Secretary of State for Business and Trade: Difference between revisions
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The '''Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills''' (formerly the '''Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform''' and previously '''Secretary of State for Trade and Industry''') is a cabinet position in the [[United Kingdom government]]. Its secondary title is the '''President of the Board of Trade'''. The Secretary of State is responsible for the [[Department for Business, Innovation and Skills]] (formerly the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and previously the Department of Trade and Industry). The current holder of the post is [[Peter Mandelson|Lord Mandelson]]. |
The '''Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills''' (formerly the '''Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform''' and previously '''Secretary of State for Trade and Industry''') is a cabinet position in the [[United Kingdom government]]. Its secondary title is the '''President of the Board of Trade'''. The Secretary of State is responsible for the [[Department for Business, Innovation and Skills]] (formerly the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and previously the Department of Trade and Industry). The current holder of the post is [[Peter Mandelson|Lord Mandelson]], and of the [[Official_Opposition_Shadow_Cabinet_(United_Kingdom)|shadow]] post is [[Kenneth Clarke]], both of who, coincidently or not, have attended [[Bilderberg Group|Bilderberg meetings]].<ref>{{cite news |
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| title = Bilderberg: The ultimate conspiracy theory |
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| publisher = BBC |
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| date = 2004-06-03 |
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| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3773019.stm |
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| accessdate = 2008-09-24}}</ref><ref> http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/cmregmem/memi19.htm</ref> |
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== History == |
== History == |
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Revision as of 19:34, 9 July 2009
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The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (formerly the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and previously Secretary of State for Trade and Industry) is a cabinet position in the United Kingdom government. Its secondary title is the President of the Board of Trade. The Secretary of State is responsible for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (formerly the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and previously the Department of Trade and Industry). The current holder of the post is Lord Mandelson, and of the shadow post is Kenneth Clarke, both of who, coincidently or not, have attended Bilderberg meetings.[1][2]
History
The idea of a Board of Trade was first translated into action by Oliver Cromwell in 1655 when he appointed his son Richard Cromwell to head a body of Lords of the Privy Council, judges and merchants to consider measures to promote trade. Charles II established a Council of Trade on 7 November 1660 followed by a Council of Foreign Plantations on 1 December that year. The two were united on 16 September 1672 as the Board of Trade and Plantations.
After the Board was re-established in 1696, there were 15 (and later 16) members of the Board - 7 (later 8) Great officers of state, and 8 unofficial members, who did the majority of the work. The senior unofficial member of the board was the President of the Board, commonly known as the First Lord of Trade. The board was abolished on 11 July 1782, but a Committee of the Privy Council was established on 5 March 1784 for the same purposes. On 23 August 1786 a new Committee was set up, more strongly focused on commercial functions than the previous boards of trade. At first the President of the Board of Trade only occasionally sat in the Cabinet, but from the early 19th century it was usually a cabinet level position.
During the government of Sir Alec Douglas-Home, the then President of the Board of Trade Edward Heath was given in addition the job of Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development. This title was not continued under Harold Wilson, but when Heath became Prime Minister in 1970 he decided to merge the Board of Trade and the Ministry of Technology to create the Department of Trade and Industry. The head of this department became known as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and President of the Board of Trade.
When Harold Wilson re-entered office in March 1974, the office was split into the Department of Trade, the Department of Industry and the Department of Prices and Consumer Protection. The title President of the Board of Trade became the secondary title of the Secretary of State for Trade. In 1979 the Department of Prices and Consumer Protection was abolished by the incoming Conservative government and its responsibilities were reintegrated into the Department of Trade. In 1983 the offices of trade and industry were remerged and the title of Secretary of State for Trade and Industry was recreated. When Michael Heseltine held this office, he preferred to be known by the older title of President of the Board of Trade, and this practice was also followed by Ian Lang and Margaret Beckett. Heseltine's decision to reuse the old title caused some comment and it was discovered that the Board of Trade had not in fact met since the mid-nineteenth century.
First Lord of Trade (1672–1782)
President of the Committee on Trade and Foreign Plantations (1784–1786)
| Date began | Date ended | Incumbent | Subsequent post |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 March 1784 | 23 August 1786 | Thomas Townshend, 1st Baron Sydney | Secretary of State for the Home Department (1783–1789) |
President of the Board of Trade (1786–1963)
Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development, and President of the Board of Trade (1963–1964)
| Date began | Date ended | Incumbent | Subsequent post |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 October 1963 | 16 October 1964 | The Rt. Hon. Edward Heath MP | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1970–1974) |
President of the Board of Trade (1964–1970)
| Date began | Date ended | Incumbent | Subsequent post |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 October 1964 | 29 August 1967 | The Rt. Hon. Douglas Jay MP | None |
| 29 August 1967 | 6 October 1969 | The Rt. Hon. Anthony Crosland MP | Secretary of State for the Environment |
| 6 October 1969 | 19 June 1970 | The Rt. Hon. Roy Mason MP | Secretary of State for Defence (1974–76) |
| 20 June 1970 | 15 October 1970 | The Rt. Hon. Michael Noble MP | Minister for Trade |
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, and President of the Board of Trade (1970–1974)
| Date began | Date ended | Incumbent | Subsequent post |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 October 1970 | 5 November 1972 | The Rt. Hon. John Davies MP | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster |
| 5 November 1972 | 4 March 1974 | The Rt. Hon. Peter Walker MP | Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food |
Secretary of State for Industry (1974–1983)
| Date began | Date ended | Incumbent | Subsequent post |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 May 1974 | 4 August 1975 | The Rt. Hon. Tony Benn MP | Secretary of State for Energy |
| 4 August 1975 | 4 May 1979 | The Rt. Hon. Eric Varley MP | None |
| 4 May 1979 | 14 September 1981 | The Rt. Hon. Sir Keith Joseph, Bt. MP | Secretary of State for Education and Science |
| 14 September 1981 | 12 June 1983 | The Rt. Hon. Patrick Jenkin MP | Secretary of State for the Environment |
Secretary of State for Trade (1974–1983)
| Date began | Date ended | Incumbent | Subsequent post |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 March 1974 | 8 April 1976 | The Rt. Hon. Peter Shore MP | Secretary of State for the Environment |
| 8 April 1976 | 11 November 1978 | The Rt. Hon. Edmund Dell MP | None |
| 11 November 1978 | 4 May 1979 | The Rt. Hon. John Smith MP | None |
| 5 May 1979 | 5 January 1981 | The Rt. Hon. John Nott MP | Secretary of State for Defence |
| 5 January 1981 | 6 April 1982 | The Rt. Hon. John Biffen MP | Lord President of the Council |
| 6 April 1982 | 12 June 1983 | The Rt. Hon. The Lord Cockfield | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster |
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, and President of the Board of Trade (1983–2007)
† - Primarily referred to as President of the Board of Trade, and not as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
†† - Alan Johnson was initially announced on 6 May 2005, after the General Election, as being "Secretary of State for Productivity, Energy and Industry and President of the Board of Trade", but after just a week, on 13 May, it was declared that the title's and department's name would not be renamed, after widespread derision of the new name.
Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, and President of the Board of Trade (2007–2009)
| Date began | Date ended | Incumbent | Subsequent post |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 June 2007 | 3 October 2008 | The Rt. Hon. John Hutton MP | Secretary of State for Defence |
| 3 October 2008 | 5 June 2009 | The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mandelson | Incumbent under new title |
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, and President of the Board of Trade (since 2009)
| Date began | Date ended | Incumbent | Subsequent post |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 June 2009 | Present | The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mandelson | Incumbent |
References
- ^ "Bilderberg: The ultimate conspiracy theory". BBC. 2004-06-03. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
- ^ http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/cmregmem/memi19.htm
