Conservative Government 1951–1955

The Conservative Party came to power in the United Kingdom after victory in the 1951 general election. This was the first purely Conservative government since Stanley Baldwin's 1924–1929 administration. Winston Churchill became Prime Minister for a second time. The administration saw several prominent figures and up-and-coming stars. Rab Butler was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer while Sir Anthony Eden returned as Foreign Secretary. The noted Scottish lawyer Sir David Maxwell Fyfe, who had gained fame as a prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials, became Home Secretary. He remained in this post until 1954, when he was ennobled as Viscount Kilmuir and appointed Lord Chancellor. Future Prime Minister Harold Macmillan achieved his first major post when he was made Minister of Defence in 1954.

Gwilym Lloyd George, younger son of former Liberal leader David Lloyd George, replaced Sir David Maxwell Fyfe as Home Secretary in 1954. Florence Horsbrugh became the first woman to hold a cabinet post in a Conservative administration when she was appointed Minister of Education in 1951. Several figures who were later to achieve high offices held their first governmental posts. These included future Prime Minister Edward Heath, future Chancellors Reginald Maudling, Peter Thorneycroft and Iain Macleod and future Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington. Other notable figures in the government were John Profumo, Bill Deedes, David Ormsby-Gore and the Marquess of Salisbury.

The Churchill administration was mainly concerned with international affairs, the widening Cold War and decolonialization (especially the Mau Mau Uprising and the Malayan Emergency).

Despite suffering a stroke in 1953, Churchill remained as head of the government until April 1955, when, aged 80, he resigned. He was succeeded by his ambitious protégé, Sir Anthony Eden, who finally reached the post he had coveted for so long, although his administration was to last for less than two years.

Members of the Cabinet are in bold face.

Office Name Dates Notes
Prime Minister
and First Lord of the Treasury
Winston Churchill 26 October 1951-5 April 1955 Knighted 1953
Lord Chancellor The Lord Simonds 30 October 1951  
The Viscount Kilmuir 18 October 1954  
Lord President of the Council The Lord Woolton 28 October 1951  
The Marquess of Salisbury 24 November 1952 also Leader of the House of Lords
Lord Privy Seal The Marquess of Salisbury 28 October 1951 also Leader of the House of Lords
Harry Crookshank 7 May 1952 also Leader of the House of Commons
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rab Butler    
Minister of Economic Affairs Sir James Salter 31 October 1951 Office abolished 24 November 1952
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury Patrick Buchan-Hepburn 30 October 1951  
Financial Secretary to the Treasury John Boyd-Carpenter 31 October 1951  
Henry Brooke 28 July 1954  
Economic Secretary to the Treasury Reginald Maudling 24 November 1952  
Lords of the Treasury Harry Mackeson 7 November 1951 – 28 May 1952  
Herbert Butcher 7 November 1951 – 3 July 1953 Knighted
Edward Heath 7 November 1951 – April 1955  
Tam Galbraith 7 November 1951 – 4 June 1954  
Dennis Vosper 7 November 1951 – 4 June 1954  
Hendrie Oakshott 28 May 1952 – April 1955  
Martin Redmayne 3 July 1953 – April 1955  
Richard Thompson 28 July 1954 – April 1955  
Gerard Wills 26 October 1954 – April 1955  
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Anthony Eden 28 October 1951 Knighted 1954
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Selwyn Lloyd 30 October 1951 – 18 October 1954  
Marquess of Reading 11 November 1953 – April 1955  
Anthony Nutting  
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs The Marquess of Reading 31 October 1951 – 11 November 1953  
Anthony Nutting 31 October 1951 – 18 October 1954  
Douglas Dodds-Parker 11 November 1953 – 18 October 1954  
Robin Turton 18 October 1954 – April 1955  
Secretary of State for the Home Department
and Welsh Affairs
Sir David Maxwell Fyfe 28 October 1951  
Hon. Gwilym Lloyd-George 18 October 1954  
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department David Llewellyn 5 November 1951 – 14 October 1952  
Sir Hugh Lucas-Tooth 3 February 1952 – April 1955  
The Lord Lloyd 24 November 1952 – 18 October 1954  
The Lord Mancroft 18 October 1954 – April 1955  
First Lord of the Admiralty James Thomas 31 October 1951 Viscount Cilcennin
Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty Allan Noble 5 November 1951  
Civil Lord of the Admiralty Simon Wingfield Digby 5 November 1951  
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Sir Thomas Dugdale 31 October 1951 Post in Cabinet from 3 September 1953
Derick Heathcoat-Amory 28 July 1954 Combined with Minister of Food 18 October 1954
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries The Lord Carrington 5 November 1951 – 18 October 1954  
Richard Nugent 5 November 1951 – April 1955  
The Earl St Aldwyn 18 October 1954 – April 1955  
Secretary of State for Air The Lord de L'Isle and Dudley 31 October 1951  
Under-Secretary of State for Air Nigel Birch 3 November 1951  
Hon. George Ward 29 February 1952  
Secretary of State for the Colonies Oliver Lyttelton 28 October 1951  
Alan Lennox-Boyd 28 July 1954  
Minister of State for the Colonies Alan Lennox-Boyd 2 November 1951  
Henry Hopkinson 7 May 1952  
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies The Earl of Munster 5 November 1951  
The Lord Lloyd 18 October 1954  
Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations The Lord Ismay 28 October 1951  
The Marquess of Salisbury 12 March 1952 also Leader of the House of Lords
The Viscount Swinton 24 November 1952  
Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations John Foster 3 November 1951  
Douglas Dodds-Parker 18 October 1954  
Minister for Coordination of Transport, Fuel and Power The Lord Leathers 30 October 1951 Office abolished 3 September 1953
Minister of Defence Winston Churchill 28 October 1951 As Prime Minister
The Earl Alexander of Tunis 1 March 1952  
Harold Macmillan 18 October 1954  
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence Nigel Birch 28 February 1952  
The Lord Carrington 18 October 1954  
Minister of Education Florence Horsbrugh 2 November 1951 Office in Cabinet from 3 September 1953
Sir David Eccles 18 October 1954  
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Education Kenneth Pickthorn 5 November 1951
Dennis Vosper 18 October 1954  
Minister of Food Gwilym Lloyd-George 31 October 1951 Office in Cabinet from 3 September 1953
Derick Heathcoat-Amory 18 October 1954 Combined with Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Food Charles Hill 31 October 1951  
Minister of Fuel and Power Geoffrey Lloyd 31 October 1951  
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fuel and Power Lancelot Joynson-Hicks 5 November 1951  
Minister of Health Harry Crookshank 30 October 1951 also Leader of the House of Commons
Iain Macleod 7 May 1952  
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health Patricia Hornsby-Smith 3 November 1951  
Minister of Housing and Local Government Harold Macmillan 30 October 1951  
Duncan Sandys 18 October 1954  
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Local Government Ernest Marples 3 November 1951  
William Deedes 18 October 1954  
Minister of Labour and National Service Sir Walter Monckton 28 October 1951  
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour Sir Peter Bennett 31 October 1951  
Harold Watkinson 28 May 1952  
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster The Viscount Swinton 31 October 1951 Also Minister of Materials
The Lord Woolton 24 November 1952 Office in Cabinet
Minister of Materials The Viscount Swinton 31 October 1951 Also Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Sir James Salter 24 November 1952  
The Lord Woolton 1 September 1953 Also Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Office wound up 16 August 1954
Minister without Portfolio The Earl of Munster 18 October 1954 – April 1955
Minister of National Insurance Osbert Peake 31 October 1951 Combined with Minister of Pensions 3 September 1953
Paymaster General The Lord Cherwell 30 October 1951  
Earl of Selkirk 11 November 1953 Office not in Cabinet
Minister of Pensions Derick Heathcoat-Amory 5 November 1951 Combined with Minister of National Insurance 1 September 1953
Osbert Peake 3 September 1953 Office in Cabinet from 18 October 1954
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Pensions John George Smyth 5 November 1951 – April 1955  
Robin Turton 5 November 1951 – 18 October 1954  
Ernest Marples 18 October 1954 – April 1955  
Postmaster-General The Earl De La Warr 5 November 1951  
Assistant Postmaster-General David Gammans 5 November 1951  
Secretary of State for Scotland Hon. James Stuart 30 October 1951  
Minister of State for Scotland The Earl of Home 2 November 1951  
Under-Secretary of State for Scotland Tom Galbraith 2 November 1951 – 5 April 1955  
William McNair Snadden 2 November 1951 – April 1955  
James Henderson Stewart 4 February 1952 – April 1955  
Minister of Supply Duncan Sandys 31 October 1951  
Selwyn Lloyd 18 October 1954  
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Supply Toby Low 3 November 1951  
Sir Edward Boyle 28 July 1954  
President of the Board of Trade Peter Thorneycroft 30 October 1951  
Minister of State for Trade Derick Heathcoat-Amory 3 September 1953  
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade Henry Strauss 3 November 1951  
Secretary for Overseas Trade Henry Hopkinson 3 November 1951  
Harry Mackeson 28 May 1952 Office replaced by Minister of State for Trade 3 September 1953
Minister of Transport John Maclay 31 October 1951  
Alan Lennox-Boyd 7 May 1952 Ministries of Transport and Civil Aviation merged 1 October 1953
John Boyd-Carpenter 28 July 1954  
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport Joseph Gurney Braithwaite 5 November 1951 – 1 November 1953  
Reginald Maudling 18 April 1952 – 24 November 1952  
John Profumo 24 November 1952 – April 1955  
High Molson 11 November 1953 – April 1955  
Secretary of State for War Anthony Head 31 October 1951  
Under-Secretary of State and Financial Secretary for War James Hutchison 5 November 1951  
Fitzroy Maclean 18 October 1954  
Minister of Works Sir David Eccles 1 November 1951  
Nigel Birch 18 October 1954  
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Works Hugh Molson 3 November 1951  
Reginald Bevins 11 November 1953  
Attorney General Sir Lionel Heald 3 November 1951  
Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller 18 October 1954  
Solicitor General Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller 3 November 1951  
Sir Harry Hylton-Foster 18 October 1954  
Lord Advocate James Clyde 2 November 1951  
William Rankine Milligan 30 December 1954  
Solicitor General for Scotland William Rankine Milligan 2 November 1951 Not an MP
William Grant 10 January 1955  
Treasurer of the Household Cedric Drewe 7 November 1951 Knighted
Comptroller of the Household Roger Conant 7 November 1951  
Tam Galbraith 7 June 1954  
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household Henry Studholme 7 November 1951  
Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms The Earl Fortescue 5 November 1951  
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard The Earl of Onslow 5 November 1951  
Lords in Waiting The Earl of Birkenhead 5 November 1951 – 28 January 1955  
The Earl of Selkirk 5 November 1951 – 11 November 1953  
The Lord Lloyd 7 November 1951 – 24 November 1952  
The Lord Mancroft 15 December 1952 – 18 October 1954  
The Lord Hawke 11 November 1953 – April 1955  
The Lord Fairfax of Cameron 18 October 1954 – April 1955  
The Lord Chesham 28 January 1955 – April 1955  

References

Preceded by
Labour Government 1945-1951
British Government
1951–1955
Succeeded by
Conservative Government 1955-1957