Leader of the House of Commons
Incumbent: Harriet Harman MP Took office: 28 June 2007
Style:	The Right Honourable
Appointed by:	Gordon Brown as Prime Minister
First:	Robert Walpole
Formation:	(1721)

United Kingdom

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the United Kingdom

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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); from 2003 it has been 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 organizing 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 (as the current Leader, Harriet Harman, did on 17 December 2008^[1] and the 8 July 2009).

Jointly administered by the 'Office of the Leader of the House of Commons and the Cabinet Office are the Osmotherly Rules, which set out guidance on how civil servants should respond to Parliamentary select committees.^[2]

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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 18th century

Name	Portrait	Entered office	Left office	Offices held in conjunction
Robert Walpole		1721	1742	Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer
Samuel Sandys		1742	1743	Chancellor of the Exchequer
Henry Pelham		1743	1754	Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer
Thomas Robinson		1754	1755	Secretary of State for the Southern Department
Henry Fox		1755	1756	Secretary of State for the Southern Department
William Pitt the Elder		1756	1757	Secretary of State for the Southern Department
Vacant (Caretaker Ministry)		1757	1757
William Pitt the Elder		1757	1761	Secretary of State for the Southern Department
George Grenville		1761	1762	Treasurer of the Navy
Henry Fox		1762	1763	Paymaster of the Forces
George Grenville		1763	1765	Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer
Henry Seymour Conway		1765	1768	Secretary of State for the Southern Department
Lord North		1768	1782	Chancellor of the Exchequer 1768-1782 Prime Minister 1770-1782
Charles James Fox		1782	1782	Foreign Secretary
Thomas Townshend		1782	1783	Home Secretary
Charles James Fox (pictured) and Lord North		1783	1783	Home Secretary (North) Foreign Secretary (Fox)
William Pitt the Younger		1783	1801	Prime Minister

[edit] 19th century

Name	Portrait	Entered office	Left office	Offices held in conjunction
Henry Addington		1801	1804	Prime Minister
William Pitt the Younger		1804	1806	Prime Minister
Charles James Fox		1806	1806	Foreign Secretary
Viscount Howick		1806	1807	Foreign Secretary
Spencer Perceval		1807	1812	Chancellor of the Exchequer 1807-1812 Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1807-1812 Prime Minister 1809-1812
Viscount Castlereagh		1812	1822	Foreign Secretary
George Canning		1822	1827	Foreign Secretary 1822-1827 Prime Minister 1827
William Huskisson		1827	1828	War and Colonial Secretary
Robert Peel		1828	1830	Home Secretary
Viscount Althorp		1830	1834	Chancellor of the Exchequer
Sir Robert Peel, Bt		1834	1835	Prime Minister
Lord John Russell		1835	1841	Home Secretary 18 April 1835-30 August 1839 War and Colonial Secretary 30 August 1839-30 August 1841
Sir Robert Peel, Bt		1841	1846	Prime Minister
Lord John Russell		1846	1852	Prime Minister
Benjamin Disraeli		1852	1852	Chancellor of the Exchequer
Lord John Russell		1852	1855	Foreign Secretary 28 December 1852-21 February 1853 Minister without Portfolio 26 February 1853-8 June 1854 Lord President of the Council 12 June 1854-30 January 1855
The Viscount Palmerston		1855	1858	Prime Minister
Benjamin Disraeli		1858	1859	Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Viscount Palmerston		1859	1865	Prime Minister
William Gladstone		1865	1866	Chancellor of the Exchequer
Benjamin Disraeli		1866	1868	Chancellor of the Exchequer 6 July 1866-27 February 1868 Prime Minister 27 February 1868-1 December 1868
William Gladstone		1868	1874	Prime Minister
Benjamin Disraeli		1874	1876	Prime Minister
Sir Stafford Northcote, Bt		1876	1880	Chancellor of the Exchequer
William Gladstone		1880	1885	Prime Minister
Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, Bt		1885	1886	Chancellor of the Exchequer
William Gladstone		1886	1886	Prime Minister
Lord Randolph Churchill		1886	1887	Chancellor of the Exchequer
W. H. Smith		1887	1891	First Lord of the Treasury
Arthur Balfour		1891	1892	First Lord of the Treasury
William Gladstone		1892	1894	Prime Minister
Sir William Vernon Harcourt		1894	1895	Chancellor of the Exchequer
Arthur Balfour		1895	1905	First Lord of the Treasury 29 June 1895-4 December 1905 Prime Minister 12 July 1902-4 December 1905 Lord Privy Seal 14 July 1902-17 October 1903

[edit] 20th century

Name	Portrait	Entered office	Left office	Offices held in conjunction	Political Party
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman		5 December 1905	5 April 1908	Prime Minister	Liberal
H. H. Asquith		5 April 1908	5 December 1916	Prime Minister 5 April 1908-5 December 1916 War Secretary 30 March 1914-5 August 1914	Liberal (Coalition government 25 May 1915-5 December 1916)
Andrew Bonar Law		10 December 1916	23 March 1921	Chancellor of the Exchequer 10 December 1916-10 January 1919 Lord Privy Seal 10 January 1919-23 March 1921	Conservative (Coalition government)
Austen Chamberlain		23 March 1921	19 October 1922	Lord Privy Seal	Conservative (Coalition government)
Andrew Bonar Law		23 October 1922	20 May 1923	Prime Minister	Conservative
Stanley Baldwin		22 May 1923	22 January 1924	Prime Minister 22 May 1923-22 January 1924 Chancellor of the Exchequer 22 May 1923-27 August 1923	Conservative
Ramsay MacDonald Deputy: J. R. Clynes		22 January 1924	3 November 1924	Prime Minister Foreign Secretary	Labour
Stanley Baldwin Deputy: Austen Chamberlain		4 November 1924	4 June 1929	Prime Minister	Conservative
Ramsay MacDonald		5 June 1929	7 June 1935	Prime Minister	Labour (National Government 24 August 1931-7 June 1935)
Stanley Baldwin Deputy: Sir John Simon		7 June 1935	28 May 1937	Prime Minister	Conservative (National Government)
Neville Chamberlain		28 May 1937	10 May 1940	Prime Minister	Conservative (National Government)
Winston Churchill Deputy: Clement Attlee		10 May 1940	19 February 1942	Prime Minister Minister of Defence	Conservative (Coalition government)
Sir Stafford Cripps		19 February 1942	22 November 1942	Lord Privy Seal	Labour (Coalition government)
Anthony Eden		22 February 1942	26 July 1945	Foreign Secretary	Conservative (Coalition government 12 February 1942-22 May 1945)
Herbert Morrison		27 July 1945	9 March 1951	Lord President of the Council	Labour
James Chuter Ede		9 March 1951	26 October 1951	Home Secretary	Labour
Harry Crookshank		1951	20 December 1955	Minister of Health 30 October 1951-7 May 1952 Lord Privy Seal 7 May 1952-20 December 1955	Conservative
R. A. Butler		20 December 1955	9 October 1961	Lord Privy Seal 20 December 1955-14 October 1959 Home Secretary 13 January 1957-9 October 1961	Conservative
Iain Macleod		9 October 1961	20 October 1963	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	Conservative
Selwyn Lloyd		20 October 1963	16 October 1964	Lord Privy Seal	Conservative
Herbert Bowden		16 October 1964	11 August 1966	Lord President of the Council	Labour
Richard Crossman		11 August 1966	18 October 1968	Lord President of the Council	Labour
Fred Peart		18 October 1968	19 June 1970	Lord President of the Council	Labour
William Whitelaw		20 June 1970	7 April 1972	Lord President of the Council	Conservative
Robert Carr		7 April 1972	5 November 1972	Lord President of the Council	Conservative
James Prior		5 November 1972	4 March 1974	Lord President of the Council	Conservative
Edward Short		5 March 1974	8 April 1976	Lord President of the Council	Labour
Michael Foot		8 April 1976	4 May 1979	Lord President of the Council	Labour
Norman St John-Stevas		5 May 1979	5 January 1981	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Minister for the Arts	Conservative
Francis Pym		5 January 1981	5 April 1982	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 5 January 1981-14 September 1981 Lord President of the Council 14 September 1981-5 April 1982	Conservative
John Biffen		5 April 1982	13 June 1987	Lord President of the Council 5 April 1982-11 June 1983 Lord Privy Seal 11 June 1983-13 June 1987	Conservative
John Wakeham		13 June 1987	24 July 1989	Lord Privy Seal 13 June 1987-10 January 1988 Lord President of the Council 10 January 1988-24 July 1989	Conservative
Sir Geoffrey Howe		24 July 1989	2 November 1990	Lord President of the Council and Deputy Prime Minister	Conservative
John MacGregor		2 November 1990	10 April 1992	Lord President of the Council	Conservative
Tony Newton		1992	1997	Lord President of the Council	Conservative
Ann Taylor		1997	1998	Lord President of the Council	Labour
Margaret Beckett		1998	2001	Lord President of the Council	Labour

[edit] 21st century

Name	Portrait	Entered office	Left office	Offices held in conjunction	Political Party
Robin Cook		2001	2003	Lord President of the Council	Labour
John Reid		2003	2003	Lord President of the Council	Labour
Peter Hain		2003	2005	Lord Privy Seal	Labour
Geoff Hoon		2005	2006	Lord Privy Seal	Labour
Jack Straw		2006	2007	Lord Privy Seal	Labour
Harriet Harman		2007	present	Lord Privy Seal Minister for Women and Equality	Labour

[edit] See also

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

[edit] External links

• Office of the Leader of the House of Commons

[edit] References