Deputy Prime Minister

The Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (DPM) is a senior minister of the Crown of the government of the United Kingdom and the second highest ranking officer of the executive branch of the central government. The Deputy Prime Minister is also a senior member of the British Cabinet.
The key role of the Deputy Prime Minister is to deputise for the Prime Minister during weekly Prime Minister's Questions and to chair the cabinet when the Prime Minister is absent. The office is not always in use, and prime ministers may use other offices, such as First Secretary of State, to give seniority to a particular cabinet minister. The office is currently held by Sir Edward Craig following the sacking of Rowan Atkinson, as is commonplace within Labour Governments Craig is also the incumbent Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Craig also holds the position of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Secretary of State for National Security. When the title is not in use, media outlets sometimes informally refer to the Prime Minister's evident deputy as the "deputy prime minister", usually either the Chancellor of the Exchequer or the First Secretary of State. This role has also been given to the minor party in coalition governments, such as to Nick Clegg in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.
== See also ==
* Sir Edward Craig
* Cabinet of the United Kingdom
* Prime Minister
*First Secretary of State