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Secretary of State for Scotland
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (Government in Scotland).svg
Alister Jack Official Cabinet Portrait, September 2022.jpg
Incumbent
Alister Jack

since 24 July 2019
Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland
Style Scottish Secretary
(informal)
The Right Honourable
(within the UK and Commonwealth)
Member of
Reports to The Prime Minister
Seat Westminster
Nominator The Prime Minister
Appointer The Monarch
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term length At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation
  • 1 May 1707
    (as Secretary of State for Scotland)
  • 17 August 1885
    (as Secretary for Scotland)
  • 26 July 1926 :
    (as Secretary of State for Scotland)
Deputy Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
Salary £159,038 per annum (2022)
(including £86,584 MP salary)
Website Scotland Office


The secretary of state for Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba; Scots: Secretar o State fir Scotland), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Scotland Office. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. Much of the Secretary of State for Scotland's responsibility transferred to the office of the First Minister of Scotland upon the re–establishment of both the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament in 1999 following the Scotland Act 1998.

The office holder works alongside the other Scotland Office ministers. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for Scotland. The incumbent is Alister Jack, following his appointment by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in July 2019 and who was reappointed by Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.

Overview

History of office

Acts of Union, 1707

The post was first created after the Acts of Union 1707 created the Kingdom of Great Britain from the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. It was abolished in 1746, following the Jacobite rising of 1745. Scottish affairs thereafter were managed by the Lord Advocate until 1827, when responsibility passed to the Home Office. In 1885 the post of Secretary for Scotland was re-created, with the incumbent usually a member of the Cabinet. In 1926 this post was upgraded to a full Secretary of State appointment.

Devolution, 1999

After the 1999 Scottish devolution, the powers of the Scottish Office were divided, with most transferred to the Scottish Government or to other British government departments, leaving only a limited role for the Scotland Office. From June 2003 to October 2008, the holder of the office of Secretary of State for Scotland also held another Cabinet post concurrently, leading to claims that the Scottish role was seen as a part-time ministry.

The current secretary of state for Scotland is Alister Jack, who was appointed by Boris Johnson, replacing David Mundell. He was later reappointed by Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.

Functions

Diminished responsibility

With the advent of legislative devolution for Scotland in 1999, the role of Secretary of State for Scotland was diminished. Most of the functions vested in the office since administrative devolution in the 19th century were transferred to the newly established Scottish Ministers upon the opening of the Scottish Parliament, or to other UK government ministers. However, the Secretary of State does represent Scotland in the Cabinet on matters that are not devolved to Holyrood and also holds Scotland Questions on the first Wednesday of every month between 11:30 am and 12 noon, when any Member of Parliament can ask a question on any matter relating to Scotland. However, devolved issues are not usually raised by MPs. The Secretary of State is also the group leader of the Scottish MPs from the government party.

Scottish Government collaboration

The office mainly acts as a go-between for the UK and Scottish Governments and Parliaments. However, due to the Secretary's position as a minister in the British government, the convention of Cabinet collective responsibility applies, and as such the post is usually viewed as being a partisan one to promote the UK government's decision-making in Scotland, as adherence to the convention precludes doing anything else.

With the rise of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in both the Scottish Parliament and the British Parliament and the resultant interest in Scottish Independence, the Secretary of State's role has also subsequently increased in prominence. The Scotland Office itself has received a cumulative increase in budget of 20% from 2013 to 2017, with a 14.4% increase in 2015/16 alone.

Responsibilities

The UK government's website lists the secretary of state for Scotland's responsibilities as being:

The main role of the Scottish Secretary is to promote and protect the devolution settlement.

Other responsibilities include promoting partnership between the UK Government and the Scottish Government, and relations between the 2 Parliaments.

This seeming lack of responsibility has in recent years seen calls from opposition MPs for the scrapping of the role and the Scotland Office. Robert Hazell has suggested merging the offices of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales into one Secretary of State for the Union, in a department into which Rodney Brazier has suggested adding a Minister of State for England with responsibility for English local government.

List of Scottish secretaries

Secretaries of State for Scotland (1707–1746)

John Erskine, Earl of Mar had served as Secretary of State of the independent Scotland from 1705. Following the Acts of Union 1707, he remained in office.

The post of secretary of state for Scotland existed after the Union of the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England in 1707 till the Jacobite rising of 1745. After the rising, responsibility for Scotland lay primarily with the office of the Home Secretary, usually exercised by the Lord Advocate.

Secretary of State Term of office
John Erskine - Earl of Mar - Project Gutenberg etext 20946.jpg John Erskine
Earl of Mar
(since 1705)
1 May
1707
3 February
1709
James 2nd dukeofqueensberry.jpg James Douglas
2nd Duke of Queensberry
3 February
1709
6 July
1711
John Erskine - Earl of Mar - Project Gutenberg etext 20946.jpg John Erskine
Earl of Mar
9 September
1713
24 September
1714
James Graham 1682-1742.jpg James Graham
1st Duke of Montrose
24 September
1714
August
1715
John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxburghe.jpg John Ker
1st Duke of Roxburghe
13 December
1716
August
1725
John Hay, 4th Marquess of Tweeddale.jpg John Hay
4th Marquess of Tweeddale
25 February
1742
3 January
1746

Office thereafter vacant.

Secretaries for Scotland (1885–1926)

The Secretary for Scotland was chief minister in charge of the Scottish Office in the United Kingdom government. The Scotland Office was created in 1885 with the post of Secretary for Scotland. From 1892 the Secretary for Scotland sat in cabinet. The post was upgraded to full Secretary of State rank as the Secretary of State for Scotland in 1926.

From 1885 to 1999, Secretaries for Scotland and Secretaries of State for Scotland also ex officio held the post of Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland. From 1999, the position of Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland has been held by the First Minister of Scotland.

Secretary of State Term of office Party Ministry
Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox, and 1st Duke of Gordon.jpg Charles Gordon-Lennox
6th Duke of Richmond

17 August
1885
28 January
1886
Conservative Salisbury I
Sir G O Trevelyan, 2nd Bt NPG.jpg George Trevelyan
MP for Hawick Burghs
8 February
1886
March
1886
Liberal Gladstone III
John Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie.jpeg John Ramsay
13th Earl of Dalhousie
5 April
1886
20 July
1886
Liberal
Arthur-James-Balfour-1st-Earl-of-Balfour.jpg Arthur Balfour
MP for Manchester East
5 August
1886
11 March
1887
Conservative Salisbury II
Lord Lotian.jpg Schomberg Kerr
9th Marquess of Lothian
11 March
1887
11 August
1892
Conservative
Sir G O Trevelyan, 2nd Bt NPG.jpg George Trevelyan
MP for Glasgow Bridgeton
18 August
1892
21 June
1895
Liberal Gladstone IV
Rosebery
Lord Balfour .jpg Alexander Bruce
6th Lord Balfour of Burleigh
29 June
1895
9 October
1903
Conservative Salisbury
(III & IV)

(Con.–Lib.U.)
Balfour
(Con.–Lib.U.)
Lord Dunedin.jpg Andrew Murray
MP for Buteshire
9 October
1903
2 February
1905
Conservative
Hopetoun.jpg John Hope
1st Marquess of Linlithgow
2 February
1905
4 December
1905
Conservative
C1900 John Sinclair.jpg John Sinclair
1st Baron Pentland
10 December
1905
13 February
1912
Liberal Campbell-Bannerman
Asquith
(I–III)
Thomas Mackinnon Wood.jpg Thomas McKinnon Wood
MP for Glasgow St Rollox
13 February
1912
9 July
1916
Liberal
Asquith Coalition
(Lib.Con.Lab.)
Harold J. Tennant o.jpg Harold Tennant
MP for Berwickshire
9 July
1916
5 December
1916
Liberal
1922 Robert Munro.jpg Robert Munro
MP for Roxburgh and Selkirk
10 December
1916
19 October
1922
Liberal Lloyd George
(I & II)

(Lib.Con.Lab.)
Ronald Munro Ferguson (Barnett-02).jpg Ronald Munro Ferguson
1st Viscount Novar
24 October
1922
22 January
1924
Independent Law
Baldwin I
Cropped photograph of William Adamson.jpg William Adamson
MP for West Fife
22 January
1924
3 November
1924
Labour MacDonald I
Sir John Gilmour.jpg John Gilmour
MP for Glasgow Pollok
6 November
1924
26 July
1926
Unionist Baldwin II

Secretaries of State for Scotland (1926–)

Secretary of State Term of office Party Ministry
Sir John Gilmour.jpg John Gilmour
MP for Glasgow Pollok
26 July
1926
4 June
1929
Unionist Baldwin II
Cropped photograph of William Adamson.jpg William Adamson
MP for West Fife
7 June
1929
24 August
1931
Labour MacDonald II
The Air Ministry, 1939-1945. CH10270 – Edit 1.jpg Archibald Sinclair
MP for Caithness and Sutherland
25 August
1931
28 September
1932
Liberal National I
(N.Lab.–Con.–Lib.N.–Lib.)
National II
(N.Lab.–Con.–Lib.N.–Lib.)
Godfrey Collins.jpg Godfrey Collins
MP for Greenock
28 September
1932
29 October
1936
Liberal National
National III
(Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.)
Walter Elliott MP.jpg Walter Elliot
MP for Glasgow Kelvingrove
29 October
1936
6 May
1938
Unionist
National IV
(Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.)
David John Colville (cropped).jpg John Colville
MP for Midlothian and Peebles Northern
6 May
1938
10 May
1940
Unionist
Chamberlain War
(Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.)
BrownErnest.jpg Ernest Brown
MP for Leith
14 May
1940
8 February
1941
Liberal National Churchill War
(All parties)
Thomas Johnston.png Thomas Johnston
MP for West Stirlingshire
8 February
1941
23 May
1945
Labour
Lord Dalmeny.jpg Harry Primrose
6th Earl of Rosebery
25 May
1945
26 July
1945
Liberal National Churchill Caretaker
(Con.–N.Lib.)
No image.svg Joseph Westwood
MP for Stirling and Falkirk
3 August
1945
7 October
1947
Labour Attlee
(I & II)
No image.svg Arthur Woodburn
MP for Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire
7 October
1947
28 February
1950
Labour
Blank.png Hector McNeil
MP for Greenock
28 February
1950
26 October
1951
Labour
James Stuart
MP for Moray and Nairn
30 October
1951
13 January
1957
Unionist Churchill III
Eden
Blank.png John Maclay
MP for West Renfrewshire
13 January
1957
13 July
1962
Unionist Macmillan
(I & II)
Blank.png Michael Noble
MP for Argyllshire
13 July
1962
16 October
1964
Unionist
Douglas-Home
Blank.png Willie Ross
MP for Kilmarnock
18 October
1964
19 June
1970
Labour Wilson
(I & II)
Blank.png Gordon Campbell
MP for Moray and Nairn
20 June
1970
4 March
1974
Conservative Heath
Blank.png Willie Ross
MP for Kilmarnock
5 March
1974
8 April
1976
Labour Wilson
(III & IV)
Bruce Millan.tif Bruce Millan
MP for Glasgow Craigton
8 April
1976
4 May
1979
Labour Callaghan
George Younger.JPEG George Younger
MP for Ayr
5 May
1979
11 January
1986
Conservative Thatcher I
Thatcher II
Malcolm Rifkind.jpg Malcolm Rifkind
MP for Edinburgh Pentlands
11 January
1986
28 November
1990
Conservative
Thatcher III
Official portrait of Lord Lang of Monkton 2020 crop 2.jpg Ian Lang
MP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
28 November
1990
5 July
1995
Conservative Major I
Major II
Official Portrait of Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, 2024.jpg Michael Forsyth
MP for Stirling
5 July
1995
2 May
1997
Conservative
Donald Dewar First Minister.jpg Donald Dewar
MP for Glasgow Anniesland
2 May
1997
17 May
1999
Labour Blair I
Official portrait of Lord Reid of Cardowan, 2020.jpg John Reid
MP for Hamilton North and Bellshill
17 May
1999
25 January
2001
Labour
Official portrait of Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke crop 2.jpg Helen Liddell
MP for Airdrie and Shotts
25 January
2001
13 June
2003
Labour Blair II
AlistairDarlingABr cropped.jpg Alistair Darling
MP for Edinburgh South West
13 June
2003
5 May
2006
Labour
Blair III
Douglas Alexander at the India Economic Summit 2008.jpg Douglas Alexander
MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South
5 May
2006
28 June
2007
Labour
Official portrait of Lord Browne of Ladyton crop 2, 2019.jpg Des Browne
MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun
28 June
2007
3 October
2008
Labour Brown
Jim Murphy, April 2009 cropped.jpg Jim Murphy
MP for East Renfrewshire
3 October
2008
11 May
2010
Labour
Danny alexander hi.jpg Danny Alexander
MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
12 May
2010
29 May
2010
Liberal Democrat Cameron–Clegg
(Con.L.D.)
Michael Moore, Secretary of State for Scotland.jpg Michael Moore
MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
29 May
2010
7 October
2013
Liberal Democrat
Official portrait of Mr Alistair Carmichael crop 2.jpg Alistair Carmichael
MP for Orkney and Shetland
7 October
2013
8 May
2015
Liberal Democrat
Official portrait of Rt Hon David Mundell MP crop 2.jpg David Mundell
MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale
11 May
2015
24 July
2019
Conservative Cameron II
May I
May II
Alister Jack Official Cabinet Portrait, September 2022 (cropped).jpg Alister Jack
MP for Dumfries and Galloway
24 July
2019
Incumbent Conservative Johnson I
Johnson II
Truss
Sunak
Notes

See also

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