Leader of the House of Commons

Infobox minister office
border = parliamentary
minister = not_prime
office = Leader of the House of Commons


incumbent = Harriet Harman MP
tookoffice = 28 June 2007
appointed_by = Gordon Brown
governor = Prime Minister
first_minister = Robert Walpole
date = (1721)

The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons. Although at one time the position was usually held by the Prime Minister, in recent years, the post has usually been combined with that of Lord President of the Council ("i.e." of the Privy Council), though under the current government it is combined instead with the office of Lord Privy Seal.

Harriet Harman was appointed Leader of the House of Commons by the Prime Minister Gordon Brown on June 28, 2007, following on from her cousins Austen Chamberlain (1921-22) and Neville Chamberlain (1937-1940).

The House of Commons devotes approximately three quarters of its time to "Government business" such as bills introduced by the government and ministerial statements. The Leader of the House is responsible for organising the use of this time, and making regular announcements to the House as to what business the government will put before it. When there is no Deputy Prime Minister, or the Deputy Prime Minister is unavailable, the Leader of the House may stand in for an absent Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions (Harriet Harman was the most recent person to do this, on 2 April 2008 [ [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2008-04-02a.759.10 Engagements: 2 Apr 2008: House of Commons debates] ] ).

Robin Cook was appointed as Leader of the House after the 2001 UK general election. He resigned from the post on 17 March 2003, as he could not accept the government's position on military action against Iraq. During his period in office he chaired the Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons, which proposed significant reforms of the sitting hours of the House.

Leaders of the House of Commons since 1721

"At times the nominal leadership was held by the Prime Minister but the day to day work was done by a Deputy. At other times a Deputy was appointed merely to enhance an individual politician's standing within the government."

* Robert Walpole 1721-1742
* Samuel Sandys 1742-1743
* Henry Pelham 1743-1754
* Thomas Robinson 1754-1755
* Henry Fox 1755-1756
* William Pitt the Elder 1756-1757
* "vacant" (Caretaker Ministry) 1757
* William Pitt the Elder 1757-1761
* George Grenville 1761-1762
* Henry Fox 1762-1763
* George Grenville 1763-1765
* Henry Seymour Conway 1765-1768
* Frederick North, Lord North 1768-1782
* Charles James Fox 1782
* Thomas Townshend 1782-1783
* Charles James Fox and Frederick North, Lord North, jointly 1783
* William Pitt the Younger 1783-1801
* Henry Addington 1801-1804
* William Pitt the Younger 1804-1806
* Charles James Fox 1806
* Charles Grey, Viscount Howick 1806-1807
* Spencer Perceval 1807-1812
* Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh 1812-1822
* George Canning 1822-1827
* William Huskisson 1827-1828
* Robert Peel 1828-1830
* John Charles Spencer, Viscount Althorp 1830-1834
* Lord John Russell 1834
* Sir Robert Peel 1834-1835
* Lord John Russell 1835-1841
* Sir Robert Peel 1841-1846
* Lord John Russell 1846-1852
* Benjamin Disraeli 1852
* Lord John Russell 1852-1855
* Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston 1855-1858
* Benjamin Disraeli 1858-1859
* Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston 1859-1865
* William Ewart Gladstone 1865-1866
* Benjamin Disraeli 1866-1868
* William Ewart Gladstone 1868-1874
* Benjamin Disraeli 1874-1876
* Sir Stafford Henry Northcote 1876-1880
* William Ewart Gladstone 1880-1885
* Sir Michael Hicks-Beach 1885-1886
* William Ewart Gladstone 1886
* Lord Randolph Churchill 1886-1887
* William Henry Smith 1887-1891
* Arthur James Balfour 1891-1892
* William Ewart Gladstone 1892-1894
* Sir William Vernon Harcourt 1894-1895
* Arthur James Balfour 1895-1905
* Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman 1905-1908
* Herbert Henry Asquith 1908-1916
* Andrew Bonar Law 1916-1921
* Austen Chamberlain 1921-1922
* Andrew Bonar Law 1922-1923
* Stanley Baldwin 1923-1924
* Ramsay MacDonald 1924, Deputy John Robert Clynes
* Stanley Baldwin 1924-1929, Deputy Austen Chamberlain
* Ramsay MacDonald 1929-1935
* Stanley Baldwin 1935-1937, Deputy John Simon
* Neville Chamberlain 1937-1940
* Winston Churchill 1940-1942, Deputy Clement Attlee
* Sir Stafford Cripps 1942
* Anthony Eden 1942-1945
* Herbert Stanley Morrison 1945-1951
* James Chuter Ede 1951
* Harry Crookshank 1951-1955
* Rab Butler 1955-1961
* Iain Macleod 1961-1963
* Selwyn Lloyd 1963-1964
* Herbert Bowden 1964-1966
* Richard Crossman 1966-1968
* Fred Peart 1968-1970
* William Whitelaw 1970-1972
* Robert Carr 1972
* James Prior 1972-1974
* Edward Short 1974-1976
* Michael Foot 1976-1979
* Norman St John-Stevas 1979-1981
* Francis Pym 1981-1982
* John Biffen 1982-1987
* John Wakeham 1987-1989
* Sir Geoffrey Howe 1989-1990
* John MacGregor 1990-1992
* Tony Newton 1992-1997
* Ann Taylor 1997-1998
* Margaret Beckett 1998-2001
* Robin Cook 2001-2003 (resigned)
* John Reid 2003
* Peter Hain 2003-2005
* Geoff Hoon 2005-2006
* Jack Straw 2006 - 27 June 2007
* Harriet Harman 28 June 2007 - "present"

ee also

* Speaker of the British House of Commons
* Minister for Parliamentary Business, the equivalent cabinet post in the Scottish Government

External links

* [http://www.commonsleader.gov.uk/output/Page1.asp Office of the Leader of the House of Commons]

References