Foreign Secretary (UK)

Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government

The **secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs**, known as the **foreign secretary**, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as one of the most senior ministers in the government and a Great Office of State, the incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, fourth in the ministerial ranking.

The office holder works alongside the other Foreign Office ministers. The corresponding shadow ministers are the shadow secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs and the shadow secretary of state for international development. The performance of the secretary of state is also scrutinised by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

The current foreign secretary is David Cameron, who served as prime minister from 2010 until 2016. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appointed Cameron to the post in the November 2023 cabinet reshuffle.

## Responsibilities

Corresponding to what is generally known as a foreign minister in many other countries, the foreign secretary's remit includes:

* British relations with foreign countries and governments
* Promotion of British interests abroad.
* Matters pertaining to the Commonwealth of Nations and the Overseas Territories
* Oversight for the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).

## Residence

The official residence of the foreign secretary is 1 Carlton Gardens, in London. The foreign secretary also has the use of Chevening House, a country house in Kent, South East England and works out of the Foreign Office in Whitehall.

## History

History of English and British government departments with responsibility for foreign affairs
and those with responsibility for the colonies, dominions and the Commonwealth
1660–1782
Secretaries
Undersecretaries
Secretaries
Ministers
Undersecretaries
1968–2020

**Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office** since 2020
Secretaries
Ministers
 **Southern Department**
1660–1768
SecretariesUndersecretaries
1768–1782 SecretariesUndersecretaries
1782–1794SecretariesUndersecretaries
1794–1801SecretariesUndersecretaries
1801–1854
SecretariesUndersecretaries
1854–1925
SecretariesUndersecretaries
1925–1966
Secretaries
Ministers
Undersecretaries
1966–1968
Secretaries
 **Southern Department**
1768–1782
SecretariesUndersecretaries
1925–1947Secretaries
Undersecretaries
Secretaries
 .
1858–1937SecretariesUndersecretaries
and
**Burma Office** 1937–1947 SecretariesUndersecretaries

The title secretary of state in the government of England dates back to the early 17th century. The position of secretary of state for foreign affairs was created in the British governmental reorganisation of 1782, in which the Northern and Southern Departmentsbecame the Foreign Office and Home Office respectively. The India Office which, like the Colonial Office and the Dominions Office, had been a constituent predecessor department of the Foreign Office, was closed down in 1947.

Eventually, the position of secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs came into existence in 1968 with the merger of the functions of secretary of the state for foreign affairs and the secretary of state for Commonwealth affairs into a single department of state. Margaret Beckett, appointed in 2006 by Tony Blair, was the first woman to have held the post.

The post of secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs was created in 2020 when position holder Dominic Raab absorbed the responsibilities of the secretary of state for international development.

## List of foreign secretaries

### Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs (1782–1968)

**^†** Died in office.
1. **^** The Prince of Wales served as Prince Regent from 5 February 1811.
2. **^** Elevated to the Peerage of the United Kingdom in November 1803.
3. **^** Elected to a new constituency in the 1807 general election.
4. **^** Elected to a new constituency in the 1950 general election.
5. **^** Walker was the MP for Smethwick and Labour's shadow Foreign Secretary, prior to the 1964 general election. He lost his seat in the election but was appointed to the post anyway. He resigned after fighting and losing a 1965 by-election in Leyton.

### Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1968–2020)

Post created through the merger of the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.

### Secretaries of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (2020–present)

Post created through the merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development.

Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
(Birth–Death)
**Dominic Raab**
MP for Esher and Walton
(born 1974)
**Liz Truss**
MP for South West Norfolk
(born 1975)
**James Cleverly**
MP for Braintree
(born 1969)

## See also

* Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
* Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
* Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs
* Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
* Secretary of State for the Colonies
* Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
* Foreign minister
* Great Offices of State