 general election.

### Great Britain (1708–1817)

| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Chancellor of the Exchequer | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Ministry | Monarch (Reign) |
| | John Smith MP for Andover | 22 April 1708 | 11 August 1710 | Whig | Godolphin–Marlborough (Tory–Whig) | Anne (1702–1714) |
| | Robert Harley MP for Radnor | 11 August 1710 | 4 June 1711 | Tory | Oxford–Bolingbroke | Anne (1702–1714) |
| | Robert Benson MP for York | 4 June 1711 | 21 August 1713 | Tory | Oxford–Bolingbroke | Anne (1702–1714) |
| | William Wyndham MP for Somerset | 21 August 1713 | 13 October 1714 | Tory | Oxford–Bolingbroke | Anne (1702–1714) |
| | William Wyndham MP for Somerset | 21 August 1713 | 13 October 1714 | Tory | Oxford–Bolingbroke | George I (1714–1727) |
| | Richard Onslow MP for Surrey | 13 October 1714 | 12 October 1715 | Whig | Townshend | George I (1714–1727) |
| | Robert Walpole MP for King's Lynn | 12 October 1715 | 15 April 1717 | Whig | Townshend | George I (1714–1727) |
| | James Stanhope 1st Earl Stanhope | 15 April 1717 | 20 March 1718 | Whig | Stanhope–Sunderland I | George I (1714–1727) |
| | John Aislabie MP for Ripon | 20 March 1718 | 23 January 1721 | Whig | Stanhope–Sunderland II | George I (1714–1727) |
| | John Pratt Lord Chief Justice (interim) | 2 February 1721 | 3 April 1721 | Whig | Stanhope–Sunderland II | George I (1714–1727) |
| | Robert Walpole 1st Earl of Orford MP for King's Lynn | 3 April 1721 | 12 February 1742 | Whig | Walpole–Townshend | George I (1714–1727) |
| | Robert Walpole 1st Earl of Orford MP for King's Lynn | 3 April 1721 | 12 February 1742 | Whig | Walpole–Townshend | George II (1727–1760) |
| | Robert Walpole 1st Earl of Orford MP for King's Lynn | 3 April 1721 | 12 February 1742 | Whig | Walpole | George II (1727–1760) |
| | Samuel Sandys MP for Worcester | 12 February 1742 | 12 December 1743 | Whig | Carteret | George II (1727–1760) |
| ​ | Henry Pelham MP for Sussex | 12 December 1743 | 8 March 1754 | Whig | Carteret | George II (1727–1760) |
| | Henry Pelham MP for Sussex | 12 December 1743 | 8 March 1754 | Whig | Broad Bottom (I & II) | George II (1727–1760) |
| | William Lee Lord Chief Justice (interim) | 8 March 1754 | 6 April 1754 | Whig | Newcastle I | George II (1727–1760) |
| | Henry Bilson-Legge MP for Orford | 6 April 1754 | 25 November 1755 | Whig | Newcastle I | George II (1727–1760) |
| | George Lyttelton MP for Okehampton | 25 November 1755 | 16 November 1756 | Whig | Newcastle I | George II (1727–1760) |
| | Henry Bilson-Legge MP for Orford | 16 November 1756 | 13 April 1757 | Whig | Pitt–Devonshire | George II (1727–1760) |
| | William Murray 1st Earl of Mansfield Lord Chief Justice (interim) | 13 April 1757 | 2 July 1757 | Whig | Pitt–Devonshire | George II (1727–1760) |
| | William Murray 1st Earl of Mansfield Lord Chief Justice (interim) | 13 April 1757 | 2 July 1757 | Whig | 1757 Caretaker | George II (1727–1760) |
| | Henry Bilson-Legge MP for Orford → Hampshire | 2 July 1757 | 19 March 1761 | Whig | Pitt–Newcastle | George II (1727–1760) |
| | Henry Bilson-Legge MP for Orford → Hampshire | 2 July 1757 | 19 March 1761 | Whig | Pitt–Newcastle | George III (1760–1820) |
| | William Barrington 2nd Viscount Barrington MP for Plymouth | 19 March 1761 | 29 May 1762 | Whig | Pitt–Newcastle | George III (1760–1820) |
| | Francis Dashwood MP for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis | 29 May 1762 | 16 April 1763 | Tory | Bute (Tory–Whig) | George III (1760–1820) |
| | George Grenville MP for Buckingham | 16 April 1763 | 16 July 1765 | Whig | Grenville (Whig–Tory) | George III (1760–1820) |
| | William Dowdeswell MP for Worcestershire | 16 July 1765 | 2 August 1766 | Whig | Rockingham I | George III (1760–1820) |
| | Charles Townshend MP for Harwich | 2 August 1766 | 4 September 1767 | Whig | Chatham (Whig–Tory) | George III (1760–1820) |
| ​ | Frederick North Lord North MP for Banbury | 11 September 1767 | 27 March 1782 | Tory | Chatham (Whig–Tory) | George III (1760–1820) |
| | Frederick North Lord North MP for Banbury | 11 September 1767 | 27 March 1782 | Tory | Grafton | George III (1760–1820) |
| | Frederick North Lord North MP for Banbury | 11 September 1767 | 27 March 1782 | Tory | North | George III (1760–1820) |
| | Lord John Cavendish MP for York | 27 March 1782 | 10 July 1782 | Whig | Rockingham II | George III (1760–1820) |
| | William Pitt the Younger MP for Appleby | 10 July 1782 | 31 March 1783 | Whig | Shelburne (Whig–Tory) | George III (1760–1820) |
| | Lord John Cavendish MP for York | 2 April 1783 | 19 December 1783 | Whig | Fox–North | George III (1760–1820) |
| | William Pitt the Younger MP for Appleby → Cambridge University | 19 December 1783 | 14 March 1801 | Tory | Pitt I | George III (1760–1820) |
| | Henry Addington MP for Devizes | 14 March 1801 | 10 May 1804 | Tory | Addington | George III (1760–1820) |
| | William Pitt the Younger MP for Cambridge University | 10 May 1804 | 23 January 1806 | Tory | Pitt II | George III (1760–1820) |
| | Edward Law 1st Baron Ellenborough Lord Chief Justice (interim) | 23 January 1806 | 5 February 1806 | Tory | All the Talents (Whig–Tory) | George III (1760–1820) |
| | Lord Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice MP for Cambridge University | 5 February 1806 | 26 March 1807 | Whig | All the Talents (Whig–Tory) | George III (1760–1820) |
| | Spencer Perceval MP for Northampton | 26 March 1807 | 11 May 1812 | Tory | Portland II | George III (1760–1820) |
| | Spencer Perceval MP for Northampton | 26 March 1807 | 11 May 1812 | Tory | Perceval | George III (1760–1820) |
| | Nicholas Vansittart MP for East Grinstead → Harwich | 9 June 1812 | 12 July 1817 | Tory | Liverpool | George III (1760–1820) |
* ↑ Lord Parker served as Regent of Great Britain from 1 August to 18 September 1714.
* ↑ Elevated to the Peerage of Great Britain on 6 February 1742.
* ↑ Elected to a new constituency in the Hampshire by-election.
* ↑ The Prince of Wales served as prince regent from 5 February 1811.
* ↑ Elected to a new constituency in the 1784 general election.
* ↑ Elected to a new constituency in the 1812 general election.

### United Kingdom (1817–present)

Although the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland had been united by the Acts of Union 1800, the Exchequers of the two Kingdoms were not consolidated until 1817 under the Consolidated Fund Act 1816 (56 Geo. 3. c. 98). For the holders of the Irish office before this date, see Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland.
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Chancellor of the Exchequer | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Ministry | Monarch (Reign) |
| | Nicholas Vansittart MP for Harwich | 12 July 1817 | 31 January 1823 | Tory | Liverpool | George III (1760–1820) |
| | Nicholas Vansittart MP for Harwich | 12 July 1817 | 31 January 1823 | Tory | Liverpool | George IV (1820–1830) |
| | Frederick John Robinson MP for Ripon | 31 January 1823 | 27 April 1827 | Tory | Liverpool | George IV (1820–1830) |
| | George Canning MP for Seaford | 27 April 1827 | 8 August 1827 | Tory | Canning (Canningite–Whig) | George IV (1820–1830) |
| | Charles Abbott 1st Baron Tenterden Lord Chief Justice (interim) | 8 August 1827 | 5 September 1827 | Tory | Goderich | George IV (1820–1830) |
| | John Charles Herries MP for Harwich | 5 September 1827 | 26 January 1828 | Tory | Goderich | George IV (1820–1830) |
| | Henry Goulburn MP for Armagh | 26 January 1828 | 22 November 1830 | Tory | Wellington–Peel | George IV (1820–1830) |
| | Henry Goulburn MP for Armagh | 26 January 1828 | 22 November 1830 | Tory | Wellington–Peel | William IV (1830–1837) |
| | John Spencer Viscount Althorp MP for Northamptonshire → South Northamptonshire | 22 November 1830 | 14 November 1834 | Whig | Grey | William IV (1830–1837) |
| | John Spencer Viscount Althorp MP for Northamptonshire → South Northamptonshire | 22 November 1830 | 14 November 1834 | Whig | Melbourne I | William IV (1830–1837) |
| | Thomas Denman 1st Baron Denman Lord Chief Justice (interim) | 14 November 1834 | 15 December 1834 | Whig | Wellington Caretaker | William IV (1830–1837) |
| | Robert Peel MP for Tamworth | 15 December 1834 | 8 April 1835 | Conservative | Peel I | William IV (1830–1837) |
| | Thomas Spring Rice MP for Cambridge | 18 April 1835 | 26 August 1839 | Whig | Melbourne II | William IV (1830–1837) |
| | Thomas Spring Rice MP for Cambridge | 18 April 1835 | 26 August 1839 | Whig | Melbourne II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | Francis Baring MP for Portsmouth | 26 August 1839 | 30 August 1841 | Whig | Melbourne II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | Henry Goulburn MP for Cambridge University | 3 September 1841 | 27 June 1846 | Conservative | Peel II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | Charles Wood MP for Halifax | 6 July 1846 | 21 February 1852 | Whig | Russell I | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | Benjamin Disraeli MP for Buckinghamshire | 27 February 1852 | 17 December 1852 | Conservative | Who? Who? | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | William Ewart Gladstone MP for Oxford University | 28 December 1852 | 28 February 1855 | Peelite | Aberdeen (Peelite–Whig) | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | George Cornewall Lewis MP for Radnor | 28 February 1855 | 21 February 1858 | Whig | Palmerston I | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | Benjamin Disraeli MP for Buckinghamshire | 26 February 1858 | 11 June 1859 | Conservative | Derby–Disraeli II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | William Ewart Gladstone MP for Oxford University → South Lancashire | 18 June 1859 | 26 June 1866 | Liberal | Palmerston II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | William Ewart Gladstone MP for Oxford University → South Lancashire | 18 June 1859 | 26 June 1866 | Liberal | Russell II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | Benjamin Disraeli MP for Buckinghamshire | 6 July 1866 | 29 February 1868 | Conservative | Derby–Disraeli III | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | George Ward Hunt MP for North Northamptonshire | 29 February 1868 | 1 December 1868 | Conservative | Derby–Disraeli III | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | Robert Lowe MP for London University | 9 December 1868 | 11 August 1873 | Liberal | Gladstone I | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | William Ewart Gladstone MP for Greenwich | 11 August 1873 | 17 February 1874 | Liberal | Gladstone I | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | Stafford Northcote MP for North Devonshire | 21 February 1874 | 21 April 1880 | Conservative | Disraeli II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | William Ewart Gladstone MP for Midlothian | 28 April 1880 | 16 December 1882 | Liberal | Gladstone II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | Hugh Childers MP for Pontefract | 16 December 1882 | 9 June 1885 | Liberal | Gladstone II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | Michael Hicks Beach MP for Bristol West | 24 June 1885 | 28 January 1886 | Conservative | Salisbury I | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | William Harcourt MP for Derby | 6 February 1886 | 20 July 1886 | Liberal | Gladstone III | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | Lord Randolph Churchill MP for Paddington South | 3 August 1886 | 22 December 1886 | Conservative | Salisbury II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | George Goschen MP for St George Hanover Square | 14 January 1887 | 11 August 1892 | Liberal Unionist | Salisbury II | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | William Harcourt MP for Derby | 18 August 1892 | 21 June 1895 | Liberal | Gladstone IV | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | William Harcourt MP for Derby | 18 August 1892 | 21 June 1895 | Liberal | Rosebery | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | Michael Hicks Beach MP for Bristol West | 29 June 1895 | 11 August 1902 | Conservative | Salisbury (III & IV) (Con.–Lib.U.) | Victoria (1837–1901) |
| | Michael Hicks Beach MP for Bristol West | 29 June 1895 | 11 August 1902 | Conservative | Salisbury (III & IV) (Con.–Lib.U.) | Edward VII (1901–1910) |
| | Charles Ritchie MP for Croydon | 11 August 1902 | 9 October 1903 | Conservative | Balfour | Edward VII (1901–1910) |
| | Austen Chamberlain MP for East Worcestershire | 9 October 1903 | 4 December 1905 | Liberal Unionist | Balfour | Edward VII (1901–1910) |
| | Herbert Henry Asquith MP for East Fife | 10 December 1905 | 16 April 1908 | Liberal | Campbell-Bannerman | Edward VII (1901–1910) |
| | David Lloyd George MP for Caernarvon Boroughs | 16 April 1908 | 25 May 1915 | Liberal | Asquith (I–III) | Edward VII (1901–1910) |
| | David Lloyd George MP for Caernarvon Boroughs | 16 April 1908 | 25 May 1915 | Liberal | Asquith (I–III) | George V (1910–1936) |
| | Reginald McKenna MP for North Monmouthshire | 25 May 1915 | 10 December 1916 | Liberal | Asquith Coalition (Lib.–Con.–et al.) | George V (1910–1936) |
| | Bonar Law MP for Bootle → Glasgow Central | 10 December 1916 | 10 January 1919 | Conservative | Lloyd George (I & II) | George V (1910–1936) |
| | Austen Chamberlain MP for Birmingham West | 10 January 1919 | 1 April 1921 | Conservative | Lloyd George (I & II) | George V (1910–1936) |
| | Robert Horne MP for Glasgow Hillhead | 1 April 1921 | 19 October 1922 | Conservative | Lloyd George (I & II) | George V (1910–1936) |
| | Stanley Baldwin MP for Bewdley | 27 October 1922 | 27 August 1923 | Conservative | Law | George V (1910–1936) |
| ​ | Stanley Baldwin MP for Bewdley | 27 October 1922 | 27 August 1923 | Conservative | Baldwin I | George V (1910–1936) |
| | Neville Chamberlain MP for Birmingham Ladywood | 27 August 1923 | 22 January 1924 | Conservative | Baldwin I | George V (1910–1936) |
| | Philip Snowden MP for Colne Valley | 22 January 1924 | 3 November 1924 | Labour | MacDonald I | George V (1910–1936) |
| | Winston Churchill MP for Epping Chancellorship | 6 November 1924 | 4 June 1929 | Conservative | Baldwin II | George V (1910–1936) |
| | Philip Snowden MP for Colne Valley | 7 June 1929 | 5 November 1931 | Labour | MacDonald II | George V (1910–1936) |
| | Philip Snowden MP for Colne Valley | 7 June 1929 | 5 November 1931 | National Labour | National I (N.Lab.–Con.–et al.) | George V (1910–1936) |
| | Neville Chamberlain MP for Birmingham Edgbaston | 5 November 1931 | 28 May 1937 | Conservative | National II | George V (1910–1936) |
| ​ | Neville Chamberlain MP for Birmingham Edgbaston | 5 November 1931 | 28 May 1937 | Conservative | National III (Con.–N.Lab.–et al.) | George V (1910–1936) |
| | Neville Chamberlain MP for Birmingham Edgbaston | 5 November 1931 | 28 May 1937 | Conservative | National III (Con.–N.Lab.–et al.) | Edward VIII (1936) |
| ​ | Neville Chamberlain MP for Birmingham Edgbaston | 5 November 1931 | 28 May 1937 | Conservative | National III (Con.–N.Lab.–et al.) | George VI (1936–1952) |
| | John Simon MP for Spen Valley | 28 May 1937 | 12 May 1940 | Liberal National | National IV | George VI (1936–1952) |
| | John Simon MP for Spen Valley | 28 May 1937 | 12 May 1940 | Liberal National | Chamberlain War | George VI (1936–1952) |
| | Kingsley Wood MP for Woolwich West | 12 May 1940 | 21 September 1943 | Conservative | Churchill War (All parties) | George VI (1936–1952) |
| ​ | John Anderson MP for Combined Scottish Universities | 24 September 1943 | 26 July 1945 | Independent (National) | Churchill War (All parties) | George VI (1936–1952) |
| | John Anderson MP for Combined Scottish Universities | 24 September 1943 | 26 July 1945 | Independent (National) | Churchill Caretaker (Con.–Lib.N.) | George VI (1936–1952) |
| | Hugh Dalton MP for Bishop Auckland | 27 July 1945 | 13 November 1947 | Labour | Attlee (I & II) | George VI (1936–1952) |
| | Stafford Cripps MP for Bristol East → Bristol South East | 13 November 1947 | 19 October 1950 | Labour | Attlee (I & II) | George VI (1936–1952) |
| | Hugh Gaitskell MP for Leeds South | 19 October 1950 | 26 October 1951 | Labour | Attlee (I & II) | George VI (1936–1952) |
| | Richard Austen Butler MP for Saffron Walden | 26 October 1951 | 20 December 1955 | Conservative | Churchill III | George VI (1936–1952) |
| | Richard Austen Butler MP for Saffron Walden | 26 October 1951 | 20 December 1955 | Conservative | Churchill III | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Richard Austen Butler MP for Saffron Walden | 26 October 1951 | 20 December 1955 | Conservative | Eden | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Harold Macmillan MP for Bromley | 20 December 1955 | 13 January 1957 | Conservative | Eden | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Peter Thorneycroft MP for Monmouth | 13 January 1957 | 6 January 1958 | Conservative | Macmillan (I & II) | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Derick Heathcoat-Amory MP for Tiverton | 6 January 1958 | 27 July 1960 | Conservative | Macmillan (I & II) | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Selwyn Lloyd MP for Wirral | 27 July 1960 | 13 July 1962 | Conservative | Macmillan (I & II) | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| ​ | Reginald Maudling MP for Barnet | 16 July 1962 | 16 October 1964 | Conservative | Macmillan (I & II) | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Reginald Maudling MP for Barnet | 16 July 1962 | 16 October 1964 | Conservative | Douglas-Home | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | James Callaghan MP for Cardiff South East | 17 October 1964 | 29 November 1967 | Labour | Wilson (I & II) | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Roy Jenkins MP for Birmingham Stechford | 29 November 1967 | 19 June 1970 | Labour | Wilson (I & II) | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Iain Macleod MP for Enfield West | 20 June 1970 | 20 July 1970 | Conservative | Heath | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Anthony Barber MP for Altrincham and Sale | 25 July 1970 | 4 March 1974 | Conservative | Heath | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Denis Healey MP for Leeds East | 5 March 1974 | 4 May 1979 | Labour | Wilson (III & IV) | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Denis Healey MP for Leeds East | 5 March 1974 | 4 May 1979 | Labour | Callaghan | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Geoffrey Howe MP for East Surrey | 4 May 1979 | 11 June 1983 | Conservative | Thatcher I | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Nigel Lawson MP for Blaby | 11 June 1983 | 26 October 1989 | Conservative | Thatcher II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| ​ | Nigel Lawson MP for Blaby | 11 June 1983 | 26 October 1989 | Conservative | Thatcher III | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | John Major MP for Huntingdon | 26 October 1989 | 28 November 1990 | Conservative | Thatcher III | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Norman Lamont MP for Kingston-upon-Thames | 28 November 1990 | 27 May 1993 | Conservative | Major I | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| ​ | Norman Lamont MP for Kingston-upon-Thames | 28 November 1990 | 27 May 1993 | Conservative | Major II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Kenneth Clarke MP for Rushcliffe | 27 May 1993 | 2 May 1997 | Conservative | Major II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Gordon Brown MP for Dunfermline East → Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath Chancellorship | 2 May 1997 | 27 June 2007 | Labour | Blair (I, II & III) | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Alistair Darling MP for Edinburgh South West | 28 June 2007 | 11 May 2010 | Labour | Brown | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | George Osborne MP for Tatton Chancellorship | 11 May 2010 | 13 July 2016 | Conservative | Cameron–Clegg (Con.–L.D.) | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | George Osborne MP for Tatton Chancellorship | 11 May 2010 | 13 July 2016 | Conservative | Cameron II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Philip Hammond MP for Runnymede and Weybridge | 13 July 2016 | 24 July 2019 | Conservative | May I | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Philip Hammond MP for Runnymede and Weybridge | 13 July 2016 | 24 July 2019 | Conservative | May II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Sajid Javid MP for Bromsgrove | 24 July 2019 | 13 February 2020 | Conservative | Johnson I | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| ​ | Sajid Javid MP for Bromsgrove | 24 July 2019 | 13 February 2020 | Conservative | Johnson II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Rishi Sunak MP for Richmond (Yorks) Chancellorship | 13 February 2020 | 5 July 2022 | Conservative | Johnson II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Nadhim Zahawi MP for Stratford-on-Avon | 5 July 2022 | 6 September 2022 | Conservative | Johnson II | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| ‍ | Kwasi Kwarteng MP for Spelthorne | 6 September 2022 | 14 October 2022 | Conservative | Truss | Elizabeth II (1952–2022) |
| | Kwasi Kwarteng MP for Spelthorne | 6 September 2022 | 14 October 2022 | Conservative | Truss | Charles III (2022–present) |
| | Jeremy Hunt MP for South West Surrey Chancellorship | 14 October 2022 | 5 July 2024 | Conservative | Truss | Charles III (2022–present) |
| ​ | Jeremy Hunt MP for South West Surrey Chancellorship | 14 October 2022 | 5 July 2024 | Conservative | Sunak | Charles III (2022–present) |
| | Rachel Reeves MP for Leeds West and Pudsey Chancellorship | 5 July 2024 | Incumbent | Labour | Starmer | Charles III (2022–present) |
* ↑ The Prince of Wales served as prince regent from 5 February 1811.
* ↑ Elected to a new constituency in the 1832 general election.
* ↑ Elected to a new constituency in the 1865 general election.
* ↑ Elected to a new constituency in the 1918 general election.
* ↑ Elected to a new constituency in the 1950 general election.
* ↑ Elected to a new constituency in the 2005 general election.