Economic Secretary to the Treasury

United Kingdom
Economic Secretary to the Treasury
Incumbent
Lucy Rigby
since 6 September 2025
His Majesty's Treasury
Reports toFirst Lord of the Treasury (Prime Minister)
Chancellor of the Exchequer
NominatorPrime Minister
AppointerThe King
(on the advice of the prime minister)
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
Inaugural holderDouglas Jay
Formation13 November 1947
WebsiteOfficial Website

The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (EST) is a ministerial position in HM Treasury responsible for the UK government’s financial services, economic sanctions, financial crime, and debt and reserves management policy. Furthermore, the EST is responsible for the Treasury’s interests in British Overseas Territories (BOTs) and Crown Dependencies. Since 2014, the position has typically been held concurrently with City Minister. The position is shadowed by the Shadow Economic Secretary to the Secretary.

History

The office was created in November 1947. In 1961, the economic secretary became junior to the new office of Chief Secretary to the Treasury, which held a seat in cabinet.

Following the establishment of the Department of Economic Affairs in 1964, the economic secretary, Anthony Crosland, transferred to become Minister of State in that department. The post of Economic Secretary to the Treasury was abolished on 22 December 1964. Although the Department of Economic Affairs closed in 1969, the Treasury post was not re-established until 11 November 1981.

From April 2014 to September 2022, and since October 2022, the office of Economic Secretary to the Treasury has been held concurrently with the portfolio of 'City Minister'.[1]

Economic secretaries to the Treasury, 1947–present

Colour key (for political parties):
  Conservative   Labour

Economic Secretary Term of office Political party Prime Minister Chancellor
Douglas Jay
MP for Battersea North
13 November 1947 2 March 1950 Labour Attlee Cripps
John Edwards
MP for Brighouse and Spenborough
19 October 1950 26 October 1951 Labour Gaitskell
Office not in use 26 October 1951 24 November 1952 Churchill Butler
Reginald Maudling
MP for Barnet
24 November 1952 7 April 1955 Conservative
Sir Edward Boyle
MP for Birmingham Handsworth
7 April 1955 11 November 1956 Conservative Eden Macmillan
Derek Walker-Smith
MP for East Hertfordshire
11 November 1956 16 January 1957 Conservative
Nigel Birch
MP for West Flintshire
16 January 1957 6 January 1958 Conservative Macmillan Thorneycroft
Office not in use 6 January 1958 23 October 1958 H-Amory
Frederick Erroll
MP for Altrincham and Sale
23 October 1958 22 October 1959 Conservative
Anthony Barber
MP for Doncaster
22 October 1959 16 July 1962 Conservative
Lloyd
Edward du Cann
MP for Taunton
16 July 1962 21 October 1963 Conservative Maudling
Maurice Macmillan
MP for Halifax
21 October 1963 16 October 1964 Conservative D-Home
Anthony Crosland
MP for Great Grimsby
19 October 1964 22 December 1964 Labour Wilson Callaghan
Office not in use 22 December 1964 11 November 1981
Jenkins
Heath Macleod
Barber
Wilson Healey
Callaghan
Thatcher Howe
Jock Bruce-Gardyne
MP for Knutsford
11 November 1981 13 June 1983 Conservative
John Moore
MP for Croydon Central
13 June 1983 19 October 1983 Conservative Lawson
Ian Stewart
MP for North Hertfordshire
19 October 1983 11 June 1987 Conservative
Peter Lilley
MP for St Albans
11 June 1987 24 July 1989 Conservative
Richard Ryder
MP for Mid Norfolk
24 July 1989 14 July 1990 Conservative
Major
John Maples
MP for Lewisham West
23 July 1990 14 April 1992 Conservative
Major Lamont
Anthony Nelson
MP for Chichester
14 April 1992 6 July 1995 Conservative
Clarke
Angela Knight
MP for Erewash
6 July 1995 2 May 1997 Conservative
Helen Liddell
MP for Airdrie and Shotts
3 May 1997 27 July 1998 Labour Blair Brown
Patricia Hewitt
MP for Leicester West
27 July 1998 17 May 1999 Labour
Melanie Johnson
MP for Welwyn Hatfield
17 May 1999 8 June 2001 Labour
Ruth Kelly
MP for Bolton West
8 June 2001 15 May 2002 Labour
Office not in use 15 May 2002 30 May 2002
John Healey
MP for Wentworth
30 May 2002 6 May 2005 Labour
Ivan Lewis
MP for Bury South
May 2005 May 2006 Labour
Ed Balls
MP for Normanton
6 May 2006 28 June 2007 Labour
Kitty Ussher
MP for Burnley
29 June 2007 5 October 2008 Labour Brown Darling
Ian Pearson
MP for Dudley South
5 October 2008 11 May 2010 Labour
Justine Greening
MP for Putney
13 May 2010 14 October 2011 Conservative Cameron
(Coalition)
Osborne
Chloe Smith
MP for Norwich North
14 October 2011 4 September 2012 Conservative
Sajid Javid
MP for Bromsgrove
4 September 2012 7 October 2013 Conservative
Nicky Morgan
MP for Loughborough
7 October 2013 9 April 2014 Conservative
Andrea Leadsom
MP for South Northamptonshire
9 April 2014 11 May 2015 Conservative
Harriett Baldwin
MP for West Worcestershire
11 May 2015 16 July 2016 Conservative Cameron
(II)
Simon Kirby
MP for Brighton Kemptown
17 July 2016 9 June 2017 Conservative May
(I)
Hammond
Steve Barclay
MP for North East Cambridgeshire
14 June 2017 9 January 2018 Conservative May
(II)
John Glen
MP for Salisbury
9 January 2018 6 July 2022 Conservative
Johnson Javid
Sunak
Richard Fuller
MP for North East Bedfordshire
8 July 2022 27 October 2022 Conservative Zahawi
Truss Kwarteng
Hunt
Andrew Griffith
MP for Arundel and South Downs
27 October 2022 13 November 2023 Conservative Sunak
Bim Afolami
MP for Hitchin and Harpenden
13 November 2023 5 July 2024 Conservative
Tulip Siddiq
MP for Hampstead and Highgate
9 July 2024 14 January 2025 Labour Starmer Reeves
Emma Reynolds
MP for Wycombe
14 January 2025 5 September 2025 Labour
Lucy Rigby
MP for Northampton North
6 September 2025 Incumbent Labour

See also

References

  1. ^ Andrea Leadsom MP appointed new City Minister for HMT, Tech UK, 10 April 2014, retrieved 4 August 2016