| Belgium |
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The Pierlot IV Government, also known as the Pierlot Government in London, was the government in exile of Belgium from May 1940 until 1944, during the Nazi occupation of Belgium. The government was led by Hubert Pierlot.
On 10 May 1940, the Wehrmacht had invaded Belgium (see Battle of Belgium). King Leopold III had personally assumed control of the military; in a meeting with the King on 24 May, the Cabinet urged him to leave the country with the Cabinet; Leopold refused, stating that he must remain with his troops. The Cabinet took this as an indication that Leopold would be willing to establish a new government under Adolf Hitler. On 27 May, Leopold surrendered the Belgian forces to Germany, without the advice of the Cabinet. Pierlot regarded this act as unconstitutional, and in a speech in Limoges he deprived the King of his powers.
The ministers of the Cabinet made their separate ways to London in late 1940, where they worked closely with the Free French Forces.
| Minister | Name | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister – Public Education and Defence | Hubert Pierlot | Catholic |
| Foreign Affairs, Information and Propaganda | Paul-Henri Spaak | POB |
| Financial and Economic Affairs | Camille Gutt | none (technical expert) |
| Colonies and Justice | Albert de Vleeschauwer | Catholic |
| Minister without Portfolio | August De Schryver | Catholic |
| Minister without Portfolio | Henri Denis | none (technical expert) |
| Minister without Portfolio | Paul-Emile Janson | Liberal |
| Minister without Portfolio | Léon Matagne | Liberal |
| Minister without Portfolio | Eugène Soudan | BWP |
| Minister without Portfolio | Arthur Vanderpoorten | Liberal |
| Minister without Portfolio | Charles d'Aspremont Lynden | Catholic |
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