List of ministers under Margaret Thatcher

This article lists government ministers who served under Margaret Thatcher, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, during which time she led a Conservative majority government and was the first woman to hold the office.

Ministers

Note: Prime Minister's row is highlighted in green. Other Cabinet members' rows are highlighted in yellow.

Cabinets

May 1979 to September 1981

• Margaret Thatcher – Prime Minister
• William Whitelaw – Home Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister
• The Lord Soames – Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council
• The Lord Hailsham of St Marylebone – Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
• Sir Geoffrey Howe – Chancellor of the Exchequer
• The Lord Carrington – Foreign Secretary
• Ian Gilmour – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
• John Biffen – Chief Secretary to the Treasury
• Peter Walker – Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
• Norman St John-Stevas – Leader of the House of Commons and Minister of State for the Arts and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
• Francis Pym – Secretary of State for Defence
• Mark Carlisle – Secretary of State for Education
• James Prior – Secretary of State for Employment
• David Howell – Secretary of State for Energy
• Michael Heseltine – Secretary of State for the Environment
• Patrick Jenkin – Secretary of State for Health and Social Security
• Keith Joseph – Secretary of State for Industry
• Humphrey Atkins – Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
• Angus Maude – Paymaster General
• George Younger – Secretary of State for Scotland
• John Nott – Secretary of State for Trade and President of the Board of Trade
• Nicholas Edwards – Secretary of State for Wales

Changes

• January 1981 –
  • Francis Pym succeeded Norman St John-Stevas as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Leader of the House of Commons. Pym succeeded Angus Maude as Paymaster-General.
  • John Nott succeeded Francis Pym as Secretary of State for Defence. John Biffen succeeded Nott as Secretary of State for Trade and President of the Board of Trade.
  • Leon Brittan succeeded John Biffen as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
  • Norman St John-Stevas resigned as Minister for the Arts. His successor was not in the Cabinet.
  • the post of Secretary of State for Transport was brought into the Cabinet and Norman Fowler was given the post.

September 1981 to June 1983

In September 1981, a substantial reshuffle took place.

• Margaret Thatcher – Prime Minister
• William Whitelaw – Home Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister
• Francis Pym – Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council
• The Lord Hailsham of St Marylebone – Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
• Sir Geoffrey Howe – Chancellor of the Exchequer
• The Lord Carrington – Foreign Secretary
• Humphrey Atkins – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
• Leon Brittan – Chief Secretary to the Treasury
• Peter Walker – Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
• John Nott – Secretary of State for Defence
• Keith Joseph – Secretary of State for Education
• Norman Tebbit – Secretary of State for Employment
• Nigel Lawson – Secretary of State for Energy
• Michael Heseltine – Secretary of State for the Environment
• Norman Fowler – Secretary of State for Health and Social Security
• Patrick Jenkin – Secretary of State for Industry
• The Baroness Young – Leader of the House of Lords and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
• James Prior – Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
• Cecil Parkinson – Paymaster General
• George Younger – Secretary of State for Scotland
• John Biffen – Secretary of State for Trade and President of the Board of Trade
• David Howell – Secretary of State for Transport
• Nicholas Edwards – Secretary of State for Wales

Changes

• April 1982 –
  • Francis Pym succeeded Lord Carrington as Foreign Secretary. John Biffen succeeded Pym as Lord President of the Council.
  • Baroness Young succeeded Humphrey Atkins as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. Cecil Parkinson succeeded Young as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
  • Lord Cockfield succeeded John Biffen as Secretary of State for Trade.
• January 1983 – Michael Heseltine succeeded John Nott as Secretary of State for Defence. Tom King succeeded Heseltine as Secretary of State for the Environment.

June 1983 to June 1987

• Margaret Thatcher – Prime Minister
• The Viscount Whitelaw – Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council
• The Lord Hailsham of St Marylebone – Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
• John Biffen – Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
• Nigel Lawson – Chancellor of the Exchequer
• Peter Rees – Chief Secretary to the Treasury
• Sir Geoffrey Howe – Foreign Secretary
• Leon Brittan – Home Secretary
• Michael Jopling – Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
• Michael Heseltine – Secretary of State for Defence
• Sir Keith Joseph – Secretary of State for Education
• Norman Tebbit – Secretary of State for Employment
• Peter Walker – Secretary of State for Energy
• Patrick Jenkin – Secretary of State for the Environment
• Norman Fowler – Secretary of State for Health
• The Lord Cockfield – Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
• Jim Prior – Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
• George Younger – Secretary of State for Scotland
• Cecil Parkinson – Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and President of the Board of Trade
• Tom King – Secretary of State for Transport
• Nicholas Edwards – Secretary of State for Wales
• John Wakeham – Chief Whip of the House of Commons and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury

Changes

• October 1983 –
  • Tom King succeeded Norman Tebbit as Secretary of State for Employment.
  • Norman Tebbit succeeded Cecil Parkinson as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
  • Nicholas Ridley succeeded Tom King as Secretary of State for Transport.
• September 1984 –
  • Earl of Gowrie succeeded Lord Cockfield as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
  • Douglas Hurd succeeded Jim Prior as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
  • Lord Young of Graffham enters the Cabinet as Minister without Portfolio.
• September 1985 –
  • Lord Young of Graffham succeeded Tom King as Secretary of State for Employment.
  • Kenneth Baker succeeded Patrick Jenkin as Secretary of State for the Environment.
  • Norman Tebbit succeeded Earl of Gowrie as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
  • Tom King succeeded Douglas Hurd as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
  • Kenneth Clarke enters the Cabinet as Paymaster-General.
  • Leon Brittan succeeded Norman Tebbit as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
  • John MacGregor succeeded Peter Rees as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
  • Douglas Hurd succeeded Leon Brittan as Home Secretary.
• early January 1986 – Malcolm Rifkind succeeded George Younger as Secretary of State for Scotland. Younger succeeded Michael Heseltine as Secretary of State for Defence.
• late January 1986 – Paul Channon succeeded Leon Brittan as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
• May 1986 –
  • Nicholas Ridley succeeded Kenneth Baker as Secretary of State for the Environment. John Moore succeeded Ridley as Secretary of State for Transport.
  • Kenneth Baker succeeded Keith Joseph as Secretary of State for Education and Science.

June 1987 to July 1989

• Margaret Thatcher – Prime Minister
• The Viscount Whitelaw – Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council
• The Lord Havers – Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
• John Wakeham – Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
• Nigel Lawson – Chancellor of the Exchequer
• John Major – Chief Secretary to the Treasury
• Geoffrey Howe – Foreign Secretary
• Douglas Hurd – Home Secretary
• John MacGregor – Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
• George Younger – Secretary of State for Defence
• Kenneth Baker – Secretary of State for Education
• Norman Fowler – Secretary of State for Employment
• Cecil Parkinson – Secretary of State for Energy
• Nicholas Ridley – Secretary of State for the Environment
• John Moore – Secretary of State for Health
• The Lord Young of Graffham – Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and President of the Board of Trade
• Kenneth Clarke – Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
• Tom King – Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
• Malcolm Rifkind – Secretary of State for Scotland
• Paul Channon – Secretary of State for Transport
• Peter Walker – Secretary of State for Wales
• David Waddington – Chief Whip of the House of Commons and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
• Sir Patrick Mayhew – Attorney General for England and Wales

Changes

• October 1987 – Lord Mackay of Clashfern succeeds Lord Havers as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.
• January 1988 – Viscount Whitelaw retires and is succeeded by John Wakeham as Lord President of the Council. Lord Belstead succeeds Wakeham as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. Lord Belstead succeeds Viscount Whitelaw as Leader of the House of Lords.
• July 1988 – Department of Health and Social Security broken up into component parts:
  • John Moore continues on as Secretary of State for Social Security.
  • Kenneth Clarke becomes Secretary of State for Health. Tony Newton succeeds Clarke as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

July 1989 to November 1990

• Margaret Thatcher – Prime Minister
• Sir Geoffrey Howe – Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council
• The Lord Mackay of Clashfern – Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
• The Lord Belstead – Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
• Nigel Lawson – Chancellor of the Exchequer
• Norman Lamont – Chief Secretary to the Treasury
• John Major – Foreign Secretary
• Douglas Hurd – Home Secretary
• John Gummer – Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
• Tom King – Secretary of State for Defence
• John MacGregor – Secretary of State for Education
• Norman Fowler – Secretary of State for Employment
• John Wakeham – Secretary of State for Energy
• Chris Patten – Secretary of State for the Environment
• Kenneth Clarke – Secretary of State for Health
• Kenneth Baker – Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
• Peter Brooke – Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
• Malcolm Rifkind – Secretary of State for Scotland
• Tony Newton – Secretary of State for Social Security
• Nicholas Ridley – Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and President of the Board of Trade
• Cecil Parkinson – Secretary of State for Transport
• Peter Walker – Secretary of State for Wales

Changes

• October 1989 –
  • John Major succeeds Nigel Lawson as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
  • Douglas Hurd succeeds John Major as Foreign Secretary.
  • David Waddington succeeds Douglas Hurd as Home Secretary.
  • Tim Renton succeeds David Waddington as Chief Whip.
• January 1990 – Norman Fowler resigns as Secretary of State for Employment and is succeeded by Michael Howard.
• May 1990 – Peter Walker resigns as Secretary of State for Wales, having announced his intention in March. David Hunt succeeds him.
• July 1990 – Nicholas Ridley resigns as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. Peter Lilley succeeds him.
• November 1990 – At the start of the month, Geoffrey Howe resigns and the title of Deputy Prime Minister is not reallocated. John MacGregor succeeds him as Lord President of the Council and is in turn succeeded by Kenneth Clarke as Secretary of State for Education and Science, who is succeeded by William Waldegrave as Secretary of State for Health.

Notes

References