UK Prime Ministers: Details

This page gives detailed information for individual prime ministers.

For basic information (dates and parties), see UK Prime Ministers: Classified. Also see UK Prime Ministers: Titles.

First to be called prime minister (but not officially) and longest–serving PM (21 years: 1721–42)		Sir Robert Walpole
1762–3: Britain's 7th Prime Minister, and the first Tory; also the first to have been born in Scotland, following union in 1707; forced to resign after 317 days in office, in the wake of a furore over his implementation of the cider tax and his mauling in John Wilkes's satirical newspaper The North Briton		John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute
Resigned in 1782, following the British defeat at Yorktown in the American War of Independence, and after losing the first ever vote of no confidence		Lord North
Youngest (24 years 205 days) and second–longest–serving (18 years + 2: 1783–1801, 1804–6); introduced income tax (at 2d in the pound; budgeted Dec 1798, came into effect 1799)		William Pitt the Younger
The only British PM to be assassinated (House of Commons lobby, 11 May 1812)		Spencer Perceval
In office at the time of the Peterloo Massacre (16 August 1819)		Lord Liverpool
Resigned as Commander–in–Chief of the British army, in 1828, to become Prime Minister		Duke of Wellington
(1830–4) Introduced the Great Reform Bill, 1832		Earl Grey
(1834, 1835–41) Queen Victoria's first; husband of Lady Caroline Lamb (he was William Lamb)		Lord Melbourne
(1841–6) Founded the Metropolitan Police – the first modern police force – in 1829, when Home Secretary		Sir Robert Peel
Following the Reform Act (1832), issued the Tamworth Manifesto in December 1834, laying down the principles upon which the modern Conservative Party is based
Re–introduced income tax (1841) after it had been removed at the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Responsible for the repeal of the Corn Laws (1846), but subsequently lost office because most of his party opposed it. Formed his own party, but most of its members (including himself) eventually joined the Liberals
Succeeded Peel in the early days of the Great Irish (potato) Famine (1846)		John (1st Earl) Russell
1852–55: took Britain into the Crimean War		Hon. George Gordon (Earl of Aberdeen)
The first Liberal PM; last to die in office; name Henry John Temple		Lord Palmerston
The only British PM of Jewish heritage (he converted to Anglicanism in his teens)		Benjamin Disraeli
The only prime minister to serve four separate terms (1868–74, 1880–5, February–July 1886, 1892–4)		W. E. Gladstone
Britain's oldest–ever Prime Minister – 84 years old in 1894, when he resigned for the last time; also the oldest to be elected – 82 when elected for his fourth term in 1892
Introduced the first Irish Home Rule Bill, 1886
Gave his name to a small portmanteau suitcase, built over a rigid frame, which could separate into two equal sections – designed and manufactured in the late 19th century by J. G. Beard, who was a great admirer, at his leather shop in the City of Westminster
1885–6, 1886–92, 1895–1902: Queen Victoria's last		Lord Salisbury
Last of the 19th Century and first of the 20th
The last PM with a beard
Nephew of his predecessor (above); his selection as Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1887 may have given rise to the saying "Bob's your uncle"		A. J. Balfour
Lost his seat (Manchester East) at the 1905 general election, one month after resigning as PM – the only UK prime minister (current or former) that this has happened to
Led the Liberals to a landslide victory in 1905; resigned in 1908 due to ill health, and died 19 days later; the only PM to die in No. 10 Downing Street (he continued to live there after his resignation)		Henry Campbell–Bannerman
(1908–16) In post at start of World War I, and when old age pensions were introduced		Herbert Asquith
Last PM of a Liberal Government
The Lords' power was reduced to that of delaying legislation (1911) under
(1916–22) Last Liberal to be PM		David Lloyd George
First to use Chequers as a country residence
Introduced National Insurance and old age pensions, under the slogan "ninepence for fourpence", when Chancellor of the Exchequer
Also introduced the so–called 'People's Budget' in 1909, introducing unprecedented taxes on the lands and incomes of Britain's wealthy to fund new social welfare programmes. It was blocked by the House of Lords for a year, and only became law in April 1910
Married his long–serving secretary (and mistress) Frances Stephenson, two years after the death of his first wife and two years before his own
(Oct 1922 – May 1923) the only UK PM born outside the UK, before Boris Johnson		Bonar Law
Shortest–serving PM of the 20th century (fourth shortest overall)
1923–4, 1924–29, 1935–37: the only 20th Century PM with three separate terms in office		Stanley Baldwin
PM during the General Strike (1926)
PM during the abdication crisis, and so served under three kings
Refused to meet the Jarrow marchers on their arrival in London (November 1936)
1924, 1929–31: the first Labour PM		James Ramsay MacDonald
Left the Labour Party in 1931 to form a National Government, aiming to cut spending in order to defend the gold standard – which nevertherless had to be abandoned after the Invergordon Mutiny of September 1931; resigned in 1935
(1937–40) son of Lord Salisbury's Colonial Secretary (first name Joseph); his brother (Austen) was a Nobel Peace laureate and had been Foreign Secretary		Neville Chamberlain
Lord Mayor of Birmingham 1915
Resigned following the defeat of British forces in Norway
Born at Blenheim Palace in 1873		Winston Churchill
Rode in Kitchener's cavalry charge at Omdurman (1898)
War correspondent during the Boer War; captured by Louis Botha; made a dramatic escape from imprisonment in Pretoria
Elected Conservative MP for Oldham, 1900 (after 5 failed attempts?)
Joined the Liberals in protest at Chamberlain's tariff reforms
As President of the Board of Trade 1908–10, introduced legislation for the establishment of Labour Exchanges
Attacked by suffragette and "serial protester" Theresa Garnett, in 1909, at Bristol Temple Meads railway station
Home Secretary 1910–11, when he caused a major political row by taking personal charge of the Sidney Street siege
First Lord of the Admiralty, 1911–15 and September 1939 to May 1940
Served in the trenches in France, 1915–16
Minister of Munitions 1917
Secretary for War 1918–21
As Colonial Secretary, took part in the establishment of the Irish Free State
Actively supported the Whites (anti–Bolsheviks) in Russia
Left parliament 1922, left Liberals 1923
Returned as Constitutionalist for Epping, 1924
As Chancellor of the Exchequer (1924–9) under Baldwin, controversially brought about Britain's return to the Gold Standard in 1925, and was prominent in the defeat of the General Strike (1926)
Out of office 1929–39, disagreeing with Conservative policy on India, rearmament and appeasement
Returned to First Lord of the Admiralty on the day war was declared
PM May 1940 to July 1945 and Apr 1951 to Oct 1955
Leader of the Opposition, 1945–51
George VI's last PM, and Elizabeth II's first
Nobel Prize for Literature (1953)
Refused the title Duke of London, but was made a Knight of the Garter in 1953
Became the USA's first honorary citizen, in 1963; to 2016, seven more people have been made honorary US citizens, but only one (Mother Teresa) in her lifetime
Granted a state funeral following his death in January 1965
Said in a memoir by his physician, published in the year after his death, to have suffered from prolonged periods of depression, which he referred to as his "black dog"
'Colonel Warden' was the favourite pseudonym of
(1945–51) Served as deputy prime minister in Churchill's wartime coalition government		Clement Atlee
The second Labour PM, and the first with an overall majority
Resigned in 1957 under pressure from Macmillan and Butler, following his disastrous handling of the Suez Crisis (1956)		Anthony Eden
The only one in the 20th century to have been divorced; his second wife (from 1952, until his death in 1977) was Clarissa Spencer–Churchill, the niece of Winston Churchill (daughter of his younger brother John, known as Jack)
(1955–63) Led his party to victory in a general election (1959) with the slogan "You've never had it so good"		Harold Macmillan
Introduced Premium Bonds in 1956 (when Chancellor of the Exchequer)
Made the "Wind of Change" speech to the South African parliament, on 3 Feb 1960
(1963–4) Last before Tony Blair to be educated at a public school (Eton)		Alec Douglas–Home
Played first class cricket
First to have been born in the 20th century
The last PM to sit in the House of Lords (which he did in theory at least, for up to four days)
(1964–70, 1974–76) First Labour leader to win a general election		Harold Wilson
The only PM in the 20th century to win four general elections (1964, 1966, 1974, 1974)
First Conservative PM to have attended grammar school		Edward Heath
Worked as News Editor of the Church Times, shortly before being elected as an MP (1948–9)
Took the UK into the EEC (1973)
Introduced the three–day week (January to March 1974), and a 10:30 pm TV curfew
(1976–9) Only person in 20th Century to be Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary and PM		James Callaghan
Britain's longest–lived prime minister – died in 2005 on the eve of his 93rd birthday, outliving Macmillan by 42 days
(1979–90) Former research chemist, became MP 1959; the first science graduate to become PM		Margaret Thatcher
Longest–serving PM of the 20th century (11 years 208 days)
The only PM to marry a divorcee
Previously served as Education Secretary under Heath (1970–4) – known as 'Milk Snatcher' because she abolished free school milk
(1990–7) campaigned from a soap box (1992)		John Major
Lost a kneecap in a car accident in Nigeria, during the Biafra war (in which he nearly died, according to IMDb)
Used the middle name Roy – by which he was christened, but which didn't appear on his birth certificate – until about ten years before becoming PM
(1997–2007) Youngest PM of the 20th century (43 yrs 361 days)		Tony Blair
Longest–serving Labour PM
First Labour PM to serve two full terms
Only Labour leader to win three consecutive general elections
First serving PM to become father to a legitimate baby since Lord Russell in 1849 (Leo Blair born 2000)
Played guitar and sang in a rock band called Ugly Rumours, while a student at Oxford
(2007–10) As Chancellor of the Exchequer (1997), set out the "Golden Rule": that over the economic cycle, the Government will borrow only to invest and not to fund current spending		Gordon Brown
The only UK Prime Minister (to date) with a PhD

Unmarried Prime Ministers:

1		The Earl of Wilmington	1742–3 (the immediate successor to Walpole)
2		Pitt the Younger	1783–1801, 1804–6
3		Arthur Balfour	1902–5
4		Edward Heath	1970–4

© Haydn Thompson 2017–24