Secretary of State for Wales
This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2010) |
Privy Council | |
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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 |
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First holder | David Maxwell Fyfe (as Minister of Welsh Affairs) |
Salary | £159,038 per annum (2022)[1] (including £86,584 MP salary)[2] |
Website | Official website |
This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the |
Politics of Wales |
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The secretary of state for Wales (Welsh: ysgrifennydd gwladol Cymru), also referred to as the Welsh secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Wales Office. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.
The officeholder works alongside the other Wales Office ministers. The corresponding
Creation
In the first half of the 20th century, a number of politicians had supported the creation of the post of Secretary of State for Wales as a step towards
The Labour Party proposed the creation of a Welsh Office run by a Secretary of State for Wales in their manifesto for the 1959 general election. When they came to power in 1964 this was soon put into effect.
The post of Secretary of State for Wales came into existence on 17 October 1964; the first incumbent was
History
During the 1980s and 1990s, as the number of
The introduction of the
of 1997, was the beginning of a new era. On 1 July 1999 the majority of the functions of the Welsh Office transferred to the new assembly. The Welsh Office was disbanded, but the post of Secretary of State for Wales was retained, as the head of the newly created Wales Office.Since 1999 there have been calls for the office of Welsh secretary to be scrapped or merged with the posts of Secretary of State for Scotland and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to reflect the lesser powers of the role since devolution.[4][5] Those calling for a Secretary of State for the Union include Robert Hazell,[6] in a department into which Rodney Brazier has suggested adding a Minister of State for England with responsibility for English local government.[7]
Ministers and secretaries of state
Colour key
Conservative
National Liberal
Labour
- Note
- ^ Redwood resigned to stand in the 1995 Conservative leadership election. During the election, Hunt acted as Secretary of State.
- ^ Resigned following what he described as a "moment of madness" on Clapham Common.
- ^ Following implementation of the Government of Wales Act 1998, and the 1999 Assembly election, Michael held office as inaugural First Secretary for Wales from 12 May 1999.
See also
- First Minister for Wales
- Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
- Secretary of State for Scotland
References
- ^ "Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Rishi Sunak - live updates: Hunt remains chancellor; Mordaunt in cabinet; Rees-Mogg among raft of departures". Sky News. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "'Scrap Welsh secretary' demand". BBC News. 19 March 2001. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
- ^ "Wales Office in melting pot". BBC News. 12 June 2003. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
- ISSN 0140-0460.
- ^ "Rodney Brazier: Why is Her Majesty's Government so big?". UK Constitutional Law Association. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ "Cabinet reshuffle: Simon Hart appointed new Welsh secretary". BBC News. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
External links
- Labour Party in Wales – covers the history of the post
- Hain promoted in Brown's cabinet, BBC News Online, 28 June 2007
- Hain takes work and pensions job, BBC News Online, 28 June 2007