First Secretary of State

E94800

The First Secretary of State is a senior British Cabinet title typically given to a top-ranking minister who is often seen as the de facto deputy to the Prime Minister.


Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United Kingdom government position
cabinet office
ministerial position
appliesToJurisdiction Government of the United Kingdom NERFINISHED
appointedBy British monarch
surface form: Monarch of the United Kingdom
appointmentOnAdviceOf Prime Minister of the United Kingdom NERFINISHED
country United Kingdom
firstHolder R. A. Butler
hasAbbreviation FSoS
hasCharacteristic does not automatically confer statutory powers
not always in continuous use
often combined with another major office of state
rank is determined by Prime Minister’s order of precedence
hasHeldBy Damian Green NERFINISHED
Dominic Raab NERFINISHED
George Osborne NERFINISHED
John Prescott
Michael Heseltine NERFINISHED
R. A. Butler NERFINISHED
Theresa May
William Hague NERFINISHED
hasLanguage English
hasNature honorific and political rank rather than separate department
hasNoFixedDepartment true
inception 1962
isDifferentFrom Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
First Lord of the Treasury
Secretary of State (United Kingdom) generic title
isListedIn official Cabinet ranking
isRankedAs one of the most senior members of the Cabinet
isStyle First Secretary of State self-link
isTitleCreatedBy Harold Macmillan
surface form: Prime Minister Harold Macmillan
isUsuallyHeldBy senior cabinet minister
isUsuallyRegardedAs de facto deputy to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
mayBeCombinedWithOffice Chancellor of the Exchequer NERFINISHED
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Foreign Secretary NERFINISHED
Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union
memberOf Cabinet of the United Kingdom NERFINISHED
partOf British Cabinet
surface form: Cabinet of the United Kingdom
reportsTo Prime Minister
surface form: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
seat Westminster, London NERFINISHED
status senior ministerial office
styleOfAddress The Right Honourable
usedAs political signal of seniority within Cabinet
usedIn Westminster system politics

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

First Secretary of State isStyle First Secretary of State self-link
George Osborne positionHeld First Secretary of State
Lord Mandelson positionHeld First Secretary of State
William Hague positionHeld First Secretary of State