Secretary of State for Business and Trade

Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, (often known as the Business Secretary) is a cabinet position in the United Kingdom government. The office is responsible for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The post has been held by Kemi Badenoch since February 2023.

 List of secretaries of state 

 Industry, trade and regional development (1963–1964) 
 Secretary of State Took office Left office Political party Prime Minister 122x122px Edward Heath 20 October 1963 16 October 1964Conservative Alec Douglas-Home

 Trade and industry (1970–1974) 
 Secretary of State Took office Left office Political party Prime Minister100x100px John Davies 15 October 1970 5 November 1972Conservative Edward Heath100x100px Peter Walker 5 November 1972 4 March 1974Conservative

 Industry-prices-trade (1974–1983) 



Secretary of State for Industry 

Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection 

Secretary of State for Trade Political party Prime Minister Name Took office Left office Name Took office Left office Name Took office Left office 60pxTony Benn 5 March 1974 10 June 1975 60pxShirley Williams 5 March 1974 10 September 197660x60pxPeter Shore 5 March 1974 8 April 1976 Labour Harold Wilson60x60pxEric Varley  10 June 1975 4 May 197960x60pxEdmund Dell  8 April 1976 11 November 1978 James Callaghan 60pxRoy Hattersley 10 September 1976 4 May 197960x60pxJohn Smith 11 November 1978 4 May 197960x60pxKeith Joseph 4 May 1979 14 September 1981  60pxJohn Nott 5 May 1979 5 January 1981 Conservative Margaret Thatcher60x60pxJohn Biffen 5 January 1981 6 April 198260x60pxPatrick Jenkin 14 September 1981 12 June 198360x60pxThe Lord Cockfield 6 April 1982 12 June 1983Departments merged in 1983 and responsibilities transferred to the Department for Trade and Industry.

 Trade and industry (1983–2007) 
 Secretary of State Took office Left office Political partyCabinet Prime minister100x100px Cecil Parkinson 12 June 1983 11 October 1983ConservativeThatcher II Margaret Thatcher 133x133px Norman Tebbit 16 October 1983 2 September 1985Conservative 143x143px Leon Brittan 2 September 1985 22 January 1986Conservative100x100px Paul Channon 24 January 1986 13 June 1987Conservative 133x133px David Young, Baron Young of Graffham 13 June 1987 24 July 1989ConservativeThatcher III100x100px Nicholas Ridley 24 July 1989 13 July 1990Conservative 133x133px Peter Lilley 14 July 1990 10 April 1992ConservativeMajor I John Major 152x152px Michael Heseltine 10 April 1992 5 July 1995ConservativeMajor II 133x133px Ian Lang 5 July 1995 2 May 1997Conservative 133x133px Margaret Beckett 2 May 1997 27 July 1998LabourBlair I Tony Blair 151x151px Peter Mandelson 27 July 1998 23 December 1998Labour 125x125px Stephen Byers 23 December 1998 8 June 2001Labour 133x133px Patricia Hewitt 8 June 2001 6 May 2005LabourBlair II 129x129px Alan Johnson 6 May 2005 5 May 2006LabourBlair III 141x141px Alistair Darling 5 May 2006 27 June 2007LabourDepartment abolished 2007. Responsibilities transferred to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

 Business, enterprise and regulatory reform (2007–2009) 
 Secretary of State Took office Left office Political partyCabinet Prime Minister 133x133px John Hutton 28 June 2007 3 October 2008LabourBrown Gordon Brown 151x151px Peter Mandelson, Baron Mandelson 3 October 2008 5 June 2009LabourDepartment abolished 2009. Responsibilities transferred to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

 Business, innovation and skills (2009–2016) 
 Secretary of State Took office Left office Political partyCabinet Prime Minister 151x151px Peter Mandelson, Baron Mandelson 5 June 2009 11 May 2010LabourBrown Gordon Brown 133x133px Vince Cable 12 May 2010 8 May 2015Liberal DemocratsCameron-Clegg David Cameron 133x133px Sajid Javid 11 May 2015 14 July 2016ConservativeCameron IIDepartment abolished 2016. Responsibilities transferred to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Energy and climate change (2008–2016)

 Secretary of State Term of office Political partyCabinet Prime Minister 133x133px Ed Miliband 3 October 2008 11 May 2010LabourBrown Gordon Brown 117x117px Chris Huhne 12 May 2010 3 February 2012Liberal DemocratsCameron-Clegg David Cameron 133x133px Ed Davey 3 February 2012 8 May 2015 Liberal Democrats 133x133px Amber Rudd 11 May 2015 14 July 2016ConservativeCameron IIDepartment abolished 2016. Responsibilities transferred to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

 Business, energy and industrial strategy (2016–2023) 

 Secretary of State Took office Left office Political partyCabinet Prime Minister 133x133px Greg Clark 14 July 2016 24 July 2019ConservativeMay I Theresa MayMay II 133x133px Andrea Leadsom 24 July 2019 13 February 2020ConservativeJohnson I  Boris JohnsonJohnson II 133x133px Alok Sharma 13 February 2020 8 January 2021Conservative 133x133px Kwasi Kwarteng 8 January 2021 6 September 2022Conservative 126x126px Jacob Rees-Mogg 6 September 2022 25 October 2022ConservativeTruss Liz Truss 133x133px Grant Shapps 25 October 2022 7 February 2023ConservativeSunak Rishi SunakDepartment abolished February 2023. Responsibilities distributed to the newly created Departments for Business and Trade, Energy Security and Net Zero, and Science, Innovation and Technology.

 Business and trade (2023–present)

 Secretary of State Took office Left office Political partyCabinet Prime Minister 133x133px Kemi Badenoch 7 February 2023 5 July 2024ConservativeSunak Rishi Sunak 133x133px Jonathan Reynolds 5 July 2024 IncumbentLabourStarmer Keir Starmer
References

Category:Members of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom
Category:Economy of the United Kingdom