- Conservative Government 1951–1955
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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 TreasuryWinston 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 AffairsSir 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
- D. Butler and G. Butler, ed. Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900-2000.
Preceded by
Labour Government 1945-1951British Government
1951–1955Succeeded by
Conservative Government 1955-1957Categories:- British ministries
- Conservative Party (UK)
- 1950s in the United Kingdom
- 1951 establishments in the United Kingdom
- 1955 disestablishments
- Winston Churchill
- Ministries of George VI
- Ministries of Elizabeth II
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