Secretary of State for Employment

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The Secretary of State for Employment was a position in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. In 1995 it was merged with Secretary of State for Education to make the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. In 2001 the employment functions were hived off and transferred to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

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Minister of Labour (1916–1940)

NamePortraitTerm of officePolitical PartyPrime Minister
John Hodge John Hodge.JPG 10 December 191617 August 1917 Labour David Lloyd George
(Coalition)
George Henry Roberts G H Roberts.JPG 17 August 191710 January 1919 Labour
Sir Robert Horne Robert Horne cropped.jpg 10 January 191919 March 1920 Unionist
Thomas James Macnamara TJ Macnamara 1901.jpg 19 March 192019 October 1922 Liberal
Sir Anderson Montague-Barlow Anderson Montague-Barlow.jpg 31 October 192222 January 1924 Conservative Bonar Law
Stanley Baldwin
Tom Shaw Tom Shaw - politician.jpg 22 January 19243 November 1924 Labour Ramsay MacDonald
Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland, Bt Arthur Steel-Maitland.jpg 6 November 19244 June 1929 Conservative Stanley Baldwin
Margaret Bondfield Margaret Bondfield 1919.jpg 7 June 192924 August 1931
(lost seat 1931)
Labour Ramsay MacDonald
Sir Henry Betterton, Bt 25 August 193129 June 1934 Conservative Ramsay MacDonald
(1st & 2nd National Min.)
Oliver Stanley Oliver Stanley MP.jpg 29 June 19347 June 1935Conservative
Ernest Brown BrownErnest.jpg 7 June 193513 May 1940 Liberal National Stanley Baldwin
(3rd National Min.)
Neville Chamberlain
(4th Nat.Min.; War Coalition)

Minister of Labour and National Service (1940–1959)

NamePortraitTerm of officePolitical PartyPrime Minister
Ernest Bevin Ernest Bevin cph.3b17494.jpg 13 May 194023 May 1945 Labour Winston Churchill
(War Coalition)
R. A. Butler Rab Butler.png 25 May 194526 July 1945 Conservative Winston Churchill
(Caretaker Min.)
George Isaacs No image.svg 3 August 194517 January 1951 Labour Clement Attlee
Aneurin Bevan Aneurin Bevan (crop).jpg 17 January 195123 April 1951
(resigned)
Labour
Alfred Robens Alfred Robens, Baron Robens of Woldingham.jpg 24 April 195126 October 1951Labour
Walter Monckton 28 October 195120 December 1955 Conservative Sir Winston Churchill
Sir Anthony Eden
Iain Macleod The National Archives UK - CO 1069-166-17 Macleod crop.jpg 20 December 195514 October 1959Conservative
Harold Macmillan
Edward Heath Heathdod.JPG 14 October 195912 November 1959Conservative

Minister of Labour (1959–1968)

NameTerm of officePolitical PartyPrime Minister
Edward Heath 12 November 195927 July 1960 Conservative Harold Macmillan
John Hare 27 July 196020 October 1963Conservative
Joseph Godber 20 October 196316 October 1964Conservative Sir Alec Douglas-Home
Ray Gunter 18 October 19646 April 1968 Labour Harold Wilson

Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity (1968–1970)

NamePortraitTerm of officePolitical PartyPrime Minister
Barbara Castle Mme Barbara Castle, Ministre britannique du developpement outre-mer.jpg 6 April 196819 June 1970 Labour Harold Wilson

Secretary of State for Employment (1970–1995)

NameTerm of officePolitical PartyPrime Minister
Robert Carr 20 June 19707 April 1972 Conservative Edward Heath
Maurice Macmillan 7 April 19722 December 1973Conservative
William Whitelaw 2 December 19734 March 1974Conservative
Michael Foot 5 March 19748 April 1976 Labour Harold Wilson
Albert Booth 8 April 19764 May 1979Labour James Callaghan
James Prior 5 May 197914 September 1981 Conservative Margaret Thatcher
Norman Tebbit 14 September 198116 October 1983Conservative
Tom King 16 October 19832 September 1985Conservative
The Lord Young of Graffham 2 September 198513 June 1987Conservative
Norman Fowler 13 June 19873 January 1990Conservative
Michael Howard 3 January 199011 April 1992Conservative
John Major
Gillian Shephard 11 April 199227 May 1993Conservative
David Hunt 27 May 199320 July 1994Conservative
Michael Portillo 20 July 19945 July 1995Conservative

Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1995–2001)

NameTerm of officePolitical PartyPrime Minister
Gillian Shephard 5 July 19952 May 1997 Conservative John Major
David Blunkett 2 May 19978 June 2001 Labour Tony Blair

The office was merged with the Department of Social Security to form the Department for Work and Pensions in 2001.

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