Secretary of State for Business and Trade
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| United Kingdom Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy President of the Board of Trade | |
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_(St_Edwards_Crown).svg) Arms of Her Majesty's Government | |
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| Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Board of Trade | |
| Style | The Right Honourable (Formal prefix) Business Secretary |
| Appointer | Elizabeth II |
| Inaugural holder | The Earl of Shaftesbury (First Lord of Trade) The Lord Mandelson (Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, and Skills) |
| Formation | 16 September 1672 (First Lord of Trade) 5 June 2009 (Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, and Skills) |
| Website | Business, Innovation and Skills |
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| Politics of the United Kingdom |
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Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (DEBEIS), or informally Business Secretary, is a cabinet position in the United Kingdom government. The office is responsible for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (formerly the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and previous to that the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. The secretary of state is also President of the Board of Trade.
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 - the 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.
Under Gordon Brown's premiership there were two renamings of the role and three re-alignments of responsibility. In his first cabinet of 2007, he called the post Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. In this change, the Better Regulation Executive was added to the department but the Office of Science and Innovation was lost. In 2008, the title remained the same but responsibility for energy was lost. In 2009, the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was merged into the existing department and the post became Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. In July 2016, the Department for Energy and Climate Change was merged into this department and responsibility for post-19 education and skills was moved to the Department for Education resulting in the position being renamed to Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
First Lord of Trade (1672–1782)
| Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Earl of Shaftesbury | 
|
16 September 1672 | 1676 | |
| The Earl of Bridgewater | 
|
16 December 1695 | 9 June 1699 | |
| The Earl of Stamford | 
|
9 June 1699 | 19 June 1702[1] | |
| The Viscount Weymouth | 
|
19 June 1702 | 1705 | |
| The Earl of Stamford |
|
1705 | 12 June 1711 | |
| The Earl of Winchilsea | 
|
12 June 1711 | 15 September 1713 | |
| The Lord Guilford | ,_circle_of_Thomas_Murray_(1663-1734).jpg)
|
15 September 1713 | September 1714 | |
| The Lord Berkeley of Stratton |
|
September 1714 | 12 May 1715 | |
| The Earl of Suffolk |
|
12 May 1715 | 31 January 1718 | |
| The Earl of Holderness |
|
31 January 1718 | 11 May 1719 | |
| The Earl of Westmorland |
|
11 May 1719 | May 1735 | |
| The Earl Fitzwalter |
|
May 1735 | June 1737 | |
| The Lord Monson |
|
June 1737 | 1 November 1748 | |
| The Earl of Halifax | 
|
1 November 1748 | 21 March 1761 | |
| The Lord Sandys | 
|
21 March 1761 | 1 March 1763 | |
| Hon. Charles Townshend | 
|
1 March 1763 | 20 April 1763 | |
| The Earl of Shelburne | 
|
20 April 1763 | 9 September 1763 | |
| The Earl of Hillsborough | 
|
9 September 1763 | 20 July 1765 | |
| The Earl of Dartmouth | 
|
20 July 1765 | 16 August 1766 | |
| The Earl of Hillsborough |
|
16 August 1766 | December 1766 | |
| The Viscount Clare |
|
19 January 1767 | 20 January 1768 | |
| The Earl of Hillsborough |
|
20 January 1768 | 31 August 1772 | |
| The Earl of Dartmouth |
|
31 August 1772 | 10 November 1775 | |
| Lord George Sackville-Germain | 
|
10 November 1775 | 6 November 1779 | |
| The Earl of Carlisle | 
|
6 November 1779 | 9 December 1780 | |
| The Lord Grantham | 
|
9 December 1780 | 11 July 1782 | |
President of the Committee on Trade and Foreign Plantations (1784–1786)
| Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Political party | Prime Minister | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Whig (British political party)/meta/color" | | The Lord Sydney | 
|
5 March 1784 | 23 August 1786 | Whig | style="background-color: Template:Tory (British political party)/meta/color" | | William Pitt the Younger |
President of the Board of Trade (1786–1900)
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President of the Board of Trade (1900–1963)
Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development
& President of the Board of Trade (1963–1964)
| Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Political party | Prime Minister | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Edward Heath | 
|
20 October 1963 | 16 October 1964 | Conservative | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Alec Douglas-Home |
President of the Board of Trade (1964–1970)
| Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Political party | Prime Minister | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Douglas Jay |
|
18 October 1964 | 29 August 1967 | Labour | rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Harold Wilson |
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Anthony Crosland | 
|
29 August 1967 | 6 October 1969 | |||
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Roy Mason |
|
6 October 1969 | 19 June 1970 | |||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Michael Noble |
|
20 June 1970 | 15 October 1970 | Conservative | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Edward Heath |
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
& President of the Board of Trade (1970–1974)
| Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Political party | Prime Minister | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Davies |
|
15 October 1970 | 5 November 1972 | Conservative | rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Edward Heath |
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Peter Walker |
|
5 November 1972 | 4 March 1974 | |||
Secretary of State for Industry (1974–1983)
Secretary of State for Industry |
Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection |
Secretary of State for Trade |
Political party | Prime Minister | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Took office | Left office | Name | Took office | Left office | Name | Took office | Left office | ||||||
| height="14%" style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Tony Benn | 5 March 1974 | 10 June 1975 | height="28%" rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Shirley Williams | 5 March 1974 | 10 September 1976 | height="23%" rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Peter Shore | 5 March 1974 | 8 April 1976 | Labour | rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Harold Wilson |
| height="42%" rowspan="4" style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Eric Varley | 10 June 1975 | 4 May 1979 | |||||||||||
| height="28%" rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Edmund Dell | 8 April 1976 | 11 November 1978 | Labour | rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | James Callaghan | ||||||||
| height="28%" rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Roy Hattersley | 10 September 1976 | 4 May 1979 | |||||||||||
| height="5%" style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Smith | 11 November 1978 | 4 May 1979 | |||||||||||
| height="25%" rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Keith Joseph | 4 May 1979 | 14 September 1981 | OFFICE ABOLISHED (responsibilities returned to the Trade Secretary) |
height="18%" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Nott | 5 May 1979 | 5 January 1981 | Conservative | rowspan="4" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Margaret Thatcher | |||
| height="13%" rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Biffen | 5 January 1981 | 6 April 1982 | |||||||||||
| height="19%" rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Patrick Jenkin | 14 September 1981 | 12 June 1983 | |||||||||||
| height="13%" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | The Lord Cockfield | 6 April 1982 | 12 June 1983 | |||||||||||
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
& President of the Board of Trade (1983–2007)
| Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Political party | Prime Minister | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Cecil Parkinson |
|
12 June 1983 | 11 October 1983 | Conservative | rowspan="7" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Margaret Thatcher |
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Norman Tebbit | 
|
16 October 1983 | 2 September 1985 | |||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Leon Brittan | 
|
2 September 1985 | 22 January 1986 | |||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Paul Channon |
|
24 January 1986 | 13 June 1987 | |||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | The Lord Young of Graffham | 
|
13 June 1987 | 24 July 1989 | |||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Nicholas Ridley |
|
24 July 1989 | 13 July 1990 | |||
| rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Peter Lilley | 
|
14 July 1990 | 10 April 1992 | |||
| Conservative | rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Major | |||||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Michael Heseltine† | _(10559130986).jpg)
|
10 April 1992 | 5 July 1995 | |||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Ian Lang† |
|
5 July 1995 | 2 May 1997 | |||
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Margaret Beckett† | 
|
2 May 1997 | 27 July 1998 | Labour | rowspan="6" style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Tony Blair |
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Peter Mandelson | 
|
27 July 1998 | 23 December 1998 | |||
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Stephen Byers |
|
23 December 1998 | 8 June 2001 | |||
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Patricia Hewitt | 
|
8 June 2001 | 6 May 2005 | |||
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Alan Johnson†† | 
|
6 May 2005 | 5 May 2006 | |||
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Alistair Darling | 
|
5 May 2006 | 27 June 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 new title would not be used, after widespread derision of the new name, because the abbreviation for Johnson's title, Productivity, Energy and Industry Secretary, would have been "PENIS"[2]
Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
& President of the Board of Trade (2007–2009)
| Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Political party | Prime Minister | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Hutton | 
|
28 June 2007 | 3 October 2008 | Labour | rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Gordon Brown |
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | The Lord Mandelson |
|
3 October 2008 | 5 June 2009 | |||
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
& President of the Board of Trade (2009-2016)
| Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Political party | Prime Minister | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | The Lord Mandelson |
|
5 June 2009 | 11 May 2010 | Labour | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Gordon Brown |
| style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats/meta/color" | | Vince Cable | 
|
12 May 2010 | 8 May 2015 | Liberal Democrats | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | David Cameron (Coalition) |
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Sajid Javid | 
|
11 May 2015 | 14 July 2016 | Conservative | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | David Cameron (II) |
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
& President of the Board of Trade (since 2016)
| Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Political party | Prime Minister | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Greg Clark |
|
14 July 2016 | Incumbent | Conservative | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Theresa May |
