UK Prime Ministers 🇬🇧
British Prime Ministers All-Time List 🇬🇧 Since 1721 🙋
Rishi Sunak is the 79th UK Prime Minister to join ADDucation’s list of British Prime Ministers. Rishi Sunak was selected as leader of the Conservative party by Conservative MP’s on 24th October 2022 and invited to form a government by King Charles III on 25th October 2022, following the resignation of Liz Truss.
- British Prime Ministers list compiled by Joe Connor, last updated .
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| Name / Title | Term/s | PM From | PM To | Party | UK General Elections | Monarch | Born | Died | Country / County / Place | Style of Address / Peerage / Title/s | Key Facts, Trivia & Quotes by British Prime Ministers 🇬🇧 | # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rishi Sunak | 1 | 2022 | – | Conservative | – | Charles III | 1975 | – | Southampton, England | Rishi Sunak, MP | Rishi Sunak was selected by Conservative MPs on 24th October 2022 and appointed by King Charles III on 25 October 2022 at Buckingham Palace. Outside Downing Street Rishi Sunak said:
Rishi Sunak has several firsts already:
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79th |
| Liz Truss | 1 | 2022 | 2022 | Conservative | – | Elizabeth II | 1975 | – | Oxford, England | Liz Truss, MP | Liz Truss (Mary Elizabeth Truss) was elected leader of the Conservative party, by its members, on 5th September 2022 and appointed by Queen Elizabeth II on 6 September 2022. Outside Downing Street Lizz Truss said:
Liz Truss is the third woman to become UK prime minister (all three Conservatives) following after Theresa May and Margaret Thatcher. Lizz Truss is the first UK Prime Minister to be appointed by Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland at Balmoral Castle instead of Buckingham Palace in London. |
78th |
| Boris Johnson | 2 | 2019 | 2022 | Conservative | 12 December 2019 | Elizabeth II | 1964 | – | USA, New York City | Boris Johnson, MP | Boris Johnson was elected by Conservative party members and appointed by Queen Elizabeth II on 24 July 2019. Only two British Prime Ministers were born outside the UK, the other one was Bonar Law 1922-1923. In 2004 he said:
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77th |
| Theresa May | 1 | 2016 | 2019 | Conservative |
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Elizabeth II | 1956 | – | England, Sussex, Eastbourne | Theresa May MP | Following David Cameron’s resignation in 2016 Theresa May won the Conservative party leadership contest against Michael Gove and Andrea Leadsom. They both dropped out leaving Theresa May to take over the leadership unopposed. In her previous role as British home secretary she said:
but Theresa May’s most famous quote from July 2016 has to be:
Theresa May stepped down as party leader on 7 June 2019 and Conservative party members elected Boris Johnson to take over as Prime Minister on 23 July 2019. |
76th |
| David Cameron | 1 | 2010 | 2016 | Conservative |
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Elizabeth II | 1966 | – | England, London, Marylebone | David Cameron MP | The 2010 general election resulted in a hung Parliament. David Cameron formed a coalition government between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. David Cameron was the youngest of all British Prime Ministers since Robert Banks Jenkinson in 1812. In 2016 David Cameron fulfilled a manifesto pledge to hold a referendum on EU membership and resigned after the 2016 “Brexit” referendum result to leave the EU. | 75th |
| Gordon Brown | 1 | 2007 | 2010 | Labour | 5 May 2005 | Elizabeth II | 1951 | – | Scotland, Renfrewshire, Giffnock |
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Gordon Brown was appointed UK Prime Minister in 2017 by Queen Elizabeth II. Gordon Brown made the Bank of England independent, opposed the Euro and supported efforts to deal with climate change. Having served over 10 years as Chancellor of the Exchequer it’s no surprise one of Gordon Brown’s best known quotes is:
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74th |
| Tony Blair | 1 | 1997 | 2007 | Labour |
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Elizabeth II | 1953 | – | Scotland, Edinburgh |
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Tony Blair was appointed Prime minister following the 1997 general election by Queen Elizabeth II. Tony Blair took the UK into the 2003 Iraq War based on Iraq’s alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction which (after UN inspection) it was found Iraq did not possess. | 73rd |
| John Major Sir John Major |
1 | 1990 | 1997 | Conservative |
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Elizabeth II | 1943 | – | England, Surrey, St Helier |
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John Major was appointed British Prime Minister on 28 November 1990 by Queen Elizabeth II. John Major is pro European, anti-federalist and negotiated the UK opt-out of the social chapter and single currency. John Major is the oldest living of all British Prime Ministers. John Major almost resigned over “Black Wednesday” (16th September 1992) after the UK exited the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM). ADDucation’s favorite John Major quote (referring to three rebel cabinet ministers who threatened to resign if John Major agreed to the social chapter in order to get the Maastricht Treaty ratified):
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72nd |
| Margaret Thatcher | 1 | 1979 | 1990 | Conservative |
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Elizabeth II | 1925 | 2013 | England, Lincolnshire, Grantham |
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Following the 1979 general election Margaret Thatcher was appointed British Prime Minister by Queen Elizabeth II. Margaret Thatcher became the first female British Prime Minister. She effectively neutered trade unions, privatized state utilities, won the Falklands War and sold over 1 million council homes to tenants. ADDucation’s favorite Margaret Thatcher quote:
Margaret Thatcher was the first woman to become UK Prime minister. |
71st |
| James Callaghan | 1 | 1976 | 1979 | Labour | 10 October 1974 | Elizabeth II | 1912 | 2005 | England, Hamshire, Portsmouth |
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James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, had many nicknames including “Sunny Jim”, “Gentleman Jim” and “Big Jim”. As Foreign Secretary in 1974 he renegotiated the UK’s EEC (EU) membership terms and campaigned for the UK to remain in the 1975 referendum. His term of office finished in the “Winter of Discontent” in 1978/79. At 92 James Callaghan is the longest-lived of all former British Prime Ministers. ADDucation’s favorite James Callaghan quote:
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70th |
| Harold Wilson | 2nd of 2 | 1974 | 1976 | Labour |
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Elizabeth II | 1916 | 1995 | England, Huddersfield | Harold Wilson, Lord Wilson of Rievaulx KG OBE PC FRS FSS MP. | The 1974 general election resulted in a hung Parliament. James Harold Wilson was appointed British Prime Minister and served his second and final term. He was famous for pipe smoking and regarded as “cool” in the Swinging Sixties. He awarded MBEs to the Beatles though John Lennon returned his a few years later. The referendum on continued membership of the EEC in 1975 resulted in a 67% majority for remaining. Harold Wilson stood down in 1976 because he was suffering from Alzheimer’s. | 69th |
| Edward Heath | 1 | 1970 | 1974 | Conservative | 18 June 1970 | Elizabeth II | 1916 | 2005 | England, Kent, Broadstairs |
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Following the 1970 general election Sir Edward Richard George Heath, known as Ted Heath, was appointed as Prime Minister by Queen Elizabeth II on 19 June 1970 at the height of troubles in Northern Ireland. During his tenure major events included “Decimal Day” on 15 February 1971, entering the European Economic Community in 1973, imposed direct British rule in Northern Ireland, implemented the Three Day Week to save energy caused by miners’ strikes then called a general election with the slogan “Who governs Britain?” which resulted in a hung Parliament and he eventually resigned and lost his position as party leader to Margaret Thatcher in 1975. He was a keen yachtsman. ADDucation’s favorite Ted Heath quote:
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68th |
| Harold Wilson | 1st of 2 | 1964 | 1970 | Labour |
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Elizabeth II | 1916 | 1995 | England, Huddersfield | Lord KG OBE PC FRS FSS MP. | Following the 1964 general election Harold Wilson was appointed his first of two terms as British Prime Minister. Important decisions included decolonization of Rhodesia, failing to enter the EEC (EU) in 1967, abolishing the death penalty, legalizing homosexuality, founding the Open University, legalizing abortion, and the EU again. ADDucation’s favorite Harold Wilson quote:
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67th |
| Alec Douglas-Home Sir Alec Douglas-Home |
1 | 1963 | 1964 | Conservative |
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Elizabeth II | 1903 | 1995 | England, London, Mayfair | Sir Alec Douglas-Home, Lord Home of the Hirsel KT PC MP. | Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, was appointed as Prime Minister on 19 October 1963 by Queen Elizabeth II. Alec Douglas-Home is the most recent Prime Minister to take office while a member of the House of Lords, which had not happened since Archibald Philip Primrose became Prime Minister in 1894. To become an MP so he lead his administration from the House of Commons, Douglas-Home disclaimed his titles and stepped down from the House of Lords. Alec Douglas-Home stood as a candidate for the vacant safe seat of Kinross and West Perthshire in 1963. Parliament was due to return on 24 October 1963 which was postponed until 12 November 1963 pending the result of the by-election. Of all British Prime Ministers For 20 days Douglas-Home was the only British Prime Minister who was not a member of either House of Parliament! Earlier in his political career he served as MP for Lanark (1931-1945 and 1950-1951). | 66th |
| Harold Macmillan | 1 | 1957 | 1963 | Conservative |
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Elizabeth II | 1894 | 1986 | England, London, Belgravia |
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Maurice Harold Macmillan, Earl of Stockton, aka “Supermac” was Prime Minister during the Profumo scandal. He was the last of the British Prime Ministers who served in the First World War. Macmillan was wounded three times and never recovered full mobility. Macmillan ended compulsory National Service in 1960, procured the Polaris nuclear missile from the US and signed the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty along with the US and the Soviet Union. MacMillan’s “wind of change” speech during his tour of Africa in 1960 marked the process of decolonisation in that continent. The UK applied to join the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1961 but French President Charles de Gaulle vetoed the application. Macmillan was the last British Prime Minister to receive a hereditary peerage. | 65th |
| Anthony Eden Sir Anthony Eden |
1 | 1955 | 1957 | Conservative |
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Elizabeth II | 1897 | 1997 | England, County Durham, Rushyford, Windlestone Hall |
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Sir Anthony Eden, Earl of Avon, was the first British Prime Minister appointed by Queen Elizabeth II. The Suez Crisis in 1956 ended Britain’s influence in the Middle East and Eden resigned shortly afterwards on the grounds of ill health, bringing to an end a political career which included three spells as British Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister to Winston Churchill between 26 October 1951 to 6 April 1955. | 64th |
| Winston Churchill Sir Winston Churchill |
2nd of 2 | 1951 | 1955 | Conservative | 25 October 1951 | George VI | 1874 | 1965 | England, Oxfordshire, Woodstock | The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill KG OM CH TD DL FRS RA MP. | Following the 1951 general election Sir Winston Churchill was appointed by King George VI for his second and final term. Churchill was focused on remaining a global power courting the US for support without success. Churchill was an accomplished artist, writer and historian with a keen interest in science and technology. Churchill became the first person to be made an honorary US citizen in 1963, his mother was born in America. Churchill was awarded The Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 and was undoubtedly the most famous of all British Prime Ministers. | 63rd |
| Clement Attlee | 1 | 1945 | 1951 | Labour |
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George VI | 1883 | 1967 | England, Surrey, Putney |
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The end of War in Europe in May 1945 was the end of the coalition government and the 1945 general election was held. The result was a landslide victory and the first Labour party majority in Parliament in history. Clement Attlee was the third of four British Prime Ministers appointed by King George VI. Labour campaigned on nationalisation and social reform, based on the recommendations in the 1942 Beveridge Report. Attlee used to help set up the welfare state and the NHS was up and running in 1948. By 1951 coal, iron, steel, telephony, gas, electric and the railways were all nationalised. Clement Attlee became Britain’s first Deputy Prime Minister in 1942 and was a key member of Winston Churchill’s war cabinet. Most historians agree Attlee was a modest man and very effective politician. | 62nd |
| Winston Churchill | 1st of 2 | 1940 | 1945 | Conservative | 14 November 1935 | George VI | 1874 | 1965 | England, Oxfordshire, Woodstock | The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill KG OM CH TD DL FRS RA MP. | On 10 May 1940, at Chamberlain suggestion, King George VI invited Churchill to be Prime Minister for the first of two terms. Chamberlain believed Churchill would be able to command all-party support in the House of Commons. Winston Churchill gave his “finest hour” speech to the House of Common, created and appointed himself as Minster for Defence and put his friend Lord Beaverbrook in charge of aircraft production. More famous speeches followed during the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain including the famous “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”. Churchill enjoyed good relations with US President Roosevelt and the 1941 US Lend-Lease policy to defeat Germany, Italy and Japan helped ensure crucial supplies. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the US entered the war and Germany was eventually defeated on 8 May 1945, Victory in Europe day, Churchill conducted a huge crowd in Whitehall singing “Land of Hope and Glory”. The Japanese surrendered on 15 August 1945, ending World War II. During the Boer War Churchill was a newspaper war reporter and was captured and held as a prisoner of war. Amazingly he escaped and returned a hero. | 61st |
| Neville Chamberlain | 1 | 1937 | 1940 | Conservative |
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George VI | 1869 | 1940 | England, Birmingham, Edgbaston |
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In 1937 the Right Honourable Neville Chamberlain was the first of three different British Prime Ministers appointed by King George VI. Chamberlain is remembered as the Prime Minister that tried to appease Adolf Hitler by signing the Munich Agreement in 1938 and he led the National Government until it collapsed in 1940 to be replaced by an all-party coalition under Winston Churchill. When Germany (and the Soviets and (first) Slovak Republic) invaded Poland the UK had treaty obligations to assist Poland and, following Chamberlain’s address to the nation on radio, the UK declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939. | 60th |
| Stanley Baldwin | 3rd 0f 3 | 1935 | 1937 | Conservative | 14 November 1935 | George V | 1867 | 1947 | England, Worcestershire, Bewdley |
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Following the 1935 general election Stanley Baldwin was the last British Prime Minister appointed by King George V for his third and final term. Stanley Baldwin steered the National Government through the 1935 Ethiopian crisis and Edward VIII’s abdication in 1936. He announced his retirement on the occasion of King George VI’s coronation. Stanley Baldwin is the only British Prime Minister to have served under three monarchs; King George V, Edward VIII and George VI. | 59th |
| Ramsay MacDonald | 2nd of 2 | 1929 | 1935 | National Labour |
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George V | 1866 | 1937 | Scotland, Morayshire, Lossiemouth | MP FRS | The 1929 general election resulted in a hung Parliament and Ramsay MacDonald was appointed Prime Minister for his second and last term by King George V. MacDonald formed his second minority government, with the support of the Liberals, and focused on healing the domestic issues behind the 1926 general strike. The 1929 Stock Market crash, against the background of the global depression and the deteriorating economic situation, prompted the Conservative and Liberal parties to meet with King George V and MacDonald. King George V urged MacDonald to form a National Government. As a result Labour expelled MacDonald. The 1931 general election resulted in a landslide victory for the National Government and Ramsey MacDonald remained Prime Minister until he retired in 1935, due to ill health. | 58th |
| Stanley Baldwin | 3rd of 2 | 1924 | 1929 | Conservative |
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George V | 1867 | 1947 | England, Worcestershire, Bewdley |
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Following the 1924 general election Stanley Baldwin was appointed British Prime Minister for his second of three terms and led the government during the 1926 general strike. | 57th |
| Ramsay MacDonald | 1st of 2 | 1924 | 1924 | Labour | 6 December 1923 | George V | 1866 | 1937 | Scotland, Morayshire, Lossiemouth | MP FRS | Following the 1923 general election James Ramsay MacDonald became the first Labour party Prime Minister. He was appointed, for the first of two terms, by King George V. Ramsey formed a minority government which proved the Labour Party were fit to govern but only lasted nine months. Ramsey MacDonald was a founder of the Labour Party along with Keir Hardie and others. | 56th |
| Stanley Baldwin | 1st of 3 | 1923 | 1924 | Conservative |
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George V | 1867 | 1947 | England, Worcestershire, Bewdley |
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The 1923 general election resulted in a hung Parliament. Stanley Baldwin was appointed Prime Minister for the first of three terms by King George V. | 55th |
| Bonar Law | 1 | 1922 | 1923 | Conservative |
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George V | 1858 | 1923 | Canada, New Brunswick | MP | Following the 1922 general election Andrew Bonar Law was appointed British Prime Minister by King George V. Bonar Law and Boris Johnson are the only two British Prime Ministers not born in the British Isles. | 54th |
| David Lloyd George | 1 | 1916 | 1922 | Liberal |
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George V | 1863 | 1945 | England, Lancashire, Manchester, Chorlton-on-Medlock | Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM PC MP. | The 1918 general election was called after the armistice with Germany ended the First World War. David Lloyd George led a coalition government. Lloyd George was the first British Prime Minister to be appointed by King George V and the last of all British Prime ministers to head a Liberal party administration. | 53rd |
| Herbert Henry Asquith | 1 | 1908 | 1916 | Liberal |
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Edward VII | 1852 | 1928 | England, West Riding of Yorkshire, Morley | Herbert Henry Asquith Earl of Oxford and Asquith KG PC KC FRS MP. | In 1908 Asquith was the third of three different British Prime Ministers appointed by King Edward VII. Following the 1910 general election H. H. Asquith headed the last majority Liberal government which took Great Britain and the British Empire into the First World War in August 2014. The British welfare state was founded on Liberal reforms between 1906 and 1914, focused on the young, old and working people. | 52nd |
| Henry Campbell-Bannerman Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman |
1 | 1905 | 1908 | Liberal |
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Edward VII | 1836 | 1908 | Scotland, Glasgow | The Right Honourable Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman GCB MP. | Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman (nicknamed “CB”) is the only person, to date, to hold the positions of Prime Minister and Father of the House at the same time. Campbell-Bannerman resigned due to ill health in April 1908 and died just days later. He was replaced by Asquith, his Chancellor. Five days after taking office the, previously separate, office of Prime minister and office of First Lord of the Treasury were joined so Henry Campbell-Bannerman and all subsequent British Prime Ministers were also First Lord of the Treasury. Some, but not all, earlier British Prime Ministers also head the office of First Lord of the Treasury. | 51st |
| Arthur James Balfour | 1 | 1902 | 1905 | Conservative |
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Edward VII | 1848 | 1930 | Scotland, East Lothian |
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Following the resignation of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil on 11 July 1902 Arthur James Balfour was the first of three different British Prime Ministers appointed by King Edward VII. The Anglo-French Convention secured the Entente Cordiale with France in 1904. Balfour resigned as Prime Minister in December 1905 and lost his seat in the 1906 general election. | 50th |
| Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury |
3rd of 3 | 1895 | 1902 | Conservative |
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Victoria | 1830 | 1903 | England, Hertfordshire, Hatfield |
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Following the 1895 general election Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury was the last British Prime Minister appointed by Queen Victoria for his third and final term, serving over thirteen years in total. | 49th |
| Archibald Philip Primrose 5th Earl of Rosebery |
1 | 1894 | 1895 | Liberal |
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Victoria | 1847 | 1929 | England, Middlesex, Mayfair | Archibald Primrose 5th Earl of Rosebery & 1st Earl of Midlothian, KG KT PC FRS FBA. | Archibald Philip Primrose, Lord Rosebery, was not elected as a member of Parliament. He was appointed as British Prime Minister while serving in the House of Lords. Primrose collaborated with Gladstone who said that he was “one of the very ablest men I have ever known”. | 48th |
| William Ewart Gladstone | 4th of 4 | 1892 | 1894 | Liberal |
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Victoria | 1809 | 1898 | England, Liverpool | William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS MP. | 1892 was the fourth and final term William Gladstone was appointed as United Kingdom Prime Minister. Gladstone was British Prime Minister for twelve years in a political career spanning over 60 years. William Gladstone was appointed as Prime Minister more times than any other British politician. The Second Home Rule Bill for Ireland was introduced in 1893 was passed by the House of Commons but defeated in the House of Lords. Gladstone was the oldest of all British Prime Ministers to be elected to office and the oldest to leave office, aged 84 years and 63 days on 2 March 1894. Gladstone was not offered a peerage, having earlier declined an earldom. | 47th |
| Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury |
2nd of 3 | 1886 | 1892 | Conservative |
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Victoria | 1830 | 1903 | England, Hertfordshire, Hatfield |
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1886 was the second of three terms Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, was appointed as British Prime Minister. | 46th |
| William Ewart Gladstone | 3rd of 4 | 1886 | 1886 | Liberal | 5 August 1886 | Victoria | 1809 | 1898 | England, Liverpool | William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS MP. | In 1886 Gladstone was appointed for this third of four terms as British Prime Minister. Gladstone also served as Chancellor of the Exchequer four times between 1852 and 1882. The Home Rule Bill for Ireland was introduced during this term. | 45th |
| Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 3rd Marquess of Salisbury |
1st of 3 | 1885 | 1886 | Conservative |
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Victoria | 1830 | 1903 | England, Hertfordshire, Hatfield |
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1885 was the first of three terms Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, was appointed as British Prime Minister by Queen Victoria. Lord Robert Cecil, Marquess of Salisbury, was the last British Prime minister to run his administration from the House of Lords. He was previously MP for Stamford for fifteen years between 1853 and 1868. | 44th |
| William Ewart Gladstone | 2nd of 4 | 1880 | 1885 | Liberal |
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Victoria | 1809 | 1898 | England, Liverpool | William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS MP. | 1880 was the second of four terms Gladstone was United Kingdom Prime Minister. The failed rescue attempt of General Gordon’s force in Khartoum, Sudan in 1885 resulted in a telegram of rebuke from Queen Victoria which ended up in the press. He resigned in June 1885 and declined an earldom from Queen Victoria. | 43rd |
| Benjamin Disraeli | 2nd of 2 | 1874 | 1880 | Conservative |
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Victoria | 1804 | 1881 | England, Middlesex, Bloomsbury | Benjamin Disraeli 1st Earl of Beaconsfield KG PC FRS MP. | 1874 was the second and final term Benjamin Disraeli was appointed as British Prime Minister in a UK government administration. | 42nd |
| William Ewart Gladstone | 1st of 4 | 1868 | 1874 | Liberal | 10 December 1868 | Victoria | 1809 | 1898 | England, Liverpool | William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS MP. | Following the 1868 general election Gladstone was appointed by Queen Victoria for the first of his four terms as Prime Minister. The UK Ballot Act 1872 introduced the secret ballot for local government elections and parliamentary elections. Gladstone was first elected as a Member of Parliament for Newark in between 1833 and 1846, followed by Oxford University (1847-65), South Lancashire (1865-68), Greenwich (1868-80) and finally Midlothian from 1880 until 1895. Gladstone was a member of four political parties. Gladstone was a Tory in 1828, switching to the Conservative party in 1834, then he became a Peelite until 1859 after which he remained a Liberal party politician for the rest of his career. | 41st |
| Benjamin Disraeli | 1st of 2 | 1868 | 1868 | Conservative |
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Victoria | 1804 | 1881 | England, Middlesex, Bloomsbury | Benjamin Disraeli 1st Earl of Beaconsfield KG PC FRS MP. | Benjamin Disraeli was appointed as British Prime Minister by Queen Victoria in 1868, the first of two terms. His literary and political career made him one of the most eminent figures in Victorian public life. One of Benjamin Disraeli’s most famous novels was Sybil, the Two Nations published in 1845 and charts the struggle of the English working classes. | 40th |
| Edward Smith-Stanley 14th Earl of Derby |
3rd of 3 | 1866 | 1868 | Conservative |
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Victoria | 1799 | 1869 | England, Lancashire, Knowsley | 14th Earl of Derby KG GCMG PC PC (Ire) MP. | 1866 was the third and last term Smith-Stanley was appointed as British Prime Minister, a total of just three years and 280 days in office. He also served as Member of Parliament for Stockbridge (1822-1826), MP for Preston (1826–30), Windsor (1831-1832) and North Lancashire (1832-1844). | 39th |
| John Russell Lord John Russell |
2nd of 2 | 1865 | 1866 | Liberal |
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Victoria | 1792 | 1878 | England, Middlesex, Mayfair | Lord John Russell, 1st Earl Russell KG GCMG PC FRS MP. | 1865 was John Russell’s second term as Prime minister for under a year following the sudden death of Palmerston in 1865. Also known as Lord John Russell until 1861. | 38th |
| Henry John Temple The Viscount Palmerston |
2nd of 2 | 1859 | 1865 | Liberal |
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Victoria | 1784 | 1865 | England, Middlesex, Westminster | Henry John Temple 3rd Viscount Palmerston KG GCB PC FRS MP. | 1859 was the second and final term Viscount Palmerston was appointed as the first Prime Minister of the newly formed Liberal Party. | 37th |
| Edward Smith Stanley 14th Earl of Derby |
2nd of 3 | 1858 | 1859 | Conservative | 30 April 1857 | Victoria | 1799 | 1869 | England, Lancashire, Knowsley | 14th Earl of Derby KG GCMG PC PC (Ire) MP. | 1858 was the second of three terms Smith-Stanley was appointed as British Prime Minister. Edward Smith Stanley is also the longest serving Conservative Party leader (1846-1868). Leader of the House of Lords three times in 1852, 1858-59 and 1866-68. | 36th |
| Henry John Temple The Viscount Palmerston |
1st of 2 | 1855 | 1858 | Whigs | 4 November 1852 | Victoria | 1784 | 1865 | England, Middlesex, Westminster | Henry John Temple 3rd Viscount Palmerston KG GCB PC FRS MP. | 1855 was the first of two terms Henry John Temple aka Palmerston was appointed as British Prime Minister. Before 1859 Palmerston was a Whig and a Tory before 1822. | 35th |
| George Hamilton-Gordon 4th Earl of Aberdeen |
1 | 1852 | 1855 | Peelite | 4 November 1852 | Victoria | 1784 | 1860 | Scotland, Midlothian. Edinburgh |
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In 1852 George Hamilton-Gordon was appointed Prime Minister by Queen Victoria. George Hamilton-Gordon formed a coalition government between the Whigs and Peelites with Radical and Irish support in 1852. George Hamilton-Gordon was elected as an MP to the House of Commons as a Whig in 1822 before serving in Peel’s second government in 1841. | 34th |
| Edward Smith Stanley 14th Earl of Derby |
1st of 3 | 1852 | 1852 | Conservative |
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Victoria | 1799 | 1869 | England, Lancashire, Knowsley | 14th Earl of Derby KG GCMG PC PC (Ire) MP. | 1852 was the first of three terms Edward Smith-Stanley was appointed as British Prime Minister. Smith-Stanley is one of four British Prime Ministers who served three or more terms in office. Edward Smith-Stanley was known as Edward Stanley before 1834, Lord Stanley until 1851 then 14th Earl of Derby or just Derby. Member of the Whig party before 1841. | 33rd |
| John Russell Lord John Russell |
1st of 2 | 1846 | 1852 | Whigs | 9 August 1847 | Victoria | 1792 | 1878 | England, Middlesex, Mayfair | 1st Earl Russell KG GCMG PC FRS MP. | 1846 was the first of two terms John Russell was appointed British Prime Minister by Queen Victoria. His leadership during the Irish Great Famine (1845-49) resulted in the loss of around a quarter of Ireland’s population and was the last time the Whig party formed a Government. Russell served as Leader of the House of Commons four times between 1834 and 1855. | 32nd |
| Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel |
2nd of 2 | 1841 | 1846 | Conservative | 19 August 1841 | Victoria | 1788 | 1850 | England, Lancashire, Bury | Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet Bt FRS MP. | 1841 was the second and final term Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was the first British Prime Minister appointed by Queen Victoria. | 31st |
| William Lamb 2nd Viscount Melbourne |
2nd of 2 | 1835 | 1841 | Whigs |
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William IV | 1799 | 1848 | England, London | William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne PC PC (Ire) FRS MP. | 1835 was the second and final term William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne was the fifth of four different British Prime Ministers appointed by William IV. | 30th |
| Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel |
1st of 2 | 1834 | 1835 | Conservative |
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William IV | 1788 | 1850 | England, Lancashire, Bury | Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet Bt FRS MP. | 1834 was the first of two terms Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was appointed as British Prime Minister. | 29th |
| Arthur Wellesley The Duke of Wellington |
2nd of 2 | 1834 | 1834 | Tory | 29 January 1833 | William IV | 1769 | 1852 | Ireland, Dublin |
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1835 was the second and final term Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington was appointed as British Prime Minister. | 28th |
| William Lamb 2nd Viscount Melbourne |
1st of 2 | 1834 | 1834 | Whigs | 29 January 1833 | William IV | 1799 | 1848 | England, London | William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne PC PC (Ire) FRS MP. | 1834 was the first of two terms William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne was appointed as British Prime Minister. | 27th |
| Charles Grey 2nd Earl Grey |
1 | 1830 | 1834 | Whigs |
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William IV | 1764 | 1845 | England, Northumberland, Fallodon |
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Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey was the first of four different British Prime Ministers appointed by King William IV. Earl Grey tea is named after him. | 26th |
| Arthur Wellesley The Duke of Wellington |
1st of 2 | 1828 | 1830 | Tory |
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King George IV | 1769 | 1852 | Ireland, Dublin |
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1828 was the first of two terms Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, nicknamed the “Iron Duke” was the third of three different British Prime Minister appointed by King George IV. The Duke of Wellington gained victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. | 25th |
| Frederick John Robinson Viscount Goderich |
1 | 1827 | 1828 | Tory / Canningite | 19 June 1826 | George IV | 1782 | 1859 | England, Yorkshire, Skelton-on-Ure |
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Frederick J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich was the second of three different British Prime Ministers appointed by King George IV. He resigned after just 144 days in office. | 24th |
| George Canning | 1 | 1827 | 1827 | Tory / Canningite | 19 June 1826 | George IV | 1770 | 1827 | England, Middlesex, Marylebone | George Canning FRS MP | George Canning was the first of three different British Prime Ministers to be appointed by King George IV. George Canning died from consumption after just 119 days in office, George Canning had the shortest overall term in office of all British Prime Ministers, aged 57, on 8 August 1827. | 23rd |
| Robert Banks Jenkinson 2nd Earl of Liverpool |
1 | 1812 | 1827 | Tory / Pittite |
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King George III | 1770 | 1828 | England, London |
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In 1812, Robert Jenkinson, the 2nd Earl of Liverpool, was the last British Prime Minister appointed by King George III. Robert Banks Jenkinson oversaw the Peterloo Massacre on 16 August 1819 at St Peter’s Field, Manchester during which cavalry charged into a crowd of pro-democracy reformers, men, women and children, killing 15 people and injuring hundreds of people. The immediate aftermath of Peterloo saw a crackdown on reform, campaigners, and journalists but reform was unstoppable and in 1832 the Great Reform Act was passed. | 22nd |
| Spencer Perceval | 1 | 1809 | 1812 | Tory / Pittite | 22 June 1807 | George III | 1762 | 1812 | England, Middlesex, Mayfair | Spencer Perceval KC MP | In 1809 Spencer Perceval was appointed British Prime Minister by King George III. Spencer Perceval is the only British Prime Minister to be assassinated while in office. Spencer Perceval was shot and killed in the House of Commons lobby on 11 May 1812 by John Bellingham who acted alone and did not try to escape. He was tried, convicted and hanged one week later. | 21st |
| William Cavendish-Bentinck 3rd Duke of Portland |
2nd of 2 | 1807 | 1809 | Tory / Pittite |
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George III | 1738 | 1809 | England, Nottinghamshire | 1794-1809: His Grace The Duke of Portland, KG, PC, FRS | In 1807 William Cavendish-Bentinck, the 3rd Duke of Portland, was appointed British Prime Minister for his second and final term by King George III. | 20th |
| William Wyndham Grenville Baron Grenville |
1 | 1806 | 1807 | Whigs | 22 July 1802 | George III | 1759 | 1834 | England, Buckinghamshire, Wotton Underwood |
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William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, was the first of four different British Prime Ministers appointed by King George III. | 19th |
| William Pitt The Younger | 2nd of 2 | 1804 | 1806 | Tory / Pittite | 22 July 1802 | George III | 1759 | 1806 | England, Kent, Hayes | 1781-1806: The Right Honourable William Pitt MP. | 1804 was the second and final term William Pitt The Younger was appointed as British Prime Minister for his second and final term by King George III. | 18th |
| Henry Addington | 1 | 1801 | 1804 | Tory / Addingtonian | 22 July 1802 | George III | 1757 | 1844 | England, Middlesex, Holborn |
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Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth was appointed as British Prime Minister by King George III until he was ousted from office in 1804 by the Foxites, Grenvillites and Pittites. | 17th |
| William Pitt The Younger | 1st of 2 | 1783 | 1801 | Tory / Pittite | George III | 1759 | 1806 | England, Kent, Hayes | 1781-1806: The Right Honourable William Pitt MP. | 1783 was the first of two terms William Pitt The Younger was appointed as British Prime Minister aged 24, the youngest British Prime Minister so far, by King George III. | 16th | |
| William Cavendish-Bentinck 3rd Duke of Portland |
1st of 2 | 1783 | 1783 | Whigs | George III | 1738 | 1809 | England, Nottinghamshire |
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In 1783 William Cavendish-Bentinck, the 3rd Duke of Portland, was appointed for the first of two terms as British Prime Minister by King George III. | 15th | |
| William Petty 2nd Earl of Shelburne |
1 | 1782 | 1783 | Tory / Chathamite Whigs | George III | 1737 | 1805 | Ireland, Dublin |
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In 1782 William Petty, the 2nd Earl of Shelburne, was appointed British Prime Minister by King George III. | 14th | |
| Charles Watson-Wentworth 2nd Marquess of Rockingham |
2nd of 2 | 1782 | 1782 | Tory / Rockingham Whigs | George III | 1730 | 1782 | England, Yorkshire, Wentworth |
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In 1782 Charles Watson-Wentworth, the 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, was appointed for his second and final term as Prime Minister by King George III and made widespread ministerial changes. His ministry sought to acknowledge the independence of the United States and started to end British involvement in the American War of Independence. After opposing Thomas Gilbert’s advocacy for poor relief for many years the Relief of the Poor Act 1782 was passed. Workhouses and outdoor relief by unions of civil parishes were to be provided. Rockingham died of Influenza after just 96 days (27 March to 1 July 1782) in office. Charles Watson-Wentworth served the shortest single term in office of all British Prime Ministers. | 13th | |
| Frederick North Lord North |
1 | 1770 | 1782 | Tory / Northite | George III | 1732 | 1792 | England, Middlesex, Piccadilly |
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In 1770 Lord North was appointed British Prime Minister by King George III. North’s ministry oversaw the 1770 Falklands Crisis, the 1780 Gordon Riots and the outbreak of the American Revolution. North resigned in 1782 following defeat at the Siege of Yorktown during the American War of Independence. | 12th | |
| Augustus Henry Fitzroy Duke of Grafton |
1 | 1768 | 1770 | Tory / Chathamite Whigs | George III | 1735 | 1811 | England, Suffolk, Euston Hall |
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In 1768 Augustus Henry Fitzroy, the 3rd Duke of Grafton, was appointed Prime Minister by King George III. Augustus Henry Fitzroy was the youngest British Prime Minister at the time aged 33, until William Pitt The Younger, aged 24, was appointed in 1783. Britain’s power was at a high point following the Seven Years’ War but his handling of the Corsican Crisis, which resulted in France annexing Corsica, led to his resignation. | 11th | |
| William Pitt The Elder Earl of Chatham |
1 | 1766 | 1768 | Tory / Chathamite Whigs | George III | 1708 | 1778 | England, Middlesex, Westminster | William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham PC FRS | In 1766 William Pitt The Elder was appointed British Prime Minister by King George III. Pitt of Chatham led Britain to victory over France in the Seven Years’ War which established Britain’s global dominance. | 10th | |
| Charles Watson-Wentworth 2nd Marquess of Rockingham |
2/1 | 1765 | 1766 | Tory / Rockingham Whigs | George III | 1730 | 1782 | England, Yorkshire, Wentworth |
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In 1765 Charles Watson-Wentworth, the 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, was appointed by King George III, for the first of two terms as Prime Minister. The American issue dominated his ministry. The American Colonies Act 1766 (Declaratory Act) stated laws passed in the British Parliament also applied to the American colonies. This divided the cabinet and led to his resignation. | 9th | |
| George Grenville | 1 | 1763 | 1765 | Whigs / Grenville Whigs | George III | 1712 | 1770 | England, Buckinghamshire, Wotton Underwood |
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In 1763 George Grenville was appointed British Prime Minster by King George III. | 8th | |
| John Stuart 3rd Earl of Bute |
1 | 1762 | 1763 | Tory | George III | 1713 | 1792 | Scotland, Midlothian, Edinburgh |
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In 1762 John Stuart, the 3rd Earl of Bute, was the first British Prime Minster born in Scotland and the first Prime Minister appointed by King George III. | 7th | |
| Thomas Pelham-Holles Duke of Newcastle |
2/2 | 1757 | 1762 | Whigs | George II | 1693 | 1768 | England, Middlesex, Lincoln’s Inn Fields |
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In 1757 Thomas Pelham-Holles, the 1st Duke of Newcastle, was the fifth and last British Prime Minster appointed by King George II for his second and final term, | 6th | |
| William Cavendish 4th Duke of Devonshire |
1 | 1756 | 1757 | Whigs | George II | 1720 | 1764 | England, Derbyshire, Hardwick Hall |
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In 1756 William Cavendish, the 4th Duke of Devonshire, was the fourth different British Prime Minster appointed by King George II. | 5th | |
| Thomas Pelham-Holles Duke of Newcastle |
1st of 2 | 1754 | 1756 | Whigs | George II | 1693 | 1768 | England, Middlesex, Lincoln’s Inn Fields |
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In 1754 Thomas Pelham-Holles, the 1st Duke of Newcastle, was appointed British Prime Minster, for the first of two terms, by King George II. | 4th | |
| Henry Pelham | 1 | 1743 | 1754 | Whigs | George II | 1694 | 1754 | England, Sussex, Laughton |
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In 1743, following the death in office of Spencer Compton was appointed British Prime Minster by King George II. | 3rd | |
| Spencer Compton Earl of Wilmington |
1 | 1742 | 1743 | Whigs | George II | 1673 | 1743 | England, Warwickshire, Compton Wynyates |
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In 1742 Spencer Compton, the 1st Earl of Wilmington, was appointed as the second British Prime Minister by King George II and was the first Prime Minister to die in office. He took measures without reaching a consensus and exerted control over his ministers. | 2nd | |
| Robert Walpole Earl of Orford |
1 | 1721 | 1742 | Whigs | George I | 1676 | 1745 | England, Norfolk |
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Around 1721 Robert Walpole was appointed by King George I. As the first British Prime Minister he was in office longer than any British Prime Ministers to date. Walpole handled the South Sea Company financial crisis, passing the Bubble Act of Parliament of Great Britain in 1720. Initially Walpole shared power with his brother in law, Charles Townshend. After George II succeeded George I in 1727 Walpole gradually consolidated his position and, according to some historians, Townshend retired on 15 May 1730 – which is the date Walpole became the first British Prime Minister. In 1742 the British navy and army suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Cartagena de Indias against Spain and Walpole’s government was defeated in a vote of no confidence (over an election issue). Walpole resigned and was elevated to the House of Lords as Earl of Orford, Viscount Walpole and Baron Walpole of Houghton in the County of Norfolk. | 1st |
Related Lists: All Kings and Queens of England | List of US Presidents since 1901…
Notes * British Prime Ministers are not elected but appointed by the Monarch and remain in office until they lose the confidence of the House of Commons.
Key: KG Order of the Garter, recipient can use Sir/Dame/Lady prefix. GCVO/KCVO/DCVO Sir/Dame of Royal Victorian Order. OM Order of Merit. PC Privy Council of the United Kingdom FRS Fellow of the Royal Society. FBA Fellow of the British Academy. FSS Royal Statistical Society. MP Member of Parliament. DL Deputy lieutenant.
Key: KG Order of the Garter, recipient can use Sir/Dame/Lady prefix. GCVO/KCVO/DCVO Sir/Dame of Royal Victorian Order. OM Order of Merit. PC Privy Council of the United Kingdom FRS Fellow of the Royal Society. FBA Fellow of the British Academy. FSS Royal Statistical Society. MP Member of Parliament. DL Deputy lieutenant.
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