Minister for the Cabinet Office


The Minister for the Cabinet Office is a position in the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. The Minister is responsible for all Cabinet Office policies and leading the department.
From the Second May ministry until mid-2019, it functioned as an alternative title to Deputy Prime Minister or First Secretary of State. This ended when Dominic Raab was appointed as First Secretary of State on 24 July 2019, by Boris Johnson.

Function and Status

The Cabinet Office has a primary responsibility to support the work of the Prime Minister and ensure the effective running of government. Within this set-up, the Minister for the Cabinet Office has been seen to have varying responsibilities and stature in the government. The role is a flexible one and has variously been described as one or several of the following under different office-holders :
The government describes the minister for the Cabinet Office as being "in overall charge of and responsible for the policy and work of the department, and attends Cabinet".
Damian Green held the office in 2017, simultaneously with the office of First Secretary of State. Green chaired numerous Cabinet Committees and filled in for the Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions. By virtue of his responsibilities and as First Secretary of State, he was considered a de facto Deputy Prime Minister. Upon the appointment of David Lidington in 2018, Lidington retained the responsibilities Green had held, but the title of First Secretary of State remained vacant.
As a result, the office in its 2017-2019 absorbed the responsibilities of a de facto Deputy Prime Minister, without either of the associated titles usually granted to individuals in the British Government. In 2019, new Prime Minister Boris Johnson ended this arrangement with the appointment of a new First Secretary of State.

Current minister and responsibilities

The current minister is Michael Gove, who was appointed for the Johnson ministry in February 2020. He simultaneously holds the sinecure office of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. The role has had varying responsibilities over time.
The most recent responsibilities are:
Every occupant of the position has simultaneously held a sinecure office, this being Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from Clark to Byrne, Paymaster General from Jowell to Gummer, and First Secretary of State with Green. Oliver Dowden held the office of Paymaster General, while David Lidington and, presently, Michael Gove have held the role of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Ministers of State for the Cabinet Office

Occasionally, a Minister of State for the Cabinet Office is appointed who is junior to the Minister for the Cabinet Office.

Opposition spokespersons for the Cabinet Office

Shadow Ministers for the Cabinet Office

Scottish National Party

Liberal Democrats