| PRIME MINISTERS | ||||||
| No. | NAME | DATES OF BIRTH AND DEATH | POLITICAL PARTIES IN GOVERNMENT | DATE OF APPOINTMENT | DATE OF LEAVING OFFICE | REASON FOR LEAVING OFFICE |
| 1 | ROBERT WALPOLE [SIR Robert Walpole from 1725] | (b26Aug1676, d18Mar1745) | Whig | 3 Apr 1721 | 8 Feb 1742 | Defeat in House of Commons |
| 2 | Sir Spencer Compton, EARL OF WILMINGTON | (b1673/4, d 2Jul1743) | Whig | 16 Feb 1742 | 2 July 1743 | Died |
| 3 | HENRY PELHAM | (b c 1695, d 6Mar1754) | Whig | 27 Aug 1743 | 6 Mar 1754 | Died |
| [Note: Pelham and his colleagues having tendered their resignations, the Earl of Bath was on 10 Feb 1746 appointed First Lord of the Treasury and asked to form a government. He was unable to do so and resigned on 12 Feb 1746 whereupon the Pelham government resumed office] | ||||||
| 4(1) | Sir Thomas Pelham-Holles, Bt, 1st DUKE OF NEWCASTLE-upon-Tyne | (b21Jul1693, d17Nov1768) | Whig | 16 Mar 1754 | 26 Oct 1756 | Criticism of conduct of war |
| 5 | Sir William Cavendish, 4th DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE | (b1720, d2Oct1764) | Alternative Whig | 16 Nov 1756 | May 1757 | Policy disagreement with the king |
| [Note: The Earl of Waldegrave was asked to form a government on 8 Jun 1757, but was unable to do so and and resigned his commission on 12 Jun 1757] | ||||||
| 4(2) | Sir Thomas Pelham-Holles, Bt, 1st DUKE OF NEWCASTLE-upon-Tyne | (b21Jul1693, d17Nov1768) | Whig Coalition | 2 Jul 1757 | 25 May 1762 | Cabinet disagreements |
| 6 | John Stuart, 3rd EARL OF BUTE | (b25May1713, d10Mar1792) | Bute party and others | 26 May 1762 | 8 Apr 1763 | General unpopularity |
| 7 | GEORGE GRENVILLE | (b14Oct1712, d13Nov1770) | Grenville,Bedford and Bute parties | 16 Apr 1763 | 10 Jul 1765 | Dismissed by the king |
| 8(1) | Sir Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd MARQUESS OF ROCKINGHAM | (b13May1730, d1Jul1782) | (True or Old) Whig | 13 Jul 1765 | Jul 1766 | Dismissed by the king |
| 9 | William Pitt, 1st EARL OF CHATHAM | (b15Nov1708, d11May1788) | Chathamite & others | 30 July 1766 | 14 Oct 1768 | Cabinet disagreements |
| [Note: Chatham took office as Lord Privy Seal, not First Lord of the Treasury to which office he appointed the Duke of Grafton. Chatham fell ill in December 1766 and from March 1767 Grafton was effectively head of the government, though it was always understood that this was only until Chatham recovered. In October 1768 Chatham resigned because he disapproved of the decision to dismiss the Earl of Shelburne from office, and Grafton as First Lord of the Treasury automatically became head of the ministry] | ||||||
| 10 | Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3rd DUKE OF GRAFTON | (b28Sep1735, d14Mar1811) | Chathamite & others | 14 Oct 1768 | 28 Jan 1770 | Cabinet disagreements |
| 11 | Sir Frederick North, LORD NORTH | (b13Apr1732, d5Aug1792) | Northite (see note2) | 28 Jan 1770 | 20 Mar 1782 | Loss of Majority in House of Commons |
| 8(2) | Sir Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd MARQUESS OF ROCKINGHAM | (b13May1730, d1Jul1782) | Whig | 27 Mar 1782 | 1 Jul 1782 | Died |
| 12 | Sir William Petty, 2nd EARL OF SHELBURNE | (b20May1737, d7May1805) | Chathamite | 4 Jul 1782 | 24 Feb 1783 | Defeat in House of Commons |
| 13(1) | William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, 3rd DUKE OF PORTLAND | (b14Apr1738, d30Oct1809) | COALITION: (Foxite) Whigs, Northites | 2 Apr 1783 | ? Dec 1783 | Dismissed by the king |
| 14(1) | WILLIAM PITT | (b28May1759, d23Jan1806) | Pitt Coalition | 19 Dec 1783 | 14 Mar 1801 | Policy disagreement with the king |
| 15 | HENRY ADDINGTON | (b30May1757, d15Feb1844) | Addington party | 17 Mar 1801 | 30 Apr 1804 | Criticism of conduct of war |
| 14(2) | WILLIAM PITT | (b28May1759, d23Jan1806) | Pitt's Friends | 10 May 1804 | 23 Jan 1806 | Died |
| 16 | William Wyndmam Grenville, 1st BARON GRENVILLE | (b25Oct1759, d12Jan1834) | COALITION: (Foxite) Whigs, Grenville party, Sidmouth (or Addington) party | 10 Feb 1806 | 25 Mar 1807 | Policy disagreement with the king |
| 13(2) | Sir William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd DUKE OF PORTLAND | (b14Apr1738, d30Oct1809) | Pitt's Friends | 31 Mar 1807 | Oct 1809 | Cabinet disagreements |
| 17 | SPENCER PERCEVAL | (b1Nov1762, d11May1812) | Tory | 4 Oct 1809 | 11 May 1812 | Died (murdered) |
| 18 | Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd EARL OF LIVERPOOL | (b7Jun1770, d4 Dec1828) | Tory | 8 Jun 1812 | 17 Feb 1827 | Retired (due to illness) |
| 19 | GEORGE CANNING | (b11Apr1770,d8Aug1827) | Canningite | 10 Apr 1827 | 8 Aug 1827 | Died |
| 20 | Frederick John Robinson, VISCOUNT GODERICH | (b1Nov1782, d28Jan1859) | Canningite | 31 Aug 1827 | 8 Jan 1828 | Cabinet disagreements |
| 21 | Sir Arthur Wellesley, 1st DUKE OF WELLINGTON | (b1May1769, d14Sep1852) | Tory | 22 Jan 1828 | 21 Nov 1830 | Defeat in House of Commons |
| 22 | Sir Charles Grey, Bt, 2nd EARL GREY | (b13Mar1764,d17Jul1845) | Whig | 22 Nov 1830 | 9 Jul 1834 | Retired |
| [Note: following the rejection of the Reform Bill on 7 May 1832 the king decided to ascertain whether the Tories could form a government and asked the Grey administration to remain in office till its successors were appointed. Though the government's resignation was announced, it proved impossible to form a Tory government due to the refusal of Sir Robert Peel to join, and the goverment's resignation was withdrawn on 17 May 1832] | ||||||
| 23(1) | Sir William Lamb, Bt, 3rd VISCOUNT MELBOURNE | (b15Mar1779, d24Nov1848) | Whig | 16 Jul 1834 | 14 Nov 1834 | Dismissed by the king |
| [Note: following the dismissal of Viscount Melbourne, and pending the return of Sir Robert Peel from holiday in Italy, the DUKE OF WELLINGTON took office on 17 Nov 1834 as First Lord of the Treasury and sole Secretary of State. He refused the office of Prime Minister and did not appoint a cabinet. He ceased to be First Lord of the Teasury when Peel took office on 10 Dec 1834 but remained Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs] | ||||||
| 24(1) | SIR ROBERT PEEL, Bt | (b5Feb1788, d2Jul1850) | Tory or Conservative | 10 Dec 1834 | 8 Apr 1835 | Defeat in House of Commons |
| 23(2) | Sir William Lamb, Bt, 3rd VISCOUNT MELBOURNE | (b15Mar1779, d24Nov1848) | Whig | 18 Apr 1835 | 30 Aug 1841 | Defeat in House of Commons |
| [Note: following defeat in the House of Commons, Melbourne tendered his resignation on 7 May 1839. However,though the queen asked the Conservative leader, Sir Robert Peel, to form a government, she refused to accept certain appointments in her household ("The Bedchamber Crisis"). Peel therefore refused to take office and Melbourne's resignation was withdrawn on 10 May 1839] | ||||||
| 24(2) | SIR ROBERT PEEL, Bt | (b5Feb1788, d2Jul1850) | Conservative | 30 Aug 1841 | 27 Jun 1846 | Defeat in House of Commons |
| [Note: due to internal Cabinet disagreements, Peel offered his resignation on 6 Dec 1845. However, the Whig leader Lord John Russell was unable to form a government and Peel resumed authority on 20 Dec 1845] | ||||||
| 25(1) | LORD JOHN RUSSELL | (b18Aug1792, d28May1878) | Whig | 30 Jun 1846 | 21 Feb 1852 | Defeat in House of Commons |
| [Note: following defeat in the House of Commons, Russell tendered his resignation on 22 Feb 1851. However, the Conservatives refused to take office and Russell withdrew his resignation on 5 Mar 1851] | ||||||
| 26(1) | Sir Edward Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th EARL OF DERBY | (b19Mar1799, d23Oct1869) | Conservative | 23 Feb 1852 | 17 Dec 1852 | Defeat in House of Commons |
| 27 | Sir George Hamilton Gordon, 4th EARL OF ABERDEEN | (b28Jan1784, d14Dec1860) | COALITION: Whig, Peelite, Radical | 19 Dec 1852 | 30 Jan 1855 | Defeat in House of Commons |
| 28(1) | Sir Henry John Temple, 3rd VISCOUNT PALMERSTON | (b20Oct1784, d18Oct1865) | Palmerstonian (see note3) | 6 Feb 1855 | 21 Feb 1858 | Defeat in House of Commons |
| 26(2) | Sir Edward Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th EARL OF DERBY | (b19Mar1799, d23Oct1869) | Conservative | 21 Feb 1858 | 11 Jun 1859 | Defeat in House of Commons |
| 28(2) | Sir Henry John Temple, 3rd VISCOUNT PALMERSTON | (b20Oct1784, d18Oct1865) | Liberal | 12 Jun 1859 | 18 Oct 1865 | Died |
| 25(2) | Lord John Russell, 1st EARL RUSSELL | (b18Aug1792, d28May1878) | Liberal | 29 Oct 1865 | 26 Jun 1866 | Defeat in House of Commons |
| 26(3) | Sir Edward Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th EARL OF DERBY | (b19Mar1799, d23Oct1869) | Conservative | 28 Jun 1866 | 25 Feb 1868 | Retired |
| 29(1) | BENJAMIN DISRAELI | (b21Dec1804, d19Apr 1881) | Conservative | 27 Feb 1868 | 1 Dec 1868 | Defeated at General Election |
| 30(1) | WILLIAM Ewart GLADSTONE | (b29Dec1809, d19May1898) | Liberal | 3 Dec 1868 | 17 Feb 1874 | Defeated at General Election |
| [Note: following defeat in the House of Commons, Gladstone tendered his resignation on 13 Mar 1873. However, the Conservative leader, Benjamin Disraeli, refused to take office and Gladstone withdrew his resignation on 19 Mar 1873] | ||||||
| 29(2) | BENJAMIN DISRAELI [EARL OF BEACONSFIELD from 12 Aug 1876] | (b21Dec1804, d19Apr 1881) | Conservative | 20 Feb 1874 | 21 Apr 1880 | Defeated at General Election |
| 30(2) | WILLIAM Ewart GLADSTONE | (b29Dec1809, d19May1898) | Liberal | 23 Apr 1880 | 9 Jun 1885 | Defeat in House of Commons |
| 31(1) | Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd MARQUESS OF SALISBURY | (b 3Feb1830, d22Aug1903) | Conservative | 23 Jun 1885 | 28 Jan 1886 | Defeat in House of Commons |
| 30(3) | WILLIAM Ewart GLADSTONE | (b29Dec1809, d19May1898) | Liberal | 1 Feb 1886 | 20 Jul 1886 | Defeated at General Election |
| 31(2) | Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd MARQUESS OF SALISBURY | (b 3Feb1830, d22Aug1903) | Conservative | 25 Jul 1886 | 11 Aug 1892 | Defeat in House of Commons |
| 30(4) | WILLIAM Ewart GLADSTONE | (b29Dec1809, d19May1898) | Liberal | 15 Aug 1892 | 3 Mar 1894 | Retired |
| 32 | Sir Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th EARLOF ROSEBERY | (b 7May1847, d21May1929) | Liberal | 5 Mar 1894 | 21 Jun 1895 | Defeat in House of Commons |
| 31(3) | Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd MARQUESS OF SALISBURY | (b 3Feb1830, d22Aug1903) | Conservative (see note 4) | 25 Jun 1895 | 11 Jul 1902 | Retired |
| 33 | ARTHUR James BALFOUR | (b25Jul1848, d19Mar1930) | Conservative (see note 4) | 12 Jul 1902 | 4 Dec 1905 | Cabinet disagreements |
| 34 | SIR HENRY CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN | (b 5Dec1836, d22Apr1908) | Liberal | 5 Dec 1905 | 5 Apr 1908 | Retired (due to illness) |
| 35(1) | Herbert HENRY ASQUITH | (b12Sep1852, d15Feb1928) | Liberal | 5 Apr 1908 | 25 May 1915 | Criticism of conduct of war |
| 35(2) | Herbert HENRY ASQUITH | (b12Sep1852, d15Feb1928) | COALITION: All main parties | 25 May 1915 | 5 Dec 1916 | Cabinet disagreements |
| 36 | David LLOYD GEORGE | (b17Jan1863, d26Mar1945) | COALITION: Conservative, Coalition Liberal, Labour till 10 Jan 1919 | 7 Dec 1916 | 19 Oct 1922 | End of Coalition |
| 37 | Andrew BONAR LAW | (b16Sep1858, d 30Oct1923) | Conservative | 23 Oct 1922 | 20 May 1923 | Retired |
| 38(1) | STANLEY BALDWIN | (b 3Aug 1868, d14Dec1947) | Conservative | 22 May 1923 | 22 Jan 1924 | Defeat in House of Commons |
| 39(1) | James RAMSAY MACDONALD | (b12Oct1866, d7Jun1935) | Labour | 22 Jan 1924 | 4 Nov 1924 | Defeated at General Election |
| 38(2) | STANLEY BALDWIN | (b 3Aug 1868, d14Dec1947) | Conservative | 4 Nov 1924 | 4 Jun 1929 | Loss of Majority at General Election |
| 39(2) | James RAMSAY MACDONALD | (b12Oct1866, d7Jun1935) | Labour | 5 Jun 1929 | 24 Aug 1931 | Cabinet disagreements |
| 39(3) | James RAMSAY MACDONALD | (b12Oct1866, d7Jun1935) | National Coalition: Conservative, Liberal till 28 Sep 1932, Liberal National, National Labour | 24 Aug 1931 | 7 Jun 1935 | Retired |
| 38(3) | STANLEY BALDWIN | (b 3Aug 1868, d14Dec1947) | Conservative (see note 5) | 7 Jun 1935 | 28 May 1937 | Retired |
| 40 | Arthur NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN | (b18Mar1869, d9Nov1940) | Conservative (see note 5) | 28 May 1937 | 10 May 1940 | Criticism of conduct of war |
| 41(1) | WINSTON Leonard Spencer-CHURCHILL | (b30Nov1874, d24Jan1965) | COALITION: All main parties | 10 May 1940 | 23 May 1945 | End of Coalition |
| 41(2) | WINSTON Leonard Spencer-CHURCHILL | (b30Nov1874,d24Jan1965) | Conservative (see note 5) | 23 May 1945 | 26 Jul 1945 | Defeated at General Election |
| 42 | CLEMENT Richard ATTLEE | (b3Jan1883, d 8Oct1967) | Labour | 26 Jul 1945 | 26 Oct 1951 | Defeated at General Election |
| 41(3) | WINSTON Leonard Spencer-CHURCHILL [SIR Winston Churchill from 24Apr1953] | (b30Nov1874, d24Jan1965) | Conservative | 26 Oct 1951 | 5 Apr 1955 | Retired |
| 43 | SIR Robert ANTHONY EDEN | (b12Jun1897, d14Jan1977) | Conservative | 6 Apr 1955 | 9 Jan 1957 | Retired (due to illness) |
| 44 | Maurice HAROLD MACMILLAN | (b10Feb1894, d29Dec1986) | Conservative | 10 Jan 1957 | 18 Oct 1963 | Retired (due to illness) |
| 45 | SIR Alexander(ALEC) Frederick DOUGLAS-HOME [Earl of Home till 23 Oct 1963] | (b2Jul1903, d9Oct1995) | Conservative | 19 Oct 1963 | 16 Oct 1964 | Defeated at General Election |
| 46(1) | James HAROLD WILSON | (b11Mar1916, d24May1995) | Labour | 16 Oct 1964 | 19 Jun 1970 | Defeated at General Election |
| 47 | EDWARD Richard George HEATH | (b9Jul1916, d17Jul2005) | Conservative | 19 Jun 1970 | 4 Mar 1974 | Loss of Majority at General Election |
| 46(2) | James HAROLD WILSON | (b11Mar1916, d24May1995) | Labour | 4 Mar 1974 | 5 Apr 1976 | Retired |
| 48 | Leonard JAMES CALLAGHAN | (b27Mar1912, d26Mar2005) | Labour | 5 Apr 1976 | 4 May 1979 | Defeated at General Election |
| 49 | MARGARET Hilda THATCHER | (b13Oct1925, d 8Apr2013) | Conservative | 4 May 1979 | 28 Nov 1990 | Replaced as party leader |
| 50 | JOHN MAJOR | (b29Mar1943 ) | Conservative | 28 Nov 1990 | 2 May 1997 | Defeated at General Election |
| 51 | Anthony(TONY) Charles Lynton BLAIR | (b6May1953 ) | Labour | 2 May 1997 | 27 Jun 2007 | Retired |
| 52 | James GORDON BROWN | (b20Feb1951 ) | Labour | 27Jun 2007 | 11 May 2010 | Loss of Majority at General Election |
| 53(1) | DAVID William Duncan CAMERON | (b9Oct1966 ) | COALITION: Conservative, Liberal Democrat | 11 May 2010 | 8 May 2015 | End of Coalition |
| 53(2) | DAVID William Duncan CAMERON | (b9Oct1966 ) | Conservative | 8 May 2015 | 13 Jul 2016 | Lost Referendum on whether to remain in the European Union |
| 54 | THERESA Mary MAY | (b1Oct1956 ) | Conservative | 13 Jul 2016 | ||
| Notes on party designations: | ||||||
| (1) All prime ministers in the eighteenth century called themselves Whigs. This had little meaning in terms of party loyalties. The party led by Rockingham and later Fox regarded itself as the only true whig party since it was a continuation of the party led by Newcastle and was the only party to have a continuous existence throughout George III's reign (1760-1820) | ||||||
| (2) North is often inaccurately described as a Tory although he started his career as a member of Newcastle's government and ended it allied to Fox. Pitt who was always opposed to North is also often called a Tory despite calling himself a whig. The Tory party of the eighteenth century disintegrated in the early 1760's and the Tory party of the nineteenth century did not emerge till after Pitt's death in 1806. | ||||||
| (3) The first Palmerston government is sometimes called Whig though the Whig Party was breaking up and the erstwhile Whig leader played a major part in the government's downfall. It has also been called Liberal but no parliamentary Liberal party had yet been formed and it was defeated in the parliaments of both 1852-57 and 1857-59, both of which had "liberal" majorities. | ||||||
| (4) The governments of 1895-1905 included the Liberal Unionist party which did not formally join the Conservative party till 1911 | ||||||
| (5) The MacDonald government of 1931-35 was effectively dominated by the Conservative party after September 1932. The name "National" continued to be used by the governments of 1935-40 and the Churchill caretaker government of May-July 1945 on the grounds that they included some Liberal National and other members who were not officially Conservatives. | ||||||
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