List of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom

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The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom and the Head of Her Majesty's Government. The office holder is responsible for selecting all other members of the government, chairing Cabinet meetings and deciding when to call a new general election for the House of Commons.^[1][2] The Prime Minister can also make appointments to senior positions in the Church of England, appoint judges and propose the creation of new life peers.^[3]

There is no specific date when the office of Prime Minister first appeared, as the role was not created but evolved over a period of time.^[4] However, modern historians generally apply the title of First Prime Minister to Sir Robert Walpole, who led the country for 21 years from 1721 to 1742.^[5][6] As of 2009^[update], Walpole is the longest serving Prime Minister of the country.^[7] The office is currently held by Gordon Brown, the Leader of the Labour Party.^[8]

Contents 1 Prime Ministers under George I (1714–1727) and George II (1727–1760) 2 Prime Ministers under George III (1760–1820) 3 Prime Ministers under George IV (1820–1830) 4 Prime Ministers under William IV (1830–1837) 5 Prime Ministers under Victoria (1837–1901) 6 Prime Ministers under Edward VII (1901–1910) 7 Prime Ministers under George V (1910–1936) and Edward VIII (1936) 8 Prime Ministers under George VI (1936–1952) 9 Prime Ministers under Elizabeth II (1952–Present) 10 See also 10.1 Timelines 11 References 12 Bibliography 13 External links

[edit] Prime Ministers under George I (1714–1727) and George II (1727–1760)

	Portrait	Name Constituency/Title	Term of office	Electoral mandates	Political party	Other ministerial offices held while Prime Minister	Refs
		Sir Robert Walpole MP for King's Lynn until 1742 Earl of Orford from 1742	4 April 1721 11 Feb. 1742	1722, 1727, 1734, 1741	Whig (Walpole/Townshend 1721–30; Walpole Ministry 1730–42)	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	[9][7]
			Regarded as the first Prime Minister in the modern sense; The South Sea Company bubble; criticised for Great Britain's poor performance in the War of Jenkins' Ear.
		Spencer Compton The Earl of Wilmington	16 Feb. 1742 2 July 1743	—	Whig (Carteret Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury	[10]
			Increased tax on spirits; in poor health for much of his time as Prime Minister, the government was led de facto by John Carteret. Died in office.
		Henry Pelham MP for Sussex	27 Aug. 1743 6 March 1754	1747	Whig (Carteret Ministry 1743–44; Broad Bottom Ministry 1744–46; Second Pelham Ministry 1746–54)	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	[11]
			Reorganisation of the Royal Navy; 1745 Jacobite Rebellion; adoption of the Gregorian Calendar; Marriage Act 1753; helped end the War of the Austrian Succession. Died in office.
		Thomas Pelham-Holles The Duke of Newcastle	16 March 1754 16 Nov. 1756	1754	Whig (First Newcastle Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[10]
			Led Great Britain into the Seven Years' War with France in North America.
		William Cavendish The Duke of Devonshire	16 Nov. 1756 25 June 1757	—	Whig (1757 Caretaker Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[10]
			The government was largely run by William Pitt the Elder.
		Thomas Pelham-Holles The Duke of Newcastle	2 July 1757 26 May 1762	1761	Whig (Second Newcastle Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[10]
			Great Britain gained more influence abroad in the Seven Years' War; the war was largely prosecuted by Pitt the Elder as Secretary of State.

[edit] Prime Ministers under George III (1760–1820)

	Portrait	Name Constituency/Title	Term of office	Electoral mandates	Political party	Other ministerial offices held while Prime Minister	Refs
		John Stuart The Earl of Bute	26 May 1762 8 April 1763	—	Tory (Bute Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[12]
			First Scottish Prime Minister. Ended the dominance of the Whigs; Treaty of Paris (1763) ending the Seven Years' War; resigned after fierce criticism of Treaty of Paris concessions.
		George Grenville MP for Buckingham	16 April 1763 13 July 1765	—	Whig (Grenvillite) (Grenville Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	[13]
			Lowered domestic tax at the expense of the colonies; introduced the Stamp Act 1765 (which ultimately led to the American Revolution).
		Charles Watson-Wentworth The Marquess of Rockingham	13 July 1765 30 July 1766	—	Whig (Rockinghamite) (First Rockingham Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[14]
			Repealed the controversial Stamp Act, inspired by protests from both American colonists and British manufacturers who were hurt by it; introduced the Declaratory Act 1766.
		William Pitt the Elder The Earl of Chatham	30 July 1766 14 Oct. 1768	—	Whig (Chathamite)	Lord Privy Seal	[15]
			The first real Imperialist; credited with the birth of the British Empire; defeated France in Canada, thereby indirectly precipitating the French Revolution.
		Augustus FitzRoy The Duke of Grafton	14 Oct. 1768 28 Jan. 1770	1768	Whig (Chathamite) (Grafton Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[16]
			Attempted to reconcile with the American colonies.
		Frederick North Lord North MP for Banbury	28 Jan. 1770 22 March 1782	1774, 1780	Tory (North Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	[17]
			Led Great Britain into the American Revolution, making a number of tactical errors; the Gordon Riots; attempted reform in Ireland; resigned after a vote of no confidence against the will of the King.
		Charles Watson-Wentworth The Marquess of Rockingham	27 March 1782 1 July 1782	—	Whig (Rockinghamite) (Second Rockingham Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[10]
			Acknowledged the independence of the United States; began a process of economic reform. Died in office.
		William Petty The Earl of Shelburne	4 July 1782 2 April 1783	—	Whig (Rockinghamite) (Shelburne Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[10]
			Planned political reform; secured peace with the United States, France and Spain.
		William Cavendish-Bentinck The Duke of Portland	2 April 1783 19 Dec. 1783	—	Whig (Fox-North Coalition)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[10]
			Titular head of the Fox-North Coalition. Attempted to reform the British East India Company, but was blocked by George III.
		William Pitt the Younger MP for Cambridge University	19 Dec. 1783 14 March 1801	1784, 1790, 1796	Pittite (Tory)	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	[18]
			Youngest Prime Minister. India Act 1784; attempted to remove rotten boroughs; personally opposed to the slave trade; reduced the national debt due to the rebellion in the North American colonies; formed the Triple Alliance; Constitutional Act of 1791; war with France starting in 1793; introduced the first income tax; Act of Union 1800.
		Henry Addington MP for Devizes	17 March 1801 10 May 1804	1801 co-option, 1802	Pittite (Tory) (Addington Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	[10]
			Negotiated the Treaty of Amiens with France in 1802.
		William Pitt the Younger MP for Cambridge University	10 May 1804 23 Jan. 1806	—	Pittite (Tory) (Second Pitt the Younger Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	[10]
			Alliance with Russia, Austria and Sweden against France (Third Coalition); Battle of Trafalgar; Battle of Ulm; Battle of Austerlitz. Died in office.
		William Wyndham Grenville The Lord Grenville	11 Feb. 1806 31 March 1807	1806	Whig (Ministry of All the Talents)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[10]
			Abolition of the slave trade.
		William Cavendish-Bentinck The Duke of Portland	31 March 1807 4 Oct. 1809	1807	Tory	First Lord of the Treasury	[10]
			He headed a Tory government; was old and ill, leaving the Cabinet to their own devices (largely headed by Spencer Perceval).
		Spencer Perceval MP for Northampton	4 Oct. 1809 11 May 1812	—	Tory	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster & Leader of the House of Commons	[19]
			Descent of George III into madness; his administration was notable for the lack of senior statesmen (Perceval also served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer); Peninsular War, part of the Napoleonic Wars. The only Prime Minister to have been assassinated.
		Robert Banks Jenkinson Lord Liverpool	8 June 1812 9 April 1827	1812, 1818, 1820, 1826	Tory (Liverpool Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[20]
			Oversaw the United Kingdom's victory in the Napoleonic Wars; the Congress of Vienna; an economic recession in 1817; the Luddite movement; The War of 1812 (in Britain, the American War of 1812 to 1815); Peterloo Massacre in 1819; return to the gold standard in 1819; the Cato Street Conspiracy to assassinate Liverpool in 1820.

[edit] Prime Ministers under George IV (1820–1830)

	Portrait	Name Constituency/Title	Term of office	Electoral mandates	Political party	Other ministerial offices held while Prime Minister	Refs
		George Canning MP for Newport (Is. Wight)	10 April 1827 8 Aug 1827	—	Tory (Canningite) (Canning Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	[10]
			Died shortly after taking office.
		Frederick John Robinson The Viscount Goderich	31 Aug. 1827 21 Jan. 1828	—	Tory (Canningite) (Goderich Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[10]
			Lacked support amongst colleagues; resigned.
		Arthur Wellesley The Duke of Wellington	22 Jan. 1828 16 Nov. 1830	1830	Tory (First Wellington Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[10]
			Catholic Emancipation Bill (over which he fought a duel).

[edit] Prime Ministers under William IV (1830–1837)

	Portrait	Name Constituency/Title	Term of office	Electoral mandates	Political party	Other ministerial offices held while Prime Minister	Refs
		Charles Grey The Earl Grey	22 Nov. 1830 9 July 1834	1831, 1832	Whig (Grey Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[21]
			Reform Act 1832; quelled Swing Riots; restriction of employment of children; reform of the Poor Laws; abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire.
		William Lamb The Viscount Melbourne	16 July 1834 14 Nov. 1834	—	Whig (First Melbourne Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[22]
			William IV's opposition forced him to resign.
		Arthur Wellesley The Duke of Wellington	14 Nov. 1834 10 Dec. 1834	—	Tory (Conservative Provisional Government)	First Lord of the Treasury, Secretary of State for the Home Department, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies & Leader of the House of Lords	[23]
			Caretaker government while Sir Robert Peel was located and returned to London. Held many of the major posts himself.
		Sir Robert Peel MP for Tamworth	10 Dec. 1834 8 April 1835	1835†	Conservative (First Peel Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer & Leader of the House of Commons	[24][25]
			†Minority government. Unable to form a majority in Parliament so resigned.
		William Lamb The Viscount Melbourne	18 April 1835 30 Aug. 1841	1835, 1837	Whig (Second Melbourne Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[26]
			A father figure to Queen Victoria; Municipal Corporations Act 1835; Bedchamber Crisis; Treaty of Waitangi.

[edit] Prime Ministers under Victoria (1837–1901)

	Portrait	Name Constituency/Title	Term of office	Electoral mandates	Political party	Other ministerial offices held while Prime Minister	Refs
		Sir Robert Peel MP for Tamworth	30 Aug. 1841 29 June 1846	1841	Conservative (Second Peel Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	[27]
			Mines Act 1842; reintroduction of income tax; Factory Act 1844; Railway Regulation Act 1844; repeal of the Corn Laws (triggered by the Great Irish Potato Famine) and other tariffs; Maynooth Grant.
		Lord John Russell MP for City of London	30 June 1846 21 Feb. 1852	1847†	Whig (First Russell Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	[28]
			†Minority government, but with the Conservatives split between Protectionists and Peelites, the Whigs held power. Education Act 1847; Don Pacifico affair; Chartist demonstrations; Australian Colonies Government Act; The Great Exhibition; improved the Poor laws.
		Edward Smith-Stanley The Earl of Derby	23 Feb. 1852 17 Dec. 1852	1852	Conservative (First Derby Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[29]
			Government collapsed when his Chancellor's Budget was defeated.
		George Hamilton-Gordon The Earl of Aberdeen	19 Dec. 1852 30 Jan. 1855	—	Peelite (Coalition Government)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[30]
			Only Peelite Prime Minister. Led the country into the Crimean War; resigned after defeat in the vote for an inquiry into the conduct of the war.
		Henry John Temple The Viscount Palmerston MP for Tiverton	6 Feb. 1855 19 Feb. 1858	1857	Whig (First Palmerston Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	[31]
			Responded to the Indian mutiny of 1857; introduced the India Bill.
		Edward Smith-Stanley The Earl of Derby	20 Feb. 1858 11 June 1859	—	Conservative (Second Derby Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[32]
			Government of India Act 1858, transferring ownership of the East India Company to the Crown; Jews Relief Act, allowing Jews to become MPs.
		Henry John Temple The Viscount Palmerston MP for Tiverton	12 June 1859 18 Oct. 1865	1859, 1865	Liberal (Second Palmerston Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	[33]
			Between periods in office he founded the Liberal Party; term dominated by policy concerning the American Civil War; attempts to alleviate suffering caused by the Lancashire Cotton Famine. Died in office.
		John Russell The Earl Russell	29 Oct. 1865 26 June 1866	—	Liberal (Second Russell Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[34]
			Attempted to introduce a further Reform Bill, but was opposed by his Cabinet.
		Edward Smith-Stanley The Earl of Derby	28 June 1866 25 Feb. 1868	—	Conservative (Third Derby Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Lords	[35]
			Reform Act 1867; considered by some to be the father of the modern Conservative Party.
		Benjamin Disraeli MP for Buckinghamshire	27 Feb. 1868 1 Dec. 1868	—	Conservative (First Disraeli Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	[36]
			Only ethnically Jewish Prime Minister; dissolved Parliament as the Conservatives did not have a majority.
		William Ewart Gladstone MP for Greenwich	3 Dec. 1868 17 Feb. 1874	1868	Liberal (First Gladstone Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury, Leader of the House of Commons & Chancellor of the Exchequer (1873–74)	[37]
			Introduced reforms to the British Army, Civil Service and local government; made peacetime flogging illegal; Irish Church Disestablishment Act 1869; Irish Land Act 1870; Education Act 1870; Trade Union Act 1871; Ballot Act 1872; Licensing Act 1872; failed to prevent the Franco-Prussian War.
		Benjamin Disraeli MP for Buckinghamshire until 1876 Earl of Beaconsfield from 1876	20 Feb. 1874 21 April 1880	1874	Conservative (Second Disraeli Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury, Leader of the House of Commons (1874–76), Lord Privy Seal (1876–78) & Leader of the House of Lords (1876–80)	[38]
			Various social reforms including the Climbing Boys Act 1875, the Public Health Act 1875 and the Artisan's and Labourers' Dwellings Improvement Act 1875; purchase of shares in the Suez Canal Company; Congress of Berlin; reintroduction of Queen Victoria to public life, including bestowing the title Empress of India; Second Anglo-Afghan War; breaking up of the League of the Three Emperors; the Zulu War; start of Long Depression.
		William Ewart Gladstone MP for Midlothian	23 April 1880 9 June 1885	1880	Liberal (Second Gladstone Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury, Leader of the House of Commons & Chancellor of the Exchequer (1880–82)	[39]
			First Boer War; Irish Coercion Act; Kilmainham Treaty; Phoenix Park Murders; Married Women's Property Act 1882; Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act 1883; Reform Act 1884, Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (sometimes known collectively as the Third Reform Act); failure to rescue General Gordon in Khartoum, Sudan.
		Robert Gascoyne-Cecil The Marquess of Salisbury	23 June 1885 28 Jan. 1886	1885†	Conservative (First Salisbury Ministry)	Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs & Leader of the House of Lords	[40]
			†Minority government. Legislation providing for housing the working class.
		William Ewart Gladstone MP for Midlothian	1 Feb. 1886 20 July 1886	1885	Liberal (Third Gladstone Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury, Lord Privy Seal & Leader of the House of Commons	[41]
			First introduction of the Home Rule Bill for Ireland, which split the Liberal Party, resulting in the end of Gladstone's government.
		Robert Gascoyne-Cecil The Marquess of Salisbury	25 July 1886 11 Aug. 1892	1886	Conservative (Second Salisbury Ministry)	Leader of the House of Lords, First Lord of the Treasury (1886–87) & Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1887–92)	[42]
			Opposed Irish home rule; repeal of final Contagious Diseases Act; Local Government Act 1888; Partition of Africa; Free Education Act 1891; creation of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe); New Unionism and London Dock Strike of 1889.
		William Ewart Gladstone MP for Midlothian	15 Aug. 1892 2 March 1894	1892†	Liberal (Fourth Gladstone Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury, Lord Privy Seal & Leader of the House of Commons	[43]
			†Minority government. Reintroduction of the Home Rule Bill, which was passed by the House of Commons but rejected by the House of Lords leading to his resignation.
		Archibald Primrose The Earl of Rosebery	5 March 1894 22 June 1895	—	Liberal (Rosebery Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury, Lord President of the Council & Leader of the House of Lords	[44]
			Imperialist; plans for expanding the Royal Navy caused disagreement within the Liberal Party; resigned following a vote of censure over military supplies.
		Robert Gascoyne-Cecil The Marquess of Salisbury	25 June 1895 11 July 1902	1895, 1900	Conservative (Unionist Government)	Leader of the House of Lords, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1895–1900) & Lord Privy Seal (1900–02)	[45]
			Workmen's Compensation Act 1897; Anglo-Zanzibar War; Second Boer War and Khaki election; Anglo-Japanese Alliance.

[edit] Prime Ministers under Edward VII (1901–1910)

	Portrait	Name Constituency/Title	Term of office	Electoral mandates	Political party	Other ministerial offices held while Prime Minister	Refs
		Arthur Balfour MP for City of London	11 July 1902 5 Dec. 1905	—	Conservative (Unionist Government)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	[10]
			Had poor relations with Edward VII; his cabinet was split over free trade; establishment of the Committee of Imperial Defence; Entente Cordiale; Education Act 1902; Taff Vale case.
		Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman MP for Stirling Burghs	5 Dec. 1905 7 April 1908	1906	Liberal (Campbell-Bannerman Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	[10]
			Restored autonomy to Transvaal and the Orange Free State; Anglo-Russian Entente; first Prime Minister to be referred to as such in Parliamentary legislation.
		Herbert Henry Asquith MP for East Fife	7 April 1908 7 Dec. 1916	January 1910†, December 1910†	Liberal (Liberal 1908–15; Coalition 1915–16)	First Lord of the Treasury, Leader of the House of Commons & Secretary of State for War (1914)	[10]
			†Hung Parliaments. Liberal Welfare Reforms; People's Budget; Parliament Act 1911; National Insurance and pensions; Suffragettes and the Cat and Mouse Act; Home Rule Act 1914; World War I; Easter Rising.

[edit] Prime Ministers under George V (1910–1936) and Edward VIII (1936)

	Portrait	Name Constituency/Title	Term of office	Electoral mandates	Political party	Other ministerial offices held while Prime Minister	Refs
		David Lloyd George MP for Caernarvon Boroughs	7 Dec. 1916 19 Oct. 1922	1918	Liberal (Coalition Government)	First Lord of the Treasury	[46]
			Welsh-speaking: only Prime Minister whose mother tongue was not English. End of World War I; Paris Peace Conference; attempted to extend conscription to Ireland during the First World War; granted women over 30 the vote; formation of the Irish Free State.
		Andrew Bonar Law MP for Glasgow Central	23 Oct. 1922 20 May 1923	1922	Conservative (Bonar Law Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	[47]
			Canadian-born: only Prime Minister born outside the British Isles. Resigned due to ill health; died six months after leaving office.
		Stanley Baldwin MP for Bewdley	23 May 1923 16 Jan. 1924	—	Conservative (First Baldwin Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury, Leader of the House of Commons & Chancellor of the Exchequer (1923)	[48]
			Called a general election to gain a mandate for protectionist tariffs but failed to gain a majority; resigned after losing a vote of confidence.
		Ramsay MacDonald MP for Aberavon	22 Jan. 1924 4 Nov. 1924	1923†	Labour (First MacDonald Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury, Leader of the House of Commons & Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	[49]
			†Hung Parliament; minority government reliant on Liberal support. First Labour Prime Minister; did not have a majority so could not introduce radical legislation; settled reparations with Germany following World War I; Zinoviev letter.
		Stanley Baldwin MP for Bewdley	4 Nov. 1924 5 June 1929	1924	Conservative (Second Baldwin Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	[50]
			Treaty of Locarno; signatory of the Kellogg-Briand Pact; Pensions Act; enfranchisement of women over 21; UK General Strike of 1926.
		Ramsay MacDonald MP for Seaham	5 June 1929 24 Aug. 1931	1929†	Labour (Second MacDonald Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	[51]
			†Hung Parliament. Appointed the first female minister, Margaret Bondfield; economic crises following the Wall Street Crash of 1929.
		Ramsay MacDonald MP for Seaham	24 Aug. 1931 7 June 1935	1931	National Labour (National Government)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	[52]
			Unable to retain the support of the Labour Party, MacDonald officially resigned and was then re-appointed to form a National Government with the support of the Conservative and Liberal parties. He was expelled from the Labour Party.
		Stanley Baldwin MP for Bewdley	7 June 1935 28 May 1937	1935	Conservative (National Government)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	[53]
			Edward VIII abdication crisis; started rearmament but later criticised for failing to rearm more when Adolf Hitler broke Germany's Treaty of Versailles obligations.

[edit] Prime Ministers under George VI (1936–1952)

	Portrait	Name Constituency/Title	Term of office	Electoral mandates	Political party	Other ministerial offices held while Prime Minister	Refs
		Neville Chamberlain MP for Birmingham Edgbaston	28 May 1937 10 May 1940	—	Conservative (National Government 1937–39; War Government 1939–40)	First Lord of the Treasury & Leader of the House of Commons	[10]
			Attempted to prevent World War II through appeasement of Germany; widely criticised following the German invasion of Poland; resigned after failing to form a Coalition Government and the Munich Agreement.
		Winston Churchill MP for Epping	10 May 1940 23 May 1945	—	Conservative (Coalition Government)	First Lord of the Treasury, Minister of Defence & Leader of the House of Commons (1940–42)	[54]
			World War II; led a Coalition Government; foundation of the United Nations; proposed what would eventually lead to the European Union; Beveridge Report.
		Winston Churchill MP for Epping	23 May 1945 26 July 1945	—	Conservative (Caretaker Government)	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister of Defence	[55]
			Following the ending of his all-party coalition, Churchill formed a "caretaker" government out of Conservatives, Liberal Nationals and non-party figures. However after two months it was defeated in the 1945 general election.
		Clement Attlee MP for Limehouse until 1950 MP for Walthamstow West from 1950	26 July 1945 26 Oct. 1951	1945, 1950	Labour (Attlee Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister of Defence (1945–46)	[56]
			Initiated the post-war consensus; introduced nationalisation of utilities; foundation of the National Health Service; extended national insurance scheme; independence of India and the end of the British role in Palestine; foundation of NATO; beginning of the Cold War; the Berlin Blockade and the resulting Berlin Airlift; the start of British involvement in the Korean War.
		Sir Winston Churchill MP for Woodford	26 Oct. 1951 7 April 1955	1951	Conservative (Third Churchill Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister of Defence (1951–52)	[57]
			Domestic policy interrupted by foreign disputes (Korean War, Operation Ajax, Mau Mau Uprising, Malayan Emergency).

[edit] Prime Ministers under Elizabeth II (1952–Present)

	Portrait	Name Constituency/Title	Term of office	Electoral mandates	Political party	Other ministerial offices held while Prime Minister	Refs
		Sir Anthony Eden MP for Warwick and Leamington	7 April 1955 10 Jan. 1957	1955	Conservative (Eden Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury	[58]
			Failed to prevent the Egyptian nationalisation of the Suez Canal; invaded Egypt, leading to the Suez Crisis.
		Harold Macmillan MP for Bromley	10 Jan. 1957 19 Oct. 1963	1959	Conservative (Macmillan Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury	[59]
			The UK applied to join the European Economic Community for the first time, the application split the Conservatives and was vetoed by Charles de Gaulle; acceptance of Keynesianism; Rent Act 1957; Wind of Change speech; Notting Hill race riots and New Commonwealth immigration; beginning of Beeching Axe; Night of the Long Knives; Cuban missile crisis; Profumo Affair.
		Sir Alec Douglas-Home Earl of Home until 1963 MP for Kinross and Western Perthshire from 1963	19 Oct. 1963 16 Oct. 1964	—	Conservative (Douglas-Home Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury	[60]
			Was the Earl of Home when he became Prime Minister, and renounced his peerage on 23 October 1963 in order to stand for the House of Commons.
		Harold Wilson MP for Huyton	16 Oct. 1964 19 June 1970	1964, 1966	Labour (First Wilson Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister for the Civil Service (1968-70)	[61]
			Social reforms, including legalisation of abortion and decriminalisation of homosexuality; Rhodesian U.D.I.; adopted, then abandoned, the National Plan for the economy; Devaluation of the pound; foundation of the Open University; dispute over In Place of Strife trade union reforms.
		Edward Heath MP for Bexley	19 June 1970 4 March 1974	1970	Conservative (Heath Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister for the Civil Service	[62]
			U-turned over intervention in industry; negotiated Britain's entry to the European Community; Violence due to Northern Ireland's "Troubles" peaked; the Sunningdale Agreement agreed; Three-Day Week; called early election in backfiring attempt to confront striking miners.
		Harold Wilson MP for Huyton	4 March 1974 5 April 1976	February 1974†, October 1974	Labour (Second Wilson Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister for the Civil Service	[63]
			†Hung Parliament. Ended dispute with miners; Social Contract with trade unions over the economy; Health and Safety at Work Act; Renegotiated terms for EC membership, then 1975 referendum validated entry; North Sea oil, Cod War.
		James Callaghan MP for Cardiff South East	5 April 1976 4 May 1979	—	Labour (Callaghan Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister for the Civil Service	[64][65]
			International Monetary Fund loan to support the pound; the Lib-Lab pact; enacted devolution to Scotland and Wales but referendums stopped them; relations with trade unions broke down in the Winter of Discontent.
		Margaret Thatcher MP for Finchley	4 May 1979 28 Nov. 1990	1979, 1983, 1987	Conservative (Thatcher Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister for the Civil Service	[66][67]
			First female Prime Minister of the UK; Falklands War; sold council housing to tenants (right to buy); miners' strike 1984–85; privatisation of many previously government-owned industries; decreased the power of trade unions; negotiation of the UK rebate towards the European Community budget; Brighton hotel bombing; Sino-British joint declaration; Anglo-Irish Agreement; Westland Affair; abolition of GLC; Section 28; the "Poll tax"; Lockerbie bombing, the end of the Cold War.
		John Major MP for Huntingdon	28 Nov. 1990 2 May 1997	1992	Conservative (Major Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister for the Civil Service	[68][69]
			Early 1990s recession; Gulf War; ratification of the Maastricht Treaty and the Maastricht Rebels; forced exit from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism ("Black Wednesday"); the Downing Street Declaration (initiating the Northern Ireland peace process); Citizen's Charter; Sunday Shopping; "Back to Basics" campaign; Cones Hotline; Dangerous Dogs Act.
		Tony Blair MP for Sedgefield	2 May 1997 27 June 2007	1997, 2001, 2005	Labour (Blair Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister for the Civil Service	[70][71]
			Hong Kong handover; Death of Diana, Princess of Wales; Independence for the Bank of England; Ecclestone tobacco controversy; Belfast Agreement; Human Rights Act; devolution to Scotland and Wales; House of Lords Reform; Minimum wage introduced; Kosovo War; creation of Greater London Authority and Mayoralty of London; War in Afghanistan; Iraq War; top-up fees introduced for university tuition; Civil Partnership Act; Constitutional Reform Act 2005; 2005 London bombings; Cash for Honours scandal; National identity cards introduced.
		Gordon Brown MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath	27 June 2007 Incumbent	—	Labour (Brown Ministry)	First Lord of the Treasury & Minister for the Civil Service	[72]
			London car bombs; Glasgow Airport attack; foot-and-mouth outbreak (2007); national floods of 2007; child benefit data misplaced; Donorgate; Northern Rock nationalisation; Treaty of Lisbon; 42 Days detention; 10p Tax rate; Financial crisis of 2007–2009; Parliamentary expenses scandal; arrest of Damien Green; 2009 flu pandemic; national floods of 2009.

[edit] See also

• Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
• Historical rankings of British Prime Ministers
• Records of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom
• List of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom by term length
• List of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom by length of life
• List of British Prime Ministers nicknames
• William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath (sometimes listed as a prime minister; held office for 2 days in 1746)
• James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave (sometimes listed as a prime minister; held office for 4 days in 1757)

[edit] Timelines

• Graphical list of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom
• Graphical list of Prime Ministers showing birth, death and political career of each Prime Minister from Palmerston to Brown

[edit] References

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] External links

• Prime Ministers in History from the 10 Downing Street website