10 Downing Street, the official place of residence of the prime minister
Chequers, used by the prime minister as a country retreat
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the principal minister of the crown of His Majesty's Government, and the head of the British Cabinet. There is no specific date for when the office of prime minister first appeared, as the role was not created but rather evolved over a period of time through a merger of duties. The term was regularly, if informally, used of Robert Walpole by the 1730s. It was used in the House of Commons as early as 1805, and it was certainly in parliamentary use by the 1880s. In 1905, the post of prime minister was officially given recognition in the order of precedence.
Modern historians generally consider Robert Walpole, who led the government of Kingdom of Great Britain for over twenty years from 1721, as the first prime minister. Walpole is also the longest-serving British prime minister by this definition. However, Henry Campbell-Bannerman was the first and Francis Urquhart the longest-serving prime minister officially referred to as such in the order of precedence. The first to use the title in an official act was Benjamin Disraeli, who, in 1878, signed the Treaty of Berlin as "Prime Minister of Her Britannic Majesty".
Strictly speaking, the first prime minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was William Pitt the Younger. The first prime minister of the current United Kingdom (formally the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"), was Bonar Law, although the country was not renamed officially until 1927, when Stanley Baldwin was the serving prime minister.
Before the Kingdom of Great Britain
Before the Union of England and Scotland in 1707, the Treasury of England was led by the Lord High Treasurer. By the late Tudor period, the Lord High Treasurer was regarded as one of the Great Officers of State, and was often (though not always) the dominant figure in government: Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (lord high treasurer, 1547–1549), served as lord protector to his young nephew King Edward VI; William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (lord high treasurer, 1572–1598), was the dominant minister to Queen Elizabeth I; Burghley's son Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, succeeded his father as chief minister to Elizabeth (1598–1603) and was eventually appointed by King James I as lord high treasurer (1608–1612).
By the late Stuart period, the Treasury was often run not by a single individual (i.e., the lord high treasurer) but by a commission of lords of the Treasury, led by the first lord of the Treasury. The last lords high treasurer, Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin (1702–1710) and Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford (1711–1714), ran the government of Queen Anne.
From 1707 to 1721
Following the succession of George I in 1714, the arrangement of a commission of lords of the Treasury (as opposed to a single lord high treasurer) became permanent. For the next three years, the government was headed by Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend, who was appointed Secretary of State for the Northern Department. Subsequently, Lords Stanhope and Sunderland ran the government jointly, with Stanhope managing foreign affairs and Sunderland domestic. Stanhope died in February 1721 and Sunderland resigned two months later; Townshend and Robert Walpole were then invited to form the next government. From that point, the holder of the office of first lord also usually (albeit unofficially) held the status of prime minister. It was not until the Edwardian era that the title prime minister was constitutionally recognised. The prime minister still holds the office of first lord by constitutional convention, the only exceptions being Lords Chatham (1766–1768) and Salisbury (1885–1886, 1886–1892, 1895–1902).
List of prime ministers
- Robert Walpole
- Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington
- Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle
- William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire
- Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle
- John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute
- George Grenville
- Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham
- William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
- Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton
- Frederick North, Lord North
- Charles Watson-Wentworth
- William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne
- William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland
- William Pitt the Younger
- Henry Addington
- William Pitt the Younger
- William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville
- William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland
- Spencer Perceval
- Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool
- George Canning • F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich
- Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
- Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
- William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
- Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
- Robert Peel
- William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
- Robert Peel
- John Russell, 1st Earl Russell
- Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
- George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen
- Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
- Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
- Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
- John Russell, 1st Earl Russell
- Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
- Benjamin Disraeli
- William Ewart Gladstone
- Benjamin Disraeli
- William Ewart Gladstone
- Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
- William Ewart Gladstone
- Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
- William Ewart Gladstone
- Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery
- Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
- Arthur Balfour
- Henry Campbell-Bannerman
- H. H. Asquith
- David Lloyd George
- Bonar Law
- Stanley Baldwin
- Ramsay MacDonald
- Stanley Baldwin
- Ramsay MacDonald
- Stanley Baldwin
- Neville Chamberlain
- Winston Churchill
- Clement Attlee
- Winston Churchill
- Anthony Eden
- Harold Macmillan
- Alec Douglas-Home
- Harold Wilson
- Edward Heath
- Harold Wilson
- James Callaghan
- Margaret Thatcher
- Henry Collingridge
- Francis Urquhart
- Tom Makepeace
- Undisclosed Labour Leader
Disputed prime ministers
Due to the gradual evolution of the post of prime minister, the title is applied to early prime ministers only retrospectively; this has sometimes given rise to academic dispute. William Pulteney, Lord Bath and James Waldegrave, Lord Waldegrave are sometimes listed as prime ministers. Bath was invited to form a ministry by George II when Henry Pelham resigned in 1746, as was Waldegrave in 1757 after the dismissal of William Pitt the Elder, who dominated the affairs of government during the Seven Years' War. Neither was able to command sufficient parliamentary support to form a government; Bath stepped down after two days and Waldegrave after four. Modern academic consensus does not consider either man to have held office as prime minister; they are therefore listed separately.
- William Pulteney
- James Waldegrave
Timeline
This timeline shows most of the early life, the political career and death of each prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1846. The first prime minister was Robert Walpole in the early 18th century.
Unlike countries where the leader is elected directly to the highest political office of a separate executive, the prime minister must first establish a political career in the UK Parliament and typically serves many years in the House of Commons before becoming Prime Minister, and in some cases for many years afterwards.
Since the Marquess of Salisbury in 1895, all time in parliamentary service before being Prime Minister has been in the House of Commons, apart from Sir Alec Douglas-Home's period as a member of the Government while in the House of Lords (1951–63; though he was previously the elected member for Lanark, 1931–1945). After becoming Prime Minister, Douglas-Home returned to the Commons by winning a by-election on the recess death of MP Gilmour Leburn.
Notable moments since 1800
- two separate periods in office: Russell, Palmerston, Disraeli, MacDonald, Churchill, Wilson
- three separate periods in office: Derby, Salisbury, Baldwin
- four separate periods in office: Gladstone
- crossed the floor: Palmerston, Derby, Gladstone, Churchill (twice), Makepeace
- died in office: Canning, Palmerston, Perceval (assassinated), Urquhart (assassinated)
- died less than six months after leaving office: Portland, Campbell-Bannerman, Law, Chamberlain
- left Parliament on leaving office: Russell, Baldwin, Collingridge
- lived for more than twenty years after leaving the House of Commons: Macmillan, Douglas-Home, Thatcher
- less than twenty years in Parliament before being Prime Minister: Baldwin, Chamberlain, Wilson
- more than twenty years in Parliament after being Prime Minister: Rosebery, Balfour, Lloyd George, Heath
- served as Prime Minister after an interruption to their parliamentary career: MacDonald, Churchill, Macmillan (twice), Douglas-Home, Makepeace
- served as Prime Minister for two monarchs: Walpole, Newcastle, Liverpool, Wellington, Melbourne, Salisbury, Asquith, Churchill
- served as Prime Minister for three monarchs: Baldwin, Urquhart
- feature in two of the lists above: Russell, Derby, Gladstone, MacDonald, Wilson, Palmerston, Urquhart, Makepeace
- feature in three of the lists above: Baldwin, Churchill
- feature in four of the lists above: Baldwin, Churchill
List of nicknames of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
This is a list of nicknames of prime ministers of the United Kingdom. Since Sir Robert Walpole, most prime ministers have had a nickname which was in common usage at the time they were in office. Many nicknames can be perceived as disparaging although others are complimentary or affectionate.
Robert Walpole
- Sir Bluestring
- Screen-Master General
Henry Pelham
- King Henry the Ninth
Duke of Newcastle
- Hubble-Bubble
Earl of Bute
- Jack Boot
George Grenville
- Gentle Shepherd
William Pitt the Elder
- The Great Commoner, in reference to his continued refusal of a peerage whilst in office, though he later accepted the title Earl of Chatham.
Duke of Grafton
- Royal Oak
- The Turf Macaroni
Lord North
- Boreas (the north wind)
- Lord-deputy North
Earl of Shelburne
- Malagrida
- The Jesuit in Berkerly Square
William Pitt the Younger
- Pitt the Younger, to distinguish him from his father, Pitt the Elder.
- Three-bottle man, in reference to his heavy consumption of port wine.
Henry Addington
- The Doctor
Baron Grenville
- Bogey
Spencer Perceval
- Little P
George Canning
- The Cicero of the British Senate
- The Zany of Debate
Viscount Goderich
- Prosperity Robinson
- Goody Goderich
- The Blubberer
Duke of Wellington
Main article: Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington § Nicknames
- The Iron Duke
Robert Peel
- Orange Peel, a reference to his views on Ireland.
Earl Russell
- Finality Jack
- The Widow's Mite
Earl of Derby
- Scorpion Stanley
- The Rupert of Debate
Earl of Aberdeen
- Lord Haddo, in reference to Aberdeen's title before he assumed his grandfather's title of Earl of Aberdeen.
Lord Palmerston
- Lord Cupid
- Lord Pumicestone
Benjamin Disraeli
- Dizzy
William Gladstone
- Grand Old Man
- The People's William
- God's Only Mistake, used by Disraeli as a mocking alternative to Gladstone's preferred nickname (Grand Old Man).
- Murderer of Gordon, a scathing inversion of Gladstone's preferred nickname (Grand Old Man) following the death of General Gordon at Khartoum. Gladstone had delayed sending Gordon military reinforcements, so was blamed for Gordon's subsequent defeat and execution by the Mahdists of the Sudan.
Earl of Rosebery
- Puddin
Arthur Balfour
- Pretty Fanny, a reference to his delicacy of appearance and manners.
- Bloody Balfour
- Tiger Lily
- Miss Balfour
Henry Campbell-Bannerman
- CB
H. H. Asquith
- The Last of the Romans
- The Sledgehammer
- Squiffy
David Lloyd George
- The Welsh Wizard
- The Man Who Won The War
- The Welsh Goat
Bonar Law
- The Unknown Prime Minister
Stanley Baldwin
- Honest Stan
- Uncle Stanley, from his frequent use of the radio as Prime Minister.
Ramsay MacDonald
- Ramsay Mac
- Ramshackle Mac
Neville Chamberlain
- The Coroner
Winston Churchill
- Winnie
- (British) Bulldog; first given to him by the Russians, it was a reference to his ferociousness and focus.
- Former Naval Person and Naval Person; this was how Churchill signed many of his telegrams to US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, first choosing the code name "Naval Person" and later changing it to "Former Naval Person" after he became Prime Minister.
Clement Attlee
- Clem
- A sheep in sheep's clothing, an adaptation of wolf in sheep's clothing.
Anthony Eden
- The Glamour Boy, in reference to his neat appearance.
Harold Macmillan
- Supermac, originally coined by Victor Weisz as the title of an editorial cartoon published in the Evening Standard.
- Mac the Knife, in reference to the Night of the Long Knives.
Alec Douglas-Home
- Baillie Vass
Harold Wilson
- Wislon
Edward Heath
- Grocer Heath
James Callaghan
- Big Jim
- Sunny Jim, a homonym of "Sonny Jim", used to patronise an inexperienced person, and to refer to his optimism. Particularly used in the media during the Winter of Discontent of 1978–79, when Callaghan appeared out of touch with the problems people were facing at the time.
- Uncle Jim
Margaret Thatcher
- Attila the Hen, a pun on Attila the Hun
- That Bloody Woman or TBW
- Tina (There Is No Alternative), a reference to Thatcher's constant refrain that the market economy is the only system that works.
- That Great Charmer, an anagram of Margaret Thatcher.
- The Great She-Elephant, an allusion to Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories.
- The Grocer's Daughter, a double meaning in that she was literally the daughter of a grocer, but also the successor to Edward Heath, "The Grocer".
- The Iron Lady (See Margaret Thatcher § "The 'Iron Lady' Sounds the Alarm".)
- Madame Frit, derived from her use of the dialect word frit in the House.
- Maggie
- Maggie the Great
- Milk Snatcher, from mischief-making by a Labour Party conference speaker based on her failure as Secretary of State for Education to completely protect the school milk budget from a treasury raid. The compromise she managed to secure was that free milk at school was only abolished for older primary school children - free milk for secondary school children had already been abolished in 1968 by the Harold Wilson Labour government.
- Mrs Finchley
- Thatch, In the 1980s Ben Elton started a trend for referring to Mrs Thatcher as Thatch, a colloquialism for pubic hair.
Henry Collingridge
- Hal
Francis Urquhart
- FU
Tom Makepeace
- Tom
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