Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
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Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | |
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Incumbent: David Miliband Took office: 28 June 2007 |
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Style: | The Right Honourable |
Appointed by: | Gordon Brown as Prime Minister |
First : | Charles James Fox |
Formation: | 27 March 1782 |
United Kingdom |
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The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a member of the United Kingdom Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and responsible for relations with foreign countries, matters pertaining to the Commonwealth of Nations and the UK's overseas territories and the promotion of British interests abroad.
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[edit] Position
The Foreign Secretary is a member of the Cabinet, and the post is considered one of the Great Offices of State. It came into existence in 1968 with the merger of the functions of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs into a single Department of State. The India Office was a predecessor department of the Foreign Office.
The Foreign Secretary works out of the Foreign Office in Whitehall. The post's official residences are 1 Carlton Gardens in London and Chevening House in Kent.
In the Cabinet reshuffle on 5 May 2006 Margaret Beckett became the first woman to hold the post.
David Miliband was appointed to the post on 28 June 2007 by the new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.
[edit] Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1782-1968)
The position of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs was created in the United Kingdom's governmental reorganization of 1782, in which the Northern and Southern Departments became the Home and Foreign Offices
1Resigned
²Died in office
³Lord John Russell was later elevated to the Peerage as the Earl Russell
4Lord Stanley later succeeded to the Peerage as the Earl of Derby
5Defeated for election to the House of Commons
[edit] Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1968 - present)
Name | Portrait | Entered office | Left office | Political party | |
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Michael Stewart | 17 October 1968 3 | 19 June 1970 | Labour | ||
Sir Alec Douglas-Home | 20 June 1970 | 28 February 1974 | Conservative | ||
James Callaghan | 29 February 1974 | 8 April 1976 1 | Labour | ||
Anthony Crosland | 9 April 1976 | 19 February 1977 4 | Labour | ||
David Owen | 22 February 1977 3 | 4 May 1979 | Labour | ||
The Lord Carrington | 5 May 1979 | 5 April 1982 2 | Conservative | ||
Francis Pym | 6 April 1982 5 | 11 June 1983 3 | Conservative | ||
Sir Geoffrey Howe | 11 June 1983 3 | 24 July 1989 5 | Conservative | ||
John Major | 24 July 1989 3 | 26 October 1989 5 | Conservative | ||
Douglas Hurd | 26 October 1989 5 | 5 July 1995 2 | Conservative | ||
Malcolm Rifkind | 5 July 1995 5 | 2 May 1997 | Conservative | ||
Robin Cook | 2 May 1997 | 8 June 2001 3 | Labour | ||
Jack Straw | 8 June 2001 3 | 5 May 2006 | Labour | ||
Margaret Beckett | 5 May 2006 5 | 28 June 2007 | Labour | ||
David Miliband | 28 June 2007 3 | present | Labour |
1 Became Prime Minister
2 Resigned
3 Cabinet Reshuffled
4 Died in Office
5 Change of Ministry
[edit] See also
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
- Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office
- Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs
- Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
- Secretary of State for the Colonies
- Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
- Foreign minister
- Great Offices of State
[edit] External links
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