| Secretary of State for Scotland |
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Arms of Her Majesty's Government Scotland Office |
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| Style | The Right Honourable |
| Appointer | David Cameron |
| Inaugural holder | The Duke of Queensberry |
| Formation | 3 February 1709 |
| Website | Scotland Office |
| Scotland |
This article is part of the series: |
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Scotland in the UK
Scotland in the EU
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Other countries · Atlas |
The Secretary of State for Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba) is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office (formerly the Scottish Office), a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was abolished in 1746, following the Jacobite rebellion. 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 (though not always) in the Cabinet. In 1926 this post was upgraded to a full Secretary of State appointment.
The 1999 Scottish devolution has meant the Scottish Office's powers were divided, with most transferred to the Scottish Executive or to other UK Government departments, leaving only a limited role for the Scotland Office. Consequently the role of Secretary of State for Scotland has been diminished. A recent Scottish Secretary, Des Browne, held the post whilst simultaneously (and separately) being Secretary of State for Defence. The present Secretary of State for Scotland is Michael Moore.
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| Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Earl of Mar | (since 1705) 1 May 1707 |
3 February 1709 | |
| The Duke of Queensberry | 3 February 1709 | 6 July 1711 (alive) |
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| The Earl of Mar | 30 September 1713 | 24 September 1714 | |
| The Duke of Montrose | 24 September 1714 | August 1715 (resigned) |
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| The Duke of Roxburghe | 13 December 1716 | August 1725 (resigned) |
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| Office thereafter vacant. One reference book claims that Charles Douglas, 2nd Earl of Selkirk held this office from 1731, but there is no other authority for this claim. |
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| The Marquess of Tweeddale | 16 February 1742 | 3 January 1746 (resigned) |
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Office thereafter vacant.
The Secretary for Scotland was chief minister in charge of the Scottish Office in the United Kingdom government. The post of Secretary of State for Scotland existed briefly 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. 1885 saw the creation of the Scottish Office and the post of Secretary for Scotland.[1] From 1892 the Secretary for Scotland sat in cabinet, but the position was not officially recognised as a full member of the cabinet of the United Kingdom until the Secretary for Scotland post was upgraded to full Secretary of State rank as Secretary of State for Scotland in 1926.[2]
All Secretaries for Scotland also held the post of Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, ex officio.[3]
| Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Political Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Duke of Richmond | 17 August 1885 | 28 January 1886 | Conservative | ||
| George Trevelyan | 8 February 1886 | March, 1886 (resigned) |
Liberal | ||
| The Earl of Dalhousie | 5 April 1886 | 20 July 1886 | Liberal | ||
| Arthur Balfour | 5 August 1886 | 11 March 1887 | Conservative | ||
| The Marquess of Lothian | 11 March 1887 | 11 August 1892 | Unionist | ||
| Sir George Trevelyan, Bt | 18 August 1892 | 21 June 1895 | Liberal | ||
| The Lord Balfour of Burleigh | 29 June 1895 | 9 October 1903 (resigned) |
Unionist | ||
| Andrew Murray | 9 October 1903 | 2 February 1905 | Conservative | ||
| The Marquess of Linlithgow | 2 February 1905 | 4 December 1905 | Conservative | ||
| John Sinclair (Baron Pentland from 1909) |
10 December 1905 | 13 February 1912 | Liberal | ||
| Thomas McKinnon Wood | 13 February 1912 | 9 July 1916 | Liberal | ||
| Harold Tennant | 9 July 1916 | 5 December 1916 | Liberal | ||
| Robert Munro | 10 December 1916 | 19 October 1922 | Liberal | ||
| The Viscount Novar | 24 October 1922 | 22 January 1924 | none | ||
| William Adamson | 22 January 1924 | 3 November 1924 | Labour | ||
| Sir John Gilmour, Bt | 6 November 1924 | 26 July 1926 | Unionist | ||
The post of Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland was held ex officio by Secretaries of State for Scotland from 1926 to 1999.[4] Secretaries of State for Scotland since Donald Dewar have not been Keepers of the Great Seal, that post now being held by the First Ministers of Scotland.[5] In addition, the holder of the office of Secretary of State for Scotland from 13 June 2003 through to 3 October 2008 concurrently held another Cabinet post, leading to claims that the Scottish role was seen as a 'part-time' ministry.
| Name | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Political Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sir John Gilmour, Bt | 15 July 1926 | 4 June 1929 | Unionist | ||
| William Adamson | 7 June 1929 | 24 August 1931 | Labour | ||
| Sir Archibald Sinclair, Bt | 25 August 1931 | 28 September 1932 (resigned) |
Liberal | ||
| Sir Godfrey Collins | 28 September 1932 | 29 October 1936 | National Liberal | ||
| Walter Elliot | 29 October 1936 | 16 May 1938 | Unionist | ||
| John Colville | 6 May 1938 | 10 May 1940 | Unionist | ||
| Ernest Brown | 14 May 1940 | 8 February 1941 | National Liberal | ||
| Thomas Johnston | 8 February 1941 | 23 May 1945 | Labour | ||
| The Earl of Rosebery | 25 May 1945 | 26 July 1945 | National Liberal | ||
| Joseph Westwood | 3 August 1945 | 7 October 1947 | Labour | ||
| Arthur Woodburn | 7 October 1947 | 28 February 1950 | Labour | ||
| Hector McNeil | 28 February 1950 | 26 October 1951 | Labour | ||
| James Stuart | 30 October 1951 | 13 January 1957 | Unionist | ||
| John Maclay | 13 January 1957 | 13 July 1962 | Unionist | ||
| Michael Noble | 13 July 1962 | 16 October 1964 | Unionist | ||
| William Ross | 18 October 1964 | 19 June 1970 | Labour | ||
| Gordon Campbell | 20 June 1970 | 4 March 1974 | Conservative and Unionist | ||
| William Ross | 5 March 1974 | 8 April 1976 | Labour | ||
| Bruce Millan | 8 April 1976 | 4 May 1979 | Labour | ||
| George Younger | 5 May 1979 | 11 January 1986 | Conservative and Unionist | ||
| Malcolm Rifkind | 11 January 1986 | 28 November 1990 | Conservative and Unionist | ||
| Ian Lang | 28 November 1990 | 5 July 1995 | Conservative and Unionist | ||
| Michael Forsyth | 5 July 1995 | 2 May 1997 | Conservative and Unionist | ||
| Donald Dewar | 3 May 1997 | 17 May 1999 (became First Minister of Scotland) |
Labour | ||
| John Reid | 17 May 1999 | 25 January 2001 | Labour | ||
| Helen Liddell | 25 January 2001 | 13 June 2003 | Labour | ||
| Alistair Darling (also Secretary of State for Transport) |
13 June 2003 | 5 May 2006 | Labour | ||
| Douglas Alexander (also Secretary of State for Transport) |
5 May 2006 | 27 June 2007 | Labour | ||
| Des Browne (also Secretary of State for Defence) |
28 June 2007 | 3 October 2008 | Labour | ||
| Jim Murphy | 3 October 2008 | 11 May 2010 | Labour | ||
| Danny Alexander | 11 May 2010 | 29 May 2010 | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Michael Moore | 29 May 2010 | Incumbent | Liberal Democrats | ||
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