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Timeline of prime ministers of Great Britain and the United Kingdom facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This is a graphical timeline of prime ministers of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from when the first prime minister of Great Britain in the modern sense, Robert Walpole, took office in 1721, until the present day.

From 1801 until 1922, British prime ministers also held the office for the whole of Ireland.

Great Britain

William Pitt the Younger William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne Frederick North, Lord North Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham George Grenville John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle Henry Pelham Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington Robert Walpole

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

David Lloyd George Herbert Henry Asquith Henry Campbell-Bannerman Arthur Balfour Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury William Ewart Gladstone Benjamin Disraeli Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby John Russell, 1st Earl Russell Robert Peel William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich George Canning Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool Spencer Perceval William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth William Pitt the Younger

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Rishi Sunak Liz Truss Boris Johnson Theresa May David Cameron Gordon Brown Tony Blair John Major Margaret Thatcher James Callaghan Edward Heath Harold Wilson Alec Douglas-Home Harold Macmillan Anthony Eden Clement Attlee Winston Churchill Neville Chamberlain Ramsay MacDonald Stanley Baldwin Andrew Bonar Law

Combined timeline

Rishi Sunak Liz Truss Boris Johnson Theresa May David Cameron Gordon Brown Tony Blair John Major Margaret Thatcher James Callaghan Edward Heath Harold Wilson Alec Douglas-Home Harold Macmillan Anthony Eden Clement Attlee Winston Churchill Neville Chamberlain Ramsay MacDonald Stanley Baldwin Andrew Bonar Law David Lloyd George Herbert Henry Asquith Henry Campbell-Bannerman Arthur Balfour Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury William Ewart Gladstone Benjamin Disraeli Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby John Russell, 1st Earl Russell Robert Peel William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich George Canning Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool Spencer Perceval William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth William Pitt the Younger William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne Frederick North, Lord North Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham George Grenville John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle Henry Pelham Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington Robert Walpole

Career-based timeline

This timeline shows most of the early life, the political career and death of each prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1846. The first prime minister was Robert Walpole in the early 18th century (Dickinson 1973).

Unlike countries where the leader is elected directly to the highest political office of a separate executive, the prime minister must first establish a political career in the UK Parliament and typically serves many years in the House of Commons before becoming Prime Minister, and in some cases for many years afterwards.

Since the Marquess of Salisbury in 1895, all time in parliamentary service before being Prime Minister has been in the House of Commons, apart from Sir Alec Douglas-Home's period as a member of the Government while in the House of Lords (1951–63; though he was previously the elected member for Lanark, 1931–1945). After becoming Prime Minister, Douglas-Home returned to the Commons by winning a by-election on the recess death of MP Gilmour Leburn.

Key

  • Each dark coloured bar denotes the time spent as Prime Minister
  • A light colour denotes time spent in Parliament before or after serving as Prime Minister
  • A grey colour bar denotes the time the prime minister spent outside the House of Commons or the entire Parliament, either before or after their political career

Notable moments since 1800

Timeline

Rishi Sunak Liz Truss Boris Johnson Theresa May David Cameron Gordon Brown Tony Blair John Major Margaret Thatcher James Callaghan Edward Heath Harold Wilson Alec Douglas-Home Harold Macmillan Anthony Eden Clement Attlee Winston Churchill Neville Chamberlain Stanley Baldwin Ramsay MacDonald Bonar Law David Lloyd George H. H. Asquith Henry Campbell-Bannerman Arthur Balfour Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury William Ewart Gladstone Benjamin Disraeli Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston John Russell, 1st Earl Russell
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