Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister

{{Infobox official post

| post = Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Prime Minister

| insignia = Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (2022, lesser arms).svg

| insigniacaption = Royal Arms as used by His Majesty's Government

| image = File: Official portrait of Liz Twist crop 2.jpg File:Official portrait of Chris Ward MP crop 2.jpg

| incumbent = Liz Twist
Chris Ward

| incumbentsince = 17 July 2024

| department = Prime Minister's Office

| appointer = Prime Minister

| formation = 1906

| first = Hubert Carr-Gomm

| website = [http://www.number10.gov.uk/ 10 Downing Street]

| body =

}}

The parliamentary private secretary to the prime minister is a parliamentary private secretary serving the prime minister of the United Kingdom. The holder of the office is widely viewed as the prime minister's "eyes and ears" on the backbenches, serving as a liaison to the prime minister's parliamentary party.{{cite book|last=Shell|first=Donald|title=Churchill to Major: The British Prime Ministership Since 1945|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ChO2PQ55ktUC&q=parliamentary+private+secretary+to+the+prime+minister+backbench+ear&pg=PA153|work=Book|year=1995|publisher=C. Hurst & Co.|isbn=9781563246357|access-date=21 October 2013}}{{cite book|last=Barnett|first=Hilare|title=Constitutional & Administrative Law|year=2002|publisher=Cavendish Publishing Ltd.|page=322|isbn=9781843144755|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O5pE0eaboeoC&q=parliamentary+private+secretary+to+the+prime+minister&pg=PA321}} The parliamentary private secretary is also responsible for meeting with members of Parliament when the prime minister is unavailable, and accompanying the prime minister to, and assisting them with preparations for Prime Minister's Questions.{{cite book|last=Kavanagh|first=Dennis|title=The Powers Behind the Prime Minister: The Hidden Influence of Number Ten|year=2013|publisher=HarperCollins UK|isbn=9780007392636|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o2rNpc411IMC&q=%22parliamentary+private+secretary%22&pg=PT42}} They usually sit directly behind the prime minister during question time.

Role

The parliamentary private secretary can become a highly powerful and significant role; Bonar Law's parliamentary private secretary, J.C.C. Davidson, acted in effect as his chief of staff. Margaret Thatcher's downfall from the Conservative Party leadership in 1990 is attributed by many{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-sir-peter-morrison-1591525.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-sir-peter-morrison-1591525.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Obituary: Sir Peter Morrison|last=Cosgrave|first=Patrick|date=15 July 1995|newspaper=The Independent|location=London|access-date=22 October 2013}}{{cite news|last=Hoggart|first=Simon|title=Margaret Thatcher: Power and Personality by Jonathan Aitken – review|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/16/margaret-thatcher-jonathan-aitken-review|access-date=22 October 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=16 October 2013}}{{cite book|last=Clark|first=Alan|title=Diary|year=1993|publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson|location=354}} to the actions of her parliamentary private secretary, Peter Morrison, in failing to accurately count votes amongst Conservative backbenchers. Some parliamentary private secretaries to the prime minister go on to hold higher office; Alec Douglas-Home served as parliamentary private secretary under Neville Chamberlain and later went on to serve as prime minister in his own right.{{cite web|title=PIL: Parliamentary Private Secretaries to Prime Ministers 1906 – present – Commons Library Standard Note|url=http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN06579|access-date=22 October 2013}}

There can be multiple parliamentary private secretaries to the prime minister at a given time. Many prime ministers have used this tactic during their premierships; former prime minister David Cameron only employed one parliamentary private secretary at a time during his tenure in office, but he appointed Sir John Hayes as a minister without portfolio with responsibility for the Parliamentary Conservative Party, a job typically reserved for the parliamentary private secretary.{{cite news|last=Kirkup|first=James|title=John Hayes goes to No 10. Is David Cameron admitting to fear of his own party?|url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jameskirkup/100209497/john-hayes-goes-to-no-10-is-david-cameron-admitting-to-fear-of-his-own-party/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330185123/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jameskirkup/100209497/john-hayes-goes-to-no-10-is-david-cameron-admitting-to-fear-of-his-own-party/|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 March 2013|publisher=The Telegraph|access-date=17 November 2013|location=London|date=28 March 2013}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2013/mar/28/counci-tax-bedroom-tax-live|title=Cameron moves John Hayes in mini reshuffle: Politics live blog|last=Sparrow|first=Andrew|work=The Guardian|date=28 March 2013|access-date=17 November 2013}}

Parliamentary private secretaries to the prime minister (1906–present)

The following table lists parliamentary private secretaries to successive prime ministers from 1906.{{Cite journal|last=Priddy|first=Sarah|date=2021-03-20|title=Parliamentary Private Secretaries to Prime Ministers since 1906|url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06579/|journal=Research Briefings|language=en-GB|publisher=House of Commons Library}}

class="wikitable" style="width:70%;"
colspan="2" style="width:25%;"\|Name ! width=75\|Portrait ! colspan="2" style="width:30%;"\|Term of office ! style="width:20%;"\|Political party ! colspan="2" style="width:20%;"\|Prime Minister
style="background-color: {{party color\|Liberal Party (UK)}}" \| \| Hubert Carr-Gomm \| 120px \| 1906 \| 1908 \| Liberal \| style="background-color: {{party color\|Liberal Party (UK)}}" \| \| Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
style="background-color: {{party color\|Liberal Party (UK)}}" \| \| Geoffrey Howard \| 120px \| 1908 \| 1909 \| Liberal \| rowspan="3" style="background-color: {{party color\|Liberal Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=2\|H. H. Asquith {{small\|(I)}}
style="height:30px" ! rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color\|Liberal Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=2\|Charles Henry Lyell \| rowspan=2\|120px \| rowspan=2\|1908 \| rowspan=2\|1915 \| rowspan=2\|Liberal
H. H. Asquith {{small\|(Coalition)}}
style="background-color: {{party color\|Liberal Party (UK)}}" \| \| Sir John Barran, 2nd Baronet \| 120px \| 1916 \| 1918 \| Liberal \| rowspan="6" style="background-color: {{party color\|Liberal Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=6\|David Lloyd George {{small\|(Coalition)}}
style="background-color: {{party color\|Liberal Party (UK)}}" \| \| David Davies \| 120px \| 1916 \| 1918 \| Liberal
style="background-color: {{party color\|Liberal Party (UK)}}" \| \| William Sutherland \| 120px \| 1916{{dubious\|Sutherland\|date=November 2020}} \| 1918 \| Liberal
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Waldorf Astor \| 120px \| colspan="2"\|1918 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Liberal Party (UK)}}" \| \| William Sutherland \| 120px \| 1919 \| 1920 \| Liberal
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Sir Philip Sassoon, Bt \| 120px \| 1920 \| 1922 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| J.C.C. Davidson \| 120px \| 1922 \| 1923 \| Conservative \| style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Bonar Law
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Sidney Herbert \| \| 1923 \| 1924 \| Conservative \| style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Stanley Baldwin
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Lauchlin MacNeill Weir \| \| colspan="2"\|1924 \| Labour \| style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Ramsay MacDonald
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Sidney Herbert \| \| 1924 \| 1927 \| Conservative \| rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=2\|Stanley Baldwin
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Charles Rhys \| \| 1927 \| 1929 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Lauchlin MacNeill Weir \| \| 1929 \| 1931 \| Labour \| rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=2\|Ramsay MacDonald {{small\|(II)}}
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Robert Morrison \| 120px \| 1929 \| 1931 \| Labour
style="background-color: {{party color\|National Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Frank Markham \| 120px \| 1931 \| 1932 \| National Labour \| rowspan="3" style="background-color: {{party color\|National Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=3\|Ramsay MacDonald {{small\|(First National ministry · Second National ministry)}}
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Ralph Glyn \| \| 1931 \| 1935 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|National Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| John Vigers Worthington \| \| 1931 \| 1935 \| National Labour
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Geoffrey Lloyd \| \| colspan="2"\|1935 \| Conservative \| rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan="2"\|Stanley Baldwin
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Thomas Dugdale \| 120px \| 1935 \| 1937 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Lord Dunglass \| 120px \| 1937 \| 1940 \| Conservative \| style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Neville Chamberlain
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Brendan Bracken \| 120px \| 1940 \| 1941 \| Conservative \| rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=2\|Winston Churchill
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| George Harvie-Watt \| \| 1941 \| 1945 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Geoffrey de Freitas \| 120px \| 1945 \| 1946 \| Labour \| rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=2\|Clement Attlee
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Arthur Moyle \| \| 1946 \| 1951 \| Labour
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Christopher Soames \| 120px \| 1952 \| 1955 \| Conservative \| style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Winston Churchill
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Robert Carr \| 120px \| April 1955 \| December 1955 \| Conservative \| rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=2\|Anthony Eden
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Robert Allan \| \| 1955 \| 1956 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Anthony Barber \| \| 1957 \| 1959 \| Conservative \| rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=2\|Harold Macmillan
style="background-color: {{party color\|Ulster Unionist Party}}" \| \| Knox Cunningham \| \| 1959 \| 1963 \| Ulster Unionist
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Francis Pearson \| \| November 1963 \| October 1964 \| Conservative \| style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Sir Alec Douglas-Home
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Ernest Fernyhough \| \| 1964 \| 1967 \| Labour \| rowspan="4" style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=4\|Harold Wilson
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Peter Shore \| \| 1965 \| 1966 \| Labour
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Harold Davies \| \| January 1967 \| June 1970 \| Labour
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Eric Varley \| \| November 1968 \| October 1969 \| Labour
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Timothy Kitson \| \| 1970 \| 1974 \| Conservative \| style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Edward Heath
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Bill Hamling \| \| 1974 \| 1975 \| Labour \| rowspan="3" style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=3\|Harold Wilson
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Kenneth Marks \| \| April 1975 \| December 1975 \| Labour
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Co-operative}}" \| \| John Tomlinson \| \| 1975 \| 1976 \| Labour Co-op
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Jack Cunningham \| \| 1976 \| 1977 \| Labour \| rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=2\|James Callaghan
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Roger Stott \| \| 1977 \| 1979 \| Labour
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Ian Gow \| \| 1979 \| 1983 \| Conservative \| rowspan="5" style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=5\|Margaret Thatcher
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Michael Alison \| \| 1983 \| 1987 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Archie Hamilton \| 120px \| 1987 \| 1988 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Mark Lennox-Boyd \| \| 1988 \| 1990 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Peter Morrison \| \| 1990 \| 1990 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Graham Bright \| 120px \| 1990 \| 1994 \| Conservative \| rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=2\|John Major
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| John Devereux Ward \| \| 1994 \| 2 May 1997 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Ann Coffey \| 120px \| 2 May 1997 \| 1998 \| Labour \| rowspan="4" style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=4\|Tony Blair
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Bruce Grocott \| 120px \| 2 May 1997 \| 8 June 2001 \| Labour
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| David Hanson \| 120px \| 8 June 2001 \| 6 May 2005 \| Labour
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Keith Hill \| 120px \| 6 May 2005 \| 27 June 2007 \| Labour
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Ian Austin \| 120px \| 27 June 2007 \| 4 October 2008 \| Labour \| rowspan="4" style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=4\|Gordon Brown
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Angela Smith \| 120px \| 27 June 2007 \| 28 June 2009 \| Labour
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Jon Trickett \| 120px \| 4 October 2008 \| 12 May 2010 \| Labour
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Anne Snelgrove \| 120px \| 8 June 2009 \| 12 May 2010 \| Labour
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Desmond Swayne \| 120px \| 12 May 2010 \| 4 September 2012 \| Conservative \| rowspan="4" style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=3\|David Cameron {{small\|(Coalition)}}
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Sam Gyimah \| 120px \| 4 September 2012 \| 7 October 2013 \| Conservative
rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=2\|Gavin Williamson \| rowspan=2\|120px \| rowspan=2\|7 October 2013 \| rowspan=2\|13 July 2016 \| rowspan=2\|Conservative
David Cameron {{small\|(II)}}
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| George Hollingbery \| 120px \| 17 July 2016 \| 21 June 2018 \| Conservative \| rowspan="3" style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=3\|Theresa May
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Seema Kennedy \| 120px \| 27 June 2017 \| 4 April 2019 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \|Andrew Bowie \| 120px \| 29 December 2018 \| 24 July 2019 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \|Alex Burghart \| 120px \| 25 July 2019 \| 17 September 2021 \| Conservative \| rowspan="9" style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan="9" \|Boris Johnson
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \|James Heappey \| 120px \| 4 August 2019 \| 16 December 2019 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Trudy Harrison \| 120px \| 16 December 2019 \| 17 September 2021 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Andrew Griffith \| 120px \| 17 September 2021 \| 3 February 2022 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Sarah Dines \| 120px \| 17 September 2021 \| 8 July 2022 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Joy Morrissey{{Cite web\|title=Joy Morrissey 'honoured' to be appointed Boris Johnson's Parliamentary Private Secretary\|url=https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/19909370.joy-morrissey-appointed-boris-johnsons-parliamentary-private-secretary/\|access-date=2022-02-10\|website=Bucks Free Press\|language=en}} \| 120px \| 8 February 2022 \| 8 July 2022 \| Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \|Lia Nici{{Cite news\|date=2022-02-08\|title=Lia Nici appointed Boris' PPS after hailing him 'best' in generations\|language=en-GB\|work=GrimsbyLive\|url=https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-news/lia-nici-appointed-boris-johnsons-6625562\|access-date=2022-02-10\|issn=0307-1235}} \| 120px \|8 February 2022 \|8 July 2022 \|Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \|James Duddridge{{Cite web\|title=James appointed PPS to the Prime Minister\|url=https://www.jamesduddridge.com/news/james-appointed-pps-prime-minister\|access-date=2022-02-10\|website=James Duddridge\|language=en}} \| 160x160px \|8 February 2022 \|8 July 2022 \|Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \|Alexander Stafford{{Cite web\|title=Alex Stafford PPS to the Prime Minister\|url=https://twitter.com/Alex_Stafford/status/1546543424400248833?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet}} \| 160x160px \|8 July 2022 \|6 September 2022 \|Conservative
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \|Suzanne Webb \| 160x160px \| 6 September 2022 \| 25 October 2022 \| Conservative \| rowspan="1" style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan="1" \|Liz Truss
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \|Craig Williams \| 160x160px \| 25 October 2022 \| 25 June 2024 \| Conservative \| rowspan="1" style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan="1" \|Rishi Sunak
rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Liz Twist \| 160x160px \| 17 July 2024 \| Incumbent \| rowspan="2" \| Labour \| rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan="2" \|Keir Starmer
Chris Ward \| 160x160px \| 17 July 2024 \| Incumbent

class="wikitable" style="width:70%;"

colspan="2" style="width:25%;"|Name

! width=75|Portrait

! colspan="2" style="width:30%;"|Term of office

! style="width:20%;"|Political party

! colspan="2" style="width:20%;"|Prime Minister

style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Party (UK)}}" |

Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister

Role

Parliamentary private secretaries to the prime minister (1906–present)

In popular culture

See also

References