# Financial Secretary to the Treasury

The Financial Secretary to the Treasury is a mid-level ministerial post in HM Treasury. It is nominally the fifth most significant ministerial role within the Treasury after the first lord of the Treasury, the chancellor of the Exchequer, the chief secretary to the Treasury, and the paymaster general. However, the role of First Lord of the Treasury is always held by the prime minister who is not a Treasury minister, and the position of Paymaster General is a sinecure often held by the Minister for the Cabinet Office to allow the holder of that office to draw a government salary. In practice it is, therefore, the third most senior Treasury minister and has attended Cabinet in the past.
The current holder of the position is Lord Livermore, who was appointed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer following the Labour Party’s victory in the 2024 General Election. The position is shadowed by the shadow financial secretary to the treasury.

## History

The role of Financial Secretary to the Treasury was created in 1711 and was known as the Junior Secretary to the Treasury to help deal with the increasing workload of the Senior Secretary to the Treasury. The first Junior Secretary to the Treasury is recorded as Thomas Harley who was appointed on 11 June 1711. The position has continued without any major interruption to the present day. Initially when the position of Senior Secretary to the Treasury became vacant not as the result of an election of change of government the Junior Secretary was usually automatically promoted to the senior role. Over time however, the roles of the Senior and Junior Secretaries began to diverge with the Senior Secretary post being used as a sinecure post for the Chief Whip, with no formal responsibilities to the Treasury. The Junior Secretary however remained a substantive position working in the Treasury. As such the Senior Secretary became known as the 'Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury' while the Junior Secretary became known as the 'Financial Secretary to the Treasury' and the 'automatic' promotion from Junior to Senior ceased. While the exact date this change occurred is disputed it is agreed that by 1830 the distinction was complete.
In 1923 Sir William Joynson-Hicks became the–to date–only Financial Secretary to serve in the Cabinet due to the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, also concurrently serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
In May 2010 as part of the ministerial reorganisation by the First Cameron ministry, the Financial Secretary was given the additional semi-official title of City Minister. This position was retained until April 2014 when following the promotion of Sajid Javid to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport the portfolio of City Minister was moved from the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to the Economic Secretary to the Treasury.
Appointment to the position of Financial Secretary to the Treasury is often considered an important stepping stone in a politician's career; six of the ten most recent holders of the office have gone on to hold Cabinet-level positions.
Notable former Financial Secretaries to the Treasury include Lord Frederick Cavendish, Austen Chamberlain, Stanley Baldwin, Enoch Powell, Nigel Lawson, and Norman Lamont.

## Current role

The current responsibilities of the Financial Secretary to the Treasury include Departmental responsibility for the Office for National Statistics, and the Royal Mint. The Financial Secretary to the Treasury had Departmental responsibility for HM Customs & Excise until the merger with the Inland Revenue to form HM Revenue & Customs.

## List of financial secretaries to the Treasury since 1830

    see Secretary to the Treasury for earlier incumbents
Colour key (for political parties):  Conservative  Liberal  Peelite  Tories  Whig  Labour  Liberal National  Liberal Unionist  National Labour  None  Unionist
| Financial Secretary | Financial Secretary | Financial Secretary | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister | Chancellor |
| | | Thomas Spring Rice | 26 November 1830 | 6 June 1834 | Whig | Earl Grey | Viscount Althorp |
| | | Francis Baring | 6 June 1834 | 14 November 1834 | Whig | Earl Grey | Viscount Althorp |
| | | Francis Baring | 6 June 1834 | 14 November 1834 | Whig | Viscount Melbourne | Viscount Althorp |
| Office not in use | Office not in use | Office not in use | 15 November 1834 – 19 December 1834 | 15 November 1834 – 19 December 1834 | 15 November 1834 – 19 December 1834 | Duke of Wellington (Caretaker) | Lord Denman LCJ (interim) |
| | | Thomas Fremantle | 20 December 1834 | April 1835 | Conservative or Tory | Peel | Peel |
| | | Francis Baring | 21 April 1835 | 26 August 1839 | Whig | Viscount Melbourne | Spring Rice |
| | | Robert Gordon | 6 September 1839 | 1841 | Whig | Viscount Melbourne | Baring |
| | | Richard More O'Ferrall | 9 June 1841 | 30 August 1841 | Whig | Viscount Melbourne | Baring |
| | | George Clerk | 8 September 1841 | 1845 | Conservative | Peel | Goulburn |
| | | Edward Cardwell | 4 February 1845 | 29 June 1846 | Conservative | Peel | Goulburn |
| | | John Parker | 7 July 1846 | 1849 | Whig | Lord John Russell | Wood |
| | | William Goodenough Hayter | 22 May 1849 | 1850 | Whig | Lord John Russell | Wood |
| | | George Cornewall Lewis | 9 July 1850 | 1852 | Whig | Lord John Russell | Wood |
| | | George Alexander Hamilton | 2 March 1852 | 1852 | Conservative | Earl of Derby | Disraeli |
| | | James Wilson | 5 January 1853 | 19 February 1858 | Whig | Earl of Aberdeen (Coalition) | Gladstone |
| | | James Wilson | 5 January 1853 | 19 February 1858 | Whig | Viscount Palmerston | Lewis |
| | | George Alexander Hamilton | 2 March 1858 | 1859 | Conservative | Earl of Derby | Disraeli |
| | | Stafford Northcote | 21 January 1859 | 1859 | Conservative | Earl of Derby | Disraeli |
| | | Samuel Laing | 24 June 1859 | 1860 | Liberal | Viscount Palmerston | Gladstone |
| | | Frederick Peel | 2 November 1860 | 1865 | Liberal | Viscount Palmerston | Gladstone |
| | | Hugh Childers | 19 August 1865 | 26 June 1866 | Liberal | Viscount Palmerston | Gladstone |
| | | Hugh Childers | 19 August 1865 | 26 June 1866 | Liberal | Earl Russell | Gladstone |
| | | George Ward Hunt | 14 July 1866 | 29 February 1868 | Conservative | Earl of Derby | Disraeli |
| | | George Sclater-Booth | 4 March 1868 | 1 December 1868 | Conservative | Disraeli | Hunt |
| | | Acton Smee Ayrton | 9 December 1868 | 1869 | Liberal | Gladstone | Lowe |
| | | James Stansfeld | 2 November 1869 | 1871 | Liberal | Gladstone | Lowe |
| | | William Edward Baxter | 17 March 1871 | 11 August 1873 | Liberal | Gladstone | Lowe |
| | | John Dodson | 11 August 1873 | 1874 | Liberal | Gladstone | Gladstone |
| | | William Henry Smith | 21 February 1874 | 1877 | Conservative | Disraeli | Northcote |
| | | Frederick Stanley | 14 August 1877 | 1878 | Conservative | Disraeli | Northcote |
| | | Henry Selwin-Ibbetson | 2 April 1878 | 21 April 1880 | Conservative | Disraeli | Northcote |
| | | Lord Frederick Cavendish | 28 April 1880 | 1882 | Liberal | Gladstone | Gladstone |
| | | Leonard Courtney | 6 May 1882 | 12 December 1884 | Liberal | Gladstone | Gladstone |
| | | Leonard Courtney | 6 May 1882 | 12 December 1884 | Liberal | Gladstone | Childers |
| | | J. T. Hibbert | 12 December 1884 | 9 June 1885 | Liberal | Gladstone | Childers |
| | | Henry Holland | 24 June 1885 | 1885 | Conservative | Marquess of Salisbury | Hicks Beach |
| | | Matthew White Ridley | 1885 | 1886 | Conservative | Marquess of Salisbury | Hicks Beach |
| | | William Jackson | 1886 | 28 January 1886 | Conservative | Marquess of Salisbury | Hicks Beach |
| | | Henry Fowler | 6 February 1886 | 20 July 1886 | Liberal | Gladstone | Harcourt |
| | | William Jackson | 3 August 1886 | 1891 | Conservative | Marquess of Salisbury | Lord Randolph Churchill |
| | | William Jackson | 3 August 1886 | 1891 | Conservative | Marquess of Salisbury | Viscount Goschen |
| | | John Eldon Gorst | 9 November 1891 | 11 August 1892 | Conservative | Marquess of Salisbury | Viscount Goschen |
| | | J. T. Hibbert | 18 August 1892 | 22 June 1895 | Liberal | Gladstone | Harcourt |
| | | J. T. Hibbert | 18 August 1892 | 22 June 1895 | Liberal | Earl of Rosebery | Harcourt |
| | | Robert William Hanbury | 29 June 1895 | 1900 | Conservative | Marquess of Salisbury (Unionist Coalition) | Hicks Beach |
| | | Austen Chamberlain | 7 November 1900 | 11 August 1902 | Liberal Unionist | Marquess of Salisbury (Unionist Coalition) | Hicks Beach |
| | | Austen Chamberlain | 7 November 1900 | 11 August 1902 | Liberal Unionist | Balfour (Unionist Coalition) | Hicks Beach |
| | | William Fisher | 11 August 1902 | April 1903 | Conservative | Balfour (Unionist Coalition) | Ritchie |
| | | Arthur Elliot | 10 April 1903 | 9 October 1903 | Conservative | Balfour (Unionist Coalition) | Ritchie |
| | | Victor Cavendish | 9 October 1903 | 5 December 1905 | Conservative | Balfour (Unionist Coalition) | A. Chamberlain |
| | | Reginald McKenna | 12 December 1905 | 23 January 1907 | Liberal | Campbell-Bannerman | Asquith |
| | | Walter Runciman | 29 January 1907 | 1908 | Liberal | Campbell-Bannerman | Asquith |
| | | Charles Hobhouse | 12 April 1908 | 1911 | Liberal | Asquith (I) | Lloyd George |
| | | Thomas McKinnon Wood | 23 October 1911 | 13 February 1912 | Liberal | Asquith (I) | Lloyd George |
| | | Charles Masterman MP for Bethnal Green South West | 13 February 1912 | 11 February 1914 | Liberal | Asquith (I) | Lloyd George |
| | | Edwin Montagu MP for Chesterton | 11 February 1914 | 3 February 1915 | Liberal | Asquith (I) | Lloyd George |
| | | Francis Dyke Acland MP for Camborne | 3 February 1915 | 25 May 1915 | Liberal | Asquith (I) | Lloyd George |
| | | Edwin Montagu MP for Chesterton | 26 May 1915 | 9 July 1916 | Liberal | Asquith (Coalition) | McKenna |
| | | Thomas McKinnon Wood MP for Glasgow St Rollox | 9 July 1916 | 5 December 1916 | Liberal | Asquith (Coalition) | McKenna |
| | | Hardman Lever Baronet | 15 December 1916 | 19 May 1919 | None Civil servant | Lloyd George (Coalition) | Law (December 1916 – January 1919) A. Chamberlain (January 1919 – April 1921) |
| | | Stanley Baldwin MP for Bewdley | 18 June 1917 | 1 April 1921 | Conservative | Lloyd George (Coalition) | Law (December 1916 – January 1919) A. Chamberlain (January 1919 – April 1921) |
| | | Hilton Young MP for Norwich | 21 April 1921 | 19 October 1922 | Liberal | Lloyd George (Coalition) | Horne |
| | | John Hills MP for City of Durham | 6 November 1922 | 1923 | Conservative | Law | Baldwin |
| | | Archibald Boyd-Carpenter MP for Bradford North | 12 March 1923 | May 1923 | Conservative | Law | Baldwin |
| | | William Joynson-Hicks MP for Twickenham | 25 May 1923 | 27 August 1923 | Conservative | Baldwin | Baldwin |
| | | Walter Guinness MP for Bury St Edmunds | 5 October 1923 | 1923 | Conservative | Baldwin | N. Chamberlain |
| | | William Graham MP for Edinburgh Central | 23 January 1924 | 4 November 1924 | Labour | MacDonald | Snowden |
| | | Walter Guinness MP for Bury St Edmunds | 11 November 1924 | 5 November 1925 | Conservative | Baldwin | Churchill |
| | | Ronald McNeill MP for Canterbury | 5 November 1925 | 1 November 1927 | Conservative | Baldwin | Churchill |
| | | Arthur Samuel MP for Farnham | 1 November 1927 | 5 June 1929 | Conservative | Baldwin | Churchill |
| | | Frederick Pethick-Lawrence MP for Leicester West | 11 June 1929 | August 1931 | Labour | MacDonald (II) | Snowden |
| | | Walter Elliot MP for Glasgow Kelvingrove | 24 August 1931 | 29 September 1932 | Unionist | MacDonald (First National ministry) | Snowden |
| | | Walter Elliot MP for Glasgow Kelvingrove | 24 August 1931 | 29 September 1932 | Unionist | MacDonald (Second National ministry) | N. Chamberlain |
| | | Leslie Hore-Belisha MP for Plymouth Devonport | 29 September 1932 | 29 June 1934 | Liberal National | MacDonald (Second National ministry) | N. Chamberlain |
| | | Duff Cooper MP for Westminster St George's | 29 June 1934 | 22 November 1935 | Conservative | MacDonald (Second National ministry) | N. Chamberlain |
| | | Duff Cooper MP for Westminster St George's | 29 June 1934 | 22 November 1935 | Conservative | Baldwin (Third National ministry) | N. Chamberlain |
| | | William Morrison MP for Cirencester and Tewkesbury | 22 November 1935 | 29 October 1936 | Conservative | Baldwin (Third National ministry) | N. Chamberlain |
| | | John Colville MP for Midlothian and Peebles Northern | 29 October 1936 | 1938 | Unionist | Baldwin (Third National ministry) | N. Chamberlain |
| | | John Colville MP for Midlothian and Peebles Northern | 29 October 1936 | 1938 | Unionist | N. Chamberlain (Fourth National ministry) | Simon |
| | | Euan Wallace MP for Hornsey | 16 May 1938 | 21 April 1939 | Conservative | N. Chamberlain (Fourth National ministry) | Simon |
| | | Harry Crookshank MP for Gainsborough | 21 April 1939 | 7 February 1943 | Conservative | N. Chamberlain (Fourth National ministry) | Simon |
| | | Harry Crookshank MP for Gainsborough | 21 April 1939 | 7 February 1943 | Conservative | N. Chamberlain (War) | Simon |
| | | Harry Crookshank MP for Gainsborough | 21 April 1939 | 7 February 1943 | Conservative | Churchill (War) | Wood |
| | | Ralph Assheton MP for Rushcliffe | 7 February 1943 | 29 October 1944 | Conservative | Churchill (War) | Wood |
| | | Ralph Assheton MP for Rushcliffe | 7 February 1943 | 29 October 1944 | Conservative | Churchill (War) | Anderson |
| | | Osbert Peake MP for Leeds North | 29 October 1944 | 26 July 1945 | Conservative | Churchill (War) | Anderson |
| | | Osbert Peake MP for Leeds North | 29 October 1944 | 26 July 1945 | Conservative | Churchill (Caretaker) | Anderson |
| | | William Glenvil Hall MP for Colne Valley | 4 August 1945 | 2 March 1950 | Labour | Attlee | Dalton |
| | | William Glenvil Hall MP for Colne Valley | 4 August 1945 | 2 March 1950 | Labour | Attlee | Cripps |
| | | Douglas Jay MP for Battersea North | 2 March 1950 | 26 October 1951 | Labour | Attlee | Cripps |
| | | Douglas Jay MP for Battersea North | 2 March 1950 | 26 October 1951 | Labour | Attlee | Gaitskell |
| | | John Boyd-Carpenter MP for Kingston-upon-Thames | 30 October 1951 | 28 July 1954 | Conservative | Churchill | Butler |
| | | Henry Brooke MP for Hampstead | 28 July 1954 | January 1957 | Conservative | Churchill | Butler |
| | | Henry Brooke MP for Hampstead | 28 July 1954 | January 1957 | Conservative | Eden | Butler |
| | | Henry Brooke MP for Hampstead | 28 July 1954 | January 1957 | Conservative | Eden | Macmillan |
| | | Enoch Powell MP for Wolverhampton South West | 14 January 1957 | 15 January 1958 | Conservative | Macmillan | Thorneycroft |
| | | Jack Simon MP for Middlesbrough West | 15 January 1958 | 22 October 1959 | Conservative | Macmillan | Heathcoat-Amory |
| | | Edward Boyle MP for Birmingham Handsworth | 22 October 1959 | 16 July 1962 | Conservative | Macmillan | Heathcoat-Amory |
| | | Edward Boyle MP for Birmingham Handsworth | 22 October 1959 | 16 July 1962 | Conservative | Macmillan | Lloyd |
| | | Anthony Barber MP for Doncaster | 16 July 1962 | 20 October 1963 | Conservative | Macmillan | Maudling |
| | | Alan Green MP for Preston South | 23 October 1963 | 16 October 1964 | Conservative | Douglas-Home | Maudling |
| | | Niall MacDermot MP for Derby North | 21 October 1964 | 29 August 1967 | Labour | Wilson | Callaghan |
| | | Harold Lever MP for Manchester Cheetham | 29 August 1967 | 13 October 1969 | Labour | Wilson | Callaghan |
| | | Harold Lever MP for Manchester Cheetham | 29 August 1967 | 13 October 1969 | Labour | Wilson | Jenkins |
| | | Dick Taverne MP for Lincoln | 13 October 1969 | 19 June 1970 | Labour | Wilson | Jenkins |
| | | Patrick Jenkin MP for Wanstead and Woodford | 19 June 1970 | 7 April 1972 | Conservative | Heath | Macleod |
| | | Patrick Jenkin MP for Wanstead and Woodford | 19 June 1970 | 7 April 1972 | Conservative | Heath | Barber |
| | | Terrence Higgins MP for Worthing | 7 April 1972 | 4 March 1974 | Conservative | Heath | Barber |
| | | John Gilbert MP for Dudley East | 8 March 1974 | 17 June 1975 | Labour | Wilson | Healey |
| | | Robert Sheldon MP for Ashton under Lyne | 17 June 1975 | 4 May 1979 | Labour | Wilson | Healey |
| | | Robert Sheldon MP for Ashton under Lyne | 17 June 1975 | 4 May 1979 | Labour | Callaghan | Healey |
| | | Nigel Lawson MP for Blaby | 4 May 1979 | 14 September 1981 | Conservative | Thatcher | Howe |
| | | Nicholas Ridley MP for Cirencester and Tewkesbury | September 1981 | 11 June 1983 | Conservative | Thatcher | Howe |
| | | John Moore MP for Croydon Central | 19 October 1983 | 21 May 1986 | Conservative | Thatcher | Lawson |
| | | Norman Lamont MP for Kingston-upon-Thames | 21 May 1986 | 24 July 1989 | Conservative | Thatcher | Lawson |
| | | Peter Lilley MP for St Albans | 24 July 1989 | 14 July 1990 | Conservative | Thatcher | Lawson |
| | | Peter Lilley MP for St Albans | 24 July 1989 | 14 July 1990 | Conservative | Thatcher | Major |
| | | Francis Maude MP for North Warwickshire | 14 July 1990 | 9 April 1992 | Conservative | Major | Lamont |
| | | Stephen Dorrell MP for Loughborough | 11 April 1992 | 11 July 1994 | Conservative | Major | Lamont |
| | | Stephen Dorrell MP for Loughborough | 11 April 1992 | 11 July 1994 | Conservative | Major | Clarke |
| | | George Young MP for Ealing Acton | 11 July 1994 | 5 July 1995 | Conservative | Major | Clarke |
| | | Michael Jack MP for Fylde | 5 July 1995 | 2 May 1997 | Conservative | Major | Clarke |
| | | Dawn Primarolo MP for Bristol South | 2 May 1997 | 4 January 1999 | Labour | Blair | Brown |
| | | Barbara Roche MP for Hornsey and Wood Green | 4 January 1999 | 29 July 1999 | Labour | Blair | Brown |
| | | Stephen Timms MP for East Ham | 29 July 1999 | 8 June 2001 | Labour | Blair | Brown |
| | | Paul Boateng MP for Brent South | 8 June 2001 | May 2002 | Labour | Blair | Brown |
| | | Ruth Kelly MP for Bolton West | May 2002 | 9 September 2004 | Labour | Blair | Brown |
| | | Stephen Timms MP for East Ham | 12 September 2004 | 6 May 2005 | Labour | Blair | Brown |
| | | John Healey MP for Wentworth | 6 May 2005 | 28 June 2007 | Labour | Blair | Brown |
| | | Jane Kennedy MP for Liverpool Wavertree | 28 June 2007 | 5 October 2008 | Labour | Brown | Darling |
| | | Stephen Timms MP for East Ham | 5 October 2008 | 11 May 2010 | Labour | Brown | Darling |
| | | Mark Hoban MP for Fareham | 13 May 2010 | 4 September 2012 | Conservative | Cameron (Coalition) | Osborne |
| | | Greg Clark MP for Tunbridge Wells | 4 September 2012 | 7 October 2013 | Conservative | Cameron (Coalition) | Osborne |
| | | Sajid Javid MP for Bromsgrove | 7 October 2013 | 9 April 2014 | Conservative | Cameron (Coalition) | Osborne |
| | | Nicky Morgan MP for Loughborough | 9 April 2014 | 15 July 2014 | Conservative | Cameron (Coalition) | Osborne |
| | | David Gauke MP for South West Hertfordshire | 15 July 2014 | 14 July 2016 | Conservative | Cameron (Coalition) | Osborne |
| | | David Gauke MP for South West Hertfordshire | 15 July 2014 | 14 July 2016 | Conservative | Cameron (II) | Osborne |
| | | Jane Ellison MP for Battersea | 15 July 2016 | 9 June 2017 | Conservative | May (I) | Hammond |
| | | Mel Stride MP for Central Devon | 12 June 2017 | 23 May 2019 | Conservative | May (II) | Hammond |
| | | Jesse Norman MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire | 23 May 2019 | 16 September 2021 | Conservative | May (II) | Hammond |
| | | Jesse Norman MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire | 23 May 2019 | 16 September 2021 | Conservative | Johnson | Javid |
| | | Jesse Norman MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire | 23 May 2019 | 16 September 2021 | Conservative | Johnson | Sunak |
| | | Lucy Frazer MP for South East Cambridgeshire | 16 September 2021 | 7 September 2022 | Conservative | Johnson | Sunak |
| | | Lucy Frazer MP for South East Cambridgeshire | 16 September 2021 | 7 September 2022 | Conservative | Johnson | Zahawi |
| | | Andrew Griffith MP for Arundel and South Downs | 8 September 2022 | 27 October 2022 | Conservative | Truss | Kwarteng |
| | | Andrew Griffith MP for Arundel and South Downs | 8 September 2022 | 27 October 2022 | Conservative | Truss | Hunt |
| | | Victoria Atkins MP for Louth and Horncastle | 27 October 2022 | 13 November 2023 | Conservative | Sunak | Hunt |
| | | Nigel Huddleston MP for Mid Worcestershire | 13 November 2023 | 5 July 2024 | Conservative | Sunak | Hunt |
| | | Lord Livermore | 8 July 2024 | Incumbent | Labour | Starmer | Reeves |
Note 1. ^ Between June 1917 and May 1919 Lever and Baldwin jointly held the position of Financial Secretary. Note 2. ^ As Baldwin was both Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer Joynson-Hicks was a member of the Cabinet.