Minister of Defence (United Kingdom)
{{Short description|Former Cabinet-level post in the United Kingdom}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{refimprove|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Minister
| body = Defence
| insignia = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
| insigniasize =
| insigniacaption = Royal Arms of Her Majesty's Government
| flag =
| flagsize =
| flagborder =
| flagcaption =
| image = Churchill1944.png
| imagesize =
| alt =
| imagecaption = Longest serving
Winston Churchill
10 May 1940 – 27 July 1945
| department = Ministry of Defence (1947–64)
| style =
| type =
| status = Abolished
| abbreviation =
| member_of = Cabinet
| reports_to = Prime Minister
| residence =
| seat =
| nominator =
| appointer = The Monarch
| appointer_qualified = {{small|(on the advice of the Prime Minister)}}
| termlength = At His Majesty's pleasure
| termlength_qualified =
| constituting_instrument =
| precursor = Minister for Co-ordination of Defence
| formation = 10 May 1940
| first = Winston Churchill
| last = Peter Thorneycroft
| abolished = 1 April 1964
| superseded_by = Secretary of State for Defence
| unofficial_names =
| deputy =
| salary =
| website =
}}
The post of Minister of Defence was responsible for co-ordination of defence and security from its creation in 1940 until its abolition in 1964. The post was a Cabinet-level post and generally ranked above the three service ministers, some of whom, however, continued to also serve in Cabinet.
The Ministry of Defence was created in 1947.{{Cite book |url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C76 |title=Records of the Ministry of Defence |date=1808–2022 |others=Ministry of Defence |language=English}}
History
Prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, concerns about British forces being understrength led in 1936 to the creation of the post of Minister for Coordination of Defence by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin. The post was abolished by Baldwin's successor Neville Chamberlain in April 1940.
On his appointment as Prime Minister in May 1940, Winston Churchill created for himself the new post of Minister of Defence. The post was created in response to previous criticism that there had been no clear single minister in charge of the prosecution of the war. In 1946, the post became the only cabinet-level post representing the military, with the three service ministers—the Secretary of State for War, the First Lord of the Admiralty, and the Secretary of State for Air—now formally subordinated to the Minister of Defence.
In 1964, the creation of a single, merged Ministry of Defence and the abolition of the separate service ministries in the UK led to the creation of the new post of Secretary of State for Defence, more popularly known as Defence Secretary.
{{Principal political leaders of the British Armed Forces}}
Ministers of Defence, 1940–1964
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! rowspan="2" |Portrait ! rowspan="2" |Name ! colspan="3" |Term of office ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |Political party ! rowspan="2" | Cabinet |
| Took office
!Left office ! Time in office |
|---|
| rowspan="2" |110px
| rowspan="2" |Winston Churchill | rowspan="2" |10 May 1940 | rowspan="2" |27 July 1945 | rowspan="2" |{{ayd|1940|05|10|1945|07|27}} ! rowspan="2" style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} | Conservative | {{Party shading/Coalition (UK)}} |Churchill War |
| {{Party shading/Coalition (UK)}} |Churchill Caretaker |
| 110px
| Clement Attlee | 27 July 1945 | 20 December 1946 | {{ayd|1945|07|27|1946|12|20}} ! style="background-color:{{Party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" | | {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}} |Labour | rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}} |Attlee I |
| 110px
| A. V. Alexander | 20 December 1946 | 28 February 1950 | {{ayd|1946|12|20|1950|02|28}} ! style="background-color:{{Party color|Labour Co-operative}}" | | {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}} |Labour Co-op |
| 110px
| Emanuel Shinwell | 28 February 1950 | 26 October 1951 | {{ayd|1950|02|28|1951|10|26}} ! style="background-color:{{Party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" | | {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}} | Labour | {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}} | Attlee II |
| 110px
| Winston Churchill | 28 October 1951 | 1 March 1952 | {{ayd|1951|10|26|1952|03|01}} ! style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} | Conservative | rowspan="3" {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} |Churchill III |
| 157x157px
| Harold Alexander | 1 March 1952 | 18 October 1954 | {{ayd|1952|03|01|1954|10|18}} ! style="background-color:{{Party color|Independent (politician)}}" | | {{Party shading/Independent (politician)}} | Independent |
| 135x135px
| Harold Macmillan | 18 October 1954 | 7 April 1955 | {{ayd|1954|10|18|1955|04|07}} ! style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} | Conservative |
| 147x147px
| Selwyn Lloyd | 7 April 1955 | 20 December 1955 | {{ayd|1955|04|07|1955|12|20}} ! style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} | Conservative | rowspan="3" {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} |Eden |
| 127x127px
|Walter Monckton |20 December 1955 |18 October 1956 |{{ayd|1955|12|20|1956|10|18}} ! style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} | Conservative |
| 100px
|Antony Head |18 October 1956 |9 January 1957 |{{ayd|1956|10|18|1957|01|09}} ! style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} | Conservative |
| 135x135px
|Duncan Sandys |13 January 1957 |14 October 1959 |{{ayd|1957|01|13|1959|10|14}} ! style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} | Conservative | {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} |Macmillan I |
| 100px
|Harold Watkinson |14 October 1959 |{{ayd|1959|10|14|1962|07|13}} ! style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} | Conservative | rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} |Macmillan II |
| rowspan="2" |138x138px
| rowspan="2" |Peter Thorneycroft | rowspan="2" |13 July 1962 | rowspan="2" |1 April 1964 | rowspan="2" |{{ayd|1962|07|13|1964|04|01}} ! rowspan="2" style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} | Conservative |
| {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} |Douglas-Home |
The post of Minister of Defence was abolished in 1964 and replaced by the new post of Secretary of State for Defence.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Secretary of State for Defence}}
Category:Defunct ministerial offices in the United Kingdom
Category:1964 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
{{UK-mil-stub}}