14-567: The secretary of state for war , commonly called the war secretary , was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom , which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The secretary of state for war headed the War Office and was assisted by a parliamentary under-secretary of state for war , a parliamentary private secretary who was also a member of parliament (MP), and
28-411: A military Secretary , who was a general . The position of secretary of state for war was first held by Henry Dundas who was appointed in 1794. In 1801, the post became that of secretary of state for war and the colonies . The position of secretary of state for war was re-instated in 1854 when the secretary of state for the colonies was created as a separate position. In the nineteenth century,
42-591: Is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that governs the salaries of ministerial and certain other political offices in the UK. In 2003, a joint public bill committee deemed the act one of "the fundamental parts of constitutional law..." The act also sets out the salaries of government ministers, government whips, opposition leaders and whips and the speakers of the two houses of Parliament, as set out below: The act explicitly imposes numerical limits over one on
56-545: The Monarch exercising royal prerogative on the advice of the government. By convention secretaries of state must be a member of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords , but the prime minister can advise the monarch to confer a peerage to satisfy this requirement. Most secretaries of state are incorporated as a " corporation sole ". This gives the minister a separate legal personality, allowing continuity in areas such as
70-498: The secretary of state for defence , the three service ministries as well as the post of minister of defence as created in 1940 were abolished. For 1801–1854 see Secretary of State for War and the Colonies . Secretary of State (United Kingdom) His Majesty's principal secretaries of state , or secretaries of state , are senior ministers of the Crown in the Government of
84-552: The Act, but could theoretically exercise the powers of, for example, the Secretary of State for Scotland at any time. There are exceptions, in that legislation sometimes refers to particular secretaries of state. Under the Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975 , a maximum of 21 secretaries of state can receive a salary. Secretaries of state and other government ministers are appointed by
98-548: The United Kingdom . Secretaries of state head most major government departments and make up the majority of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom . Legislation in the United Kingdom is often written like this example section of a hypothetical Silly Walks Act 1970 : 1. Grant powers On the appointed day, the Secretary of State shall be empowered to grant money towards the development of fatuous ambulations as seen fit. In legislation,
112-510: The embryonic offices of foreign secretary and home secretary . Over time, the number of secretaries of states grew, so that there were five in 1900 and 14 by 1996. There are currently 16 secretaries of state. The secretaries of state that have been used for the matters of health, education, work, business, energy, environment, transport and the regions are shown in the graphic below. It shows how portfolios of responsibilities have been broadly passed down from one secretary of state position to
126-598: The form of the offices of the secretary of state for the Northern Department and the secretary of state for the Southern Department , was made in 1689, though the office had been first divided into the Northern and Southern Department purviews in 1660. In 1782, the responsibilities of these offices were changed, so that one would be responsible for foreign affairs and one for domestic affairs, thus establishing
140-510: The ownership of property between office-holder changes. The origin of the office lies in the office of the king's private secretary . However, by the Tudor period , the office's purview had become more onerous. In 1539 or 1540, Henry VIII appointed two people to the office. After the Stuart Restoration , the practice of appointing two secretaries of state resumed. A formal division, in
154-737: The position(s) directly below it. However, it is impossible for such a graphic to be completely accurate; it cannot show smaller changes, or gains or losses of responsibilities within a position due to changes of responsibilities for the UK Government (for example, due to devolution or Brexit ). It is not to scale. In the gaps, and before the first of these secretaries of state, relevant responsibilities were taken on by ministers not titled 'Secretary of State'. Key: The Secretaries of state that have been used for culture, heritage and sport are as follows: Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975 The Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975 (c. 27)
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#1733084579802168-588: The post was twice held by future prime minister Henry Campbell-Bannerman . At the outset of the First World War , prime minister H. H. Asquith was filling the role, but he quickly appointed Lord Kitchener , who became famous while in this position for Lord Kitchener Wants You . He was replaced by David Lloyd George , who went on to become prime minister. Between the World Wars, the post was held by future prime minister Winston Churchill for two years. In 1946,
182-467: The term "Secretary of State", thus capitalised, is interpreted under the Interpretation Act 1978 as referring to any one of the secretaries of state in use; in practice, such secretaries of state are each allocated a portfolio by the prime minister, and only exercise the powers in that portfolio. In this example, a "Secretary of State for Silly Walks" would be appointed to exercise the provisions of
196-482: The three posts of secretary of state for war, first lord of the admiralty , and secretary of state for air became formally subordinated to that of minister of defence , which had itself been created in 1940 for the co-ordination of defence and security issues. In the 1960s, John Profumo held this post at the time of the Profumo affair . On 1 April 1964, with the creation of a new united Ministry of Defence headed by
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