English History

  • Poets
    • Byron
      • Letters
      • Poems
    • Keats
      • Letters
      • Poetry
    • Shakespeare
      • Poetry
      • Plays
    • Tennyson
  • Middle Ages
  • Vikings
  • Romans
  • Kings and Queens
    • Stuarts
    • Tudor
  • About
    • History of English Art
    • Privacy & Cookie Policy
    • Contact
    • The Right to Display Public Domain Images
    • Author & Reference Information For Students

List of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom (1721 – 2022)

Britain’s first proper Prime Minister, Robert Walpole, formerly held the post of First Lord of the Treasury. He became George I Chief Minister because the German born King had little interest in British affairs, and since he spoke no English, he was unable to follow Cabinet discussions.

Unfortunately, Walpole spoke no German, either, so the two were forced to converse in Latin.

Prior to Walpole’s appointment, British monarchs had themselves been ‘prime’ ministers, selecting and directing the government as they saw fit.

However, since Walpole, the influence of the monarchs has steadily waned, and from the time of Queen Victoria the Prime Minister has normally been the leader of the largest party in the House of Commons.

The title of Britain’s top political office was originally a term of abuse, and was used to describe the chief minister of a despotic monarch.

It also carried overtones that the politician was merely a lackey of the Crown. Robert Walpole, George Grenville and Lord North all hotly denied that they were prime ministers.

The title was finally given official recognition in 1937, when the Salaries of the Ministers of the Crown Act made provision for paying ‘the First Lord of the Treasury and Prime Minister’ – the two offices that since the 18th century, have usually been held by the Prime Minister.

Nevertheless, in spite of this recognition, the brass plate outside the PMs front door still bears the title of First Lord of the Treasury.

Start of OfficeEnd of OfficeName
2022–Rishi Sunak
20222022Liz Truss
20192022Boris Johnson
20162019Theresa May
20102016David Cameron
20072010Gordon Brown
19972007Tony Blair
19901997Sir John Major
19791990Margaret Thatcher
19761979James Callaghan
19741976Harold Wilson
19701974Sir Edward Heath
19641970Harold Wilson
19631964Sir Alec Douglas-Home
19571963Harold Macmillan
19551957Sir Anthony Eden
19511955Sir Winston Churchill
19451951Clement Attlee
19401945Sir Winston Churchill
19371940Neville Chamberlain
19351937Stanley Baldwin
19291935James Ramsay MacDonald
19241929Stanley Baldwin
19241924James Ramsay MacDonald
19231924Stanley Baldwin
19221923Andrew Bonar Law
19161922David Lloyd George
19081916Herbert Henry Asquith
19051908Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
19021905Arthur James Balfour
18951902Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
18941895Archibald Primrose
18921894William Ewart Gladstone
18861892Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
18861886William Ewart Gladstone
18851886Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
18801885William Ewart Gladstone
18741880Benjamin Disraeli
18681874William Ewart Gladstone
18681868Benjamin Disraeli
18661868Edward Smith Stanley
18651866Lord John Russell
18591865Henry John Temple
18581859Edward Smith Stanley
18551858Henry John Temple
18521855George Hamilton Gordon
18521852Edward Smith Stanley
18461852Lord John Russell
18411846Sir Robert Peel
18351841William Lamb
18341835Sir Robert Peel
18341834Arthur Wellesley
18341834William Lamb
18301834Charles Grey
18281830Arthur Wellesley
18271828Frederick Robinson
18271827George Canning
18121827Robert Banks Jenkinson
18091812Spencer Perceval
18071809William Bentinck
18061807William Wyndham Grenville
18041806William Pitt (the Younger)
18011804Henry Addington
17831801William Pitt (the Younger)
17831783William Bentinck
17821783William Petty
17701782Lord Frederick North
17681770Augustus Henry Fitzroy
17661768William Pitt (The Elder)
17651766Charles Watson-Wentworth
17631765George Grenville
17621763John Stuart
17571762Thomas Pelham-Holles
17561757William Cavendish
17541756Thomas Pelham-Holles
17431754Henry Pelham
17421743Spencer Compton
17211742Sir Robert Walpole

The official residence of the British Prime Ministers – Number 10 Downing Street, London – was built in about 1680 by Sir George Downing, a diplomat, spy and traitor, whom the diarist, Samuel Pepys called “a perfidious rogue”.

After the English Civil War (1642-1649), Downing supported Oliver Cromwell, but after the Restoration of the Monarchy (1660), he entered the service of Charles II and betrayed a number of his former associates to execution.

In 1738, George II offered Number 10 to Robert Walpole, as a gift. However, Walpole declined it as a personal residence but accepted it as an official home of the premiership.

Britain’s youngest Prime Minister was William Pitt the Younger, who took office at the age of 24.

The oldest was William Gladstone, who started his fourth term of office at 83.

The longest ruling was Robert Walpole, who held office without a break for nearly 21 years, from 3rd April 1721 to 2nd February 1742.

The second shortest ruling Prime Minister was George Canning who became Prime Minister on 10th April 1827, and died of pneumonia just under four months later, on 8th August.

The shortest term of Prime Minister belongs to Liz Truss at just 50 days.

In September 2022, Truss became the Leader of the Conservative Party after defeating Rishi Sunak in a leadership contest. Just two days before Elizabeth II’s death, Truss was appointed prime minister by Elizabeth II and oversaw her state funeral.

Truss announced her intention to resign as Conservative party leader and Prime Minister on 20 October 2022, after only 45 days in office. Sunak was chosen as her successor as leader of the party on 24 October.

Charles III accepted Truss’s resignation as Prime Minister on 25 October and appointed Sunak as her successor.

Link/cite this page

If you use any of the content on this page in your own work, please use the code below to cite this page as the source of the content.

Link will appear as Hanson, Marilee. "List of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom (1721 – 2022)" https://englishhistory.net/list-of-prime-ministers/, January 16, 2022

Search English History

Popular Posts

Anne Brontë
First Crusade (1096 – 1099)
Elizabeth of York
The Babington Plot
Witches Chant – From Macbeth
William Pitt (The Younger)
Alexander Fisher
Sonnet 7
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Iceni Tribe

The Tudors

Lord Byron

John Keats

shakespeare

Copyright © 1999-2023 All Rights Reserved.
English History
Other Sites: Make A Website Hub

Copyright © 2023 · English History 2015