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United Kingdom
Secretary of State for Wales
United Kingdom; Secretary of State for Wales
	Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
	Incumbent; Jo Stevens; since 5 July 2024
	Office of the Secretary of State for Wales
Style	Welsh Secretary (informal); The Right Honourable (within the UK and Commonwealth);
Type	Minister of the Crown
Status	Secretary of State
Member of	Cabinet; Privy Council;
Reports to	The Prime Minister
Seat	Westminster
Nominator	The Prime Minister
Appointer	The Monarch; (on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation	28 October 1951 (as Minister of Welsh Affairs); 18 October 1964: (as Secretary of State for Wales);
First holder	David Maxwell Fyfe (as Minister of Welsh Affairs)
Salary	£159,038 per annum (2022); (including £86,584 MP salary)
Website	www.gov.uk/government/organisations/wales-office

The secretary of state for Wales (Welsh: ysgrifennydd gwladol Cymru), also referred to as the Welsh secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Wales Office. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.

The officeholder works alongside the other Wales Office ministers. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for Wales. The position is currently held by Jo Stevens having been appointed by Keir Starmer in July 2024.

Creation

In the first half of the 20th century, a number of politicians had supported the creation of the post of Secretary of State for Wales as a step towards home rule for Wales. A post of Minister of Welsh Affairs was created in 1951 under the home secretary and was upgraded to minister of state level in 1954.

The Labour Party proposed the creation of a Welsh Office run by a Secretary of State for Wales in their manifesto for the 1959 general election. When they came to power in 1964 this was soon put into effect.

The post of Secretary of State for Wales came into existence on 17 October 1964; the first incumbent was Jim Griffiths, MP for Llanelli. The position entailed responsibility for Wales, and expenditure on certain public services was delegated from Westminster. In April 1965 administration of Welsh affairs, which had previously been divided between a number of government departments, was united in a newly created Welsh Office with the secretary of state for Wales at its head, and the Welsh secretary became responsible for education and training, health, trade and industry, environment, transport and agriculture within Wales.

History

During the 1980s and 1990s, as the number of Conservative MPs for Welsh constituencies dwindled almost to zero, the office fell into disrepute. Nicholas Edwards, MP for Pembrokeshire, held the post for eight years. On his departure, the government ceased to look within Wales for the secretary of state, and the post was increasingly used as a way of getting junior high-fliers into the Cabinet. John Redwood in particular caused embarrassment when he publicly demonstrated his inability to sing "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau", the Welsh national anthem, at a conference.

The introduction of the National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Government, after the devolution referendum of 1997, was the beginning of a new era. On 1 July 1999 the majority of the functions of the Welsh Office transferred to the new assembly. The Welsh Office was disbanded, but the post of Secretary of State for Wales was retained, as the head of the newly created Wales Office.

Since 1999 there have been calls for the office of Welsh secretary to be scrapped or merged with the posts of Secretary of State for Scotland and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to reflect the lesser powers of the role since devolution.^[3]^[4] Those calling for a Secretary of State for the Union include Robert Hazell,^[5] in a department into which Rodney Brazier has suggested adding a Minister of State for England with responsibility for English local government.^[6]

In June 2024, Plaid Cymru, the Welsh nationalist party, called for the position's abolishment describing it as "outdated", that it "entrench[es]" a power imbalance, and its powers should be devolved. The party's representatives accused the shadow Labour holder, Jo Stevens, of having a "contemptuous attitude towards devolution" based on Stevens' comments relating to High Speed 2 and justice and policing. The Conservative incumbent David TC Davies expressed his surprise, stating that the "so-called 'party of Wales' is now wanting to silence Wales' voice [in the cabinet]".^[7] In Plaid Cymru's motion on 26 June, calling for the post's abolishment, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies, supported the motion after being confused it was a Tory amendment being voted on.^[8]

Ministers and secretaries of state

Colour key
Conservative National Liberal Labour

Ministers of Welsh Affairs (1951–1964) [edit]
Secretary of State		Term of office		Political party	Cabinet	Prime Minister
	David Maxwell Fyfe MP for Liverpool West Derby (also Home Secretary)	28 October 1951	18 October 1954	Conservative	Churchill III		Winston Churchill
	Gwilym Lloyd George MP for Newcastle North (also Home Secretary)	18 October 1954	13 January 1957	Liberal & Conservative	Churchill III		Winston Churchill
		18 October 1954	13 January 1957	Liberal & Conservative	Eden		Anthony Eden
	Henry Brooke MP for Hampstead (also Min. of Housing & Local Govt.)	13 January 1957	9 October 1961	Conservative	Macmillan I		Harold Macmillan
		13 January 1957	9 October 1961	Conservative	Macmillan II
	Charles Hill MP for Luton (also Min. of Housing & Local Govt.)	9 October 1961	13 July 1962	National Liberal & Conservative
	Keith Joseph MP for Leeds North East (also Min. of Housing & Local Govt.)	13 July 1962	16 October 1964	Conservative
		13 July 1962	16 October 1964	Conservative	Douglas-Home		Alec Douglas-Home
Secretaries of State for Wales (1964–present) [edit]
Secretary of State		Term of office		Political party	Cabinet	Prime Minister
	Jim Griffiths MP for Llanelli	18 October 1964	5 April 1966	Labour	Wilson I		Harold Wilson
	Cledwyn Hughes MP for Anglesey	5 April 1966	5 April 1968	Labour	Wilson II
	George Thomas MP for Cardiff West	5 April 1968	20 June 1970	Labour	Wilson II
	Peter Thomas MP for Hendon South	20 June 1970	5 March 1974	Conservative	Heath		Edward Heath
	John Morris MP for Aberavon	5 March 1974	4 May 1979	Labour	Wilson III		Harold Wilson
	John Morris MP for Aberavon	5 March 1974	4 May 1979	Labour	Callaghan		James Callaghan
	Nicholas Edwards MP for Pembrokeshire	4 May 1979	13 June 1987	Conservative	Thatcher I		Margaret Thatcher
	Nicholas Edwards MP for Pembrokeshire	4 May 1979	13 June 1987		Thatcher II
	Peter Walker MP for Worcester	13 June 1987	4 May 1990		Thatcher III
	David Hunt MP for Wirral West	4 May 1990	27 May 1993	Conservative	Thatcher III
					Major I		John Major
					Major II
	John Redwood MP for Wokingham	27 May 1993	26 June 1995^{[fn 1]}	Conservative
	David Hunt MP for Wirral West (acting)	26 June 1995	5 July 1995	Conservative
	William Hague MP for Richmond (Yorks)	5 July 1995	2 May 1997	Conservative
	Ron Davies MP for Caerphilly	2 May 1997	27 October 1998^{[fn 2]}	Labour	Blair I		Tony Blair
	Alun Michael MP for Cardiff South and Penarth	27 October 1998	28 July 1999^{[fn 3]}	Labour
	Paul Murphy MP for Torfaen	28 July 1999	24 October 2002	Labour
	Paul Murphy MP for Torfaen	28 July 1999	24 October 2002	Labour	Blair II
	Peter Hain MP for Neath (also Ldr. of the Commons 2003–05 Northern Ireland Sec. 2005–07 Work & Pensions Sec. 2007–08)	24 October 2002	24 January 2008	Labour	Blair II
					Blair III
					Brown		Gordon Brown
	Paul Murphy MP for Torfaen	24 January 2008	5 June 2009	Labour
	Peter Hain MP for Neath	5 June 2009	11 May 2010	Labour
	Cheryl Gillan MP for Chesham and Amersham	11 May 2010	4 September 2012	Conservative	Coalition		David Cameron
	David Jones MP for Clwyd West	4 September 2012	14 July 2014	Conservative
	Stephen Crabb MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire	15 July 2014	19 March 2016	Conservative
	Stephen Crabb MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire	15 July 2014	19 March 2016	Conservative	Cameron II
	Alun Cairns MP for Vale of Glamorgan	19 March 2016	6 November 2019	Conservative	Cameron II
					May I		Theresa May
					May II		Theresa May
					Johnson I		Boris Johnson
	Simon Hart MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire	16 December 2019^[9]	6 July 2022	Conservative	Johnson I
	Simon Hart MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire	16 December 2019^[9]	6 July 2022	Conservative	Johnson II
	Robert Buckland MP for South Swindon	7 July 2022	25 October 2022	Conservative	Johnson II
	Robert Buckland MP for South Swindon	7 July 2022	25 October 2022	Conservative	Truss		Liz Truss
	David TC Davies MP for Monmouth	25 October 2022	5 July 2024	Conservative	Sunak		Rishi Sunak
	Jo Stevens MP for Cardiff East	5 July 2024	Incumbent	Labour	Starmer		Keir Starmer

Timeline

Note

^ Redwood resigned to stand in the 1995 Conservative leadership election. During the election, Hunt acted as Secretary of State.
^ Resigned following what he described as a "moment of madness" on Clapham Common.
^ Following implementation of the Government of Wales Act 1998, and the 1999 Assembly election, Michael held office as inaugural First Secretary for Wales from 12 May 1999.

References

^ "Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.
^ "Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
^ "'Scrap Welsh secretary' demand". BBC News. 19 March 2001. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
^ "Wales Office in melting pot". BBC News. 12 June 2003. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
^ "Times letters: Mark Sedwill's call for a cull of the cabinet". The Times. 30 July 2020. ISSN 0140-0460.
^ "Rodney Brazier: Why is Her Majesty's Government so big?". UK Constitutional Law Association. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
^ Price, Emily (25 June 2024). "Plaid Cymru calls for next UK Govt to axe Secretary of State for Wales role". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
^ Price, Emily (27 June 2024). "Andrew RT Davies votes to abolish Secretary of State role". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
^ "Cabinet reshuffle: Simon Hart appointed new Welsh secretary". BBC News. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.

External links

Labour Party in Wales – covers the history of the post
Hain promoted in Brown's cabinet, BBC News Online, 28 June 2007
Hain takes work and pensions job, BBC News Online, 28 June 2007

[9] Redwood resigned to stand in the 1995 Conservative leadership election. During the election, Hunt acted as Secretary of State.

[10] Resigned following what he described as a "moment of madness" on Clapham Common.

[11] Following implementation of the Government of Wales Act 1998, and the 1999 Assembly election, Michael held office as inaugural First Secretary for Wales from 12 May 1999.

[1] "Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.

[2] "Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.

[3] "'Scrap Welsh secretary' demand". BBC News. 19 March 2001. Retrieved 7 June 2010.

[4] "Wales Office in melting pot". BBC News. 12 June 2003. Retrieved 7 June 2010.

[5] "Times letters: Mark Sedwill's call for a cull of the cabinet". The Times. 30 July 2020. ISSN 0140-0460.

[6] "Rodney Brazier: Why is Her Majesty's Government so big?". UK Constitutional Law Association. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.

[7] Price, Emily (25 June 2024). "Plaid Cymru calls for next UK Govt to axe Secretary of State for Wales role". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 28 June 2024.

[8] Price, Emily (27 June 2024). "Andrew RT Davies votes to abolish Secretary of State role". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 28 June 2024.

[12] "Cabinet reshuffle: Simon Hart appointed new Welsh secretary". BBC News. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.

v t e Secretaries of state for Wales
Wales Office
1964–1970	Griffiths Hughes G. Thomas
1970–1974	P. Thomas
1974–1979	Morris
1979–1997	Edwards Walker Hunt Redwood Hunt Hague
1997–2010	R. Davies Michael Murphy Hain Murphy Hain
2010–2024	Gillan Jones Crabb Cairns Hart Buckland D. Davies
2024–present	Stevens

v t e Wales Office
Headquarters: Gwydyr House, Whitehall, London, and Tŷ William Morgan, Cardiff
Secretary of State	Jo Stevens
Under-Secretary of State	Anna McMorrin
Attorney General	Richard Hermer
Predecessor: Welsh Office Politics portal United Kingdom portal Wales portal

v t e UK cabinet portfolios
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
Cabinet ministers	Prime Minister / First Lord of the Treasury / Minister for the Union / Minister for the Civil Service Deputy Prime Minister / Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Chancellor of the Exchequer Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Secretary Home Secretary Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Defence Secretary Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Justice Secretary / Lord Chancellor Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Health and Social Care Secretary Lord President of the Council / Leader of the House of Commons Leader of the House of Lords / Lord Privy Seal Business and Trade Secretary / President of the Board of Trade Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Work and Pensions Secretary Education Secretary / Minister for Women and Equalities Transport Secretary Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Northern Ireland Secretary Scottish Secretary Welsh Secretary
Also attending Cabinet	Chief Whip / Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury Chief Secretary to the Treasury Attorney General for England and Wales / Advocate General for Northern Ireland Minister of State for International Development

Kommunal.az

Creation

History

Ministers and secretaries of state

Ministers of Welsh Affairs (1951–1964)

Secretaries of State for Wales (1964–present)

Timeline

Note

See also

References

External links

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United Kingdom Secretary of State for Wales
Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
Incumbent Jo Stevens since 5 July 2024
Office of the Secretary of State for Wales
Style	Welsh Secretary (informal) The Right Honourable (within the UK and Commonwealth)
Type	Minister of the Crown
Status	Secretary of State
Member of	Cabinet Privy Council
Reports to	The Prime Minister
Seat	Westminster
Nominator	The Prime Minister
Appointer	The Monarch (on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term length	At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation	28 October 1951 (as Minister of Welsh Affairs) 18 October 1964: (as Secretary of State for Wales)
First holder	David Maxwell Fyfe (as Minister of Welsh Affairs)
Salary	£159,038 per annum (2022)^[1] (including £86,584 MP salary)^[2]
Website	www.gov.uk/government/organisations/wales-office

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