Prime Minister of Great Britain
| Prime Minister of Great Britain | |
|---|---|
 | |
| His Majesty's Government | |
| Style |
|
| Type | Head of Government |
| Member of | |
| Residence | |
| Appointer | The Sovereign |
| Constituting instrument | Executive Act 2024 |
| Formation | 12th of October 2018 |
| First holder | Colfax County |
| Deputy | Deputy Prime Minister First Secretary of State |
| Salary | £15,000 per cycle (July 2024) |
| Website | 10 Downing Street |
The Prime Minister of Great Britain is the Head of Government of the Empire of Great Britain. The Prime Minister advises the Sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern Prime Ministers hold office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the House of Commons, they tend to sit as a Member of Parliament. It is the most senior of the Great Offices of State.
The Office of Prime Minister was not originally established by any statute or constitutional document and existed only by long-established convention, whereby the Sovereign appoints as Prime Minister at their pleasure. However, since the Reign of William V, the office was established by law and the Sovereign appointed the Prime Minister by those procedures. In practice, the office is held by the leader of the political party that holds the majority of seats in the Commons.
The Prime Minister also holds the position of First Lord of the Treasury, as well as a member of various councils and boards to represent the interests of His Majesty's Government. Their official residence and office is 10 Downing Street in London.
The longest-serving Prime Minister per overall terms is Prince Victor, Duke of York, who served for 409 days across four terms. He also holds the record for longest single term, recording 231 days consecutively as Prime Minister. The longest-serving Prime Minister to be elected to the position is James Forsyte, The Duke of Warwick, who served for 133 days. The shortest tenure as Prime Minister is held by Charles Wright, The Baron Huntingdon, who served 5 days as Prime Minister during the Huntingdon Caretaker Premiership. The first female Prime Minister was Serafina Sherwood, 1st Duchess of Manitoba: three further female Prime Ministers have since served: Elizabeth Howard-Campbell, 1st Duchess of Edinburgh, Kathrine Grey, The Countess of Argyll, and Josephine Carew, The Countess of Strathmore.
Thomas Carew, The Marquess of Dorchester has held the office since 20 June 2025.
History
Authority, powers and constraints
Constitutional background
Modern Premiership
Appointment
The Prime Minister is appointed by the Sovereign in a ceremony known as the Kissing of the Hands. A prime minister is appointed following the conclusion of a General Election. The Sovereign is obliged to "invite the leader of the party or coalition holding an overall majority in the House of Commons to form a Government in their name." [1] However, if there is a hung parliament and a clear majority is not secured after seven days, a new election is to be called. [2]
Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister's Questions started as a constitutional convention before being a creature of the Standing Orders of the House of Commons. Nowadays, it is a statutory requirement of the Prime Minister to answer questions provided to them by Members of the House of Lords, Members of the House of Commons, and British Citizens. [3] Previously, a designated question time was set, but now questions are asked in a rolling manner across a parliamentary term. Prime Minister's Questions is held in Westminster Hall and presided over by the Speaker of the House of Commons under the authority of the standing orders of the same. [4]
Deputy
The Prime Minister may appoint a deputy in the form of the Deputy Prime Minister or First Secretary of State. However, this is not required and some prime ministers have not appointed a formal deputy at all.
Succession
The Prime Minister is statutorily required to publish "a Ministerial Order of Precedence, also known as a Ministerial Line of Succession, to indicate seniority of Ministers of the Crown." [5]
Resignation or Removal
Should a prime minister be removed from office, the Sovereign is obliged to "invite the most senior Minister of the Crown, as specified in the Prime Minister's Order of Ministerial Precedence, to form a Government for the remainder of the parliamentary term." [6] This will continue until the list has been exhausted and a new election called. Should a prime minister resign, "the outgoing Prime Minister shall recommend a successor to the Sovereign, who shall then be invited to form a Government for the remainder of the parliamentary term." [7]
Privileges
Precedence and form of address
The prime minister is customarily a member of the Privy Council and thus entitled to the appellation "The Right Honourable" for life. [8] Membership of the Council is retained for the duration of their service and at the pleasure of the Sovereign. [9] Officially, they are also the First Lord of the Treasury.
Compensation
The prime minister is paid £60,000 per month [10] in addition to a salary of £42,000 per month as a Member of Parliament. [11] Sometimes, prime ministers also take on a portfolio themselves and are eligible to receive an additional salary of £42,000 per month as a secretary of state. [12] Thus, a prime minister is usually paid £102,000 per month, but may receive £144,000.
Official residences
The prime minister's official residence is in London, located at 10 Downing Street. Meanwhile, the prime minister's official country residence is located at Chequers. [13]
Prime Ministers of Great Britain
List of Prime Ministers of Great Britain
| Portrait | Prime Minister | Term of Office | Mandate | Party | Government | Sovereign | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Duration | |||||||
| | 
|
Colfax County MP x |
12 October 2018 | 1 February 2019 | 113 days | Appointed | Independent | Colfax County Premiership | Victoria II |
|
Victor Newton MP x |
1 February 2019 | 15 February 2019 | 15 days | Appointed | 1st Newton Premiership | |||
|
Fabian Hardie MP x |
15 February 2019 | 3 June 2019 | 109 days | Appointed | Hardie Premiership | |||
|
|
Victor Newton MP x |
3 June 2019 | 19 January 2020 | 231 days | Appointed | 2nd Newton Premiership | |||
|
Corneliu Flint MP x |
19 January 2020 | 28 March 2020 | 70 days | Appointed | Flint Premiership | |||
| | 
|
Oliver Newman PC MP x |
28 March 2020 | 14 August 2020 | 140 days | Appointed | Centre | Newman Premiership | |
| | 
|
Sir James Stephenson MP for Brecon and Radnorshire |
14 August 2020 | 18 September 2020 | 36 days | Appointed | British Workers' | Stephenson Premiership | Victoria II William V |
|
Cameron Hanover The Baron Lomond MP for Dublin University UC |
18 September 2020 | 23 October 2020 | 36 days | Sep. 2020 Election | National Progressive Coalition | 1st Lomond Premiership | William V | |
|
Philip Ross MP for Melbourne Ports |
23 October 2020 | 8 November 2020 | 17 days | Appointed | Ross Premiership | |||
|
|
Victor Hanover The Earl of Pembroke MP for York Central |
8 November 2020 | 12 January 2021 | 66 days | Nov. 2020 Election | BWP-Ind Coalition | Pembroke Premiership | ||
| | 
|
Sir Harold Macmillan MP for Bromley |
12 January 2021 | 14 March 2021 | 62 days | Jan. 2021 Election | Conservative | Macmillan Premiership | |
| | 
|
Sir Angus Somerset MP for Sevenoaks |
14 March 2021 | 20 June 2021 | 99 days | Mar. 2021 Election | British Workers' | A. Somerset Premiership | |
| Apr. 2021 Election | |||||||||
| | 
|
James Sherwood-Somerset The Viscount Spencer MP for York Central |
20 June 2021 | 30 October 2021 | 133 days | Jun. 2021 Election | Liberal Democrats | Spencer Premiership | |
| Aug. 2021 Election | |||||||||
| | 
|
Kalara Sherwood-Somerset The Duchess of Manitoba MP for Vancouver Centre |
30 October 2021 | 17 February 2022 | 111 days | Oct. 2021 Election | Socialist-Democratic (SDLP-BWP Coalition) |
Manitoba Premiership | |
| Jan. 2022 Election | |||||||||
| |
|
Victor Somerset The Marquess of Grey MP for York Central |
17 February 2022 | 23 April 2022 | 66 days | Feb. 2022 Election | British Workers' | Grey Premiership | |
|
Sirch Sherwood-Somerset The 2nd Baron Hastings MP for Vancouver Centre |
23 April 2022 | 26 June 2022 | 65 days | Apr. 2022 Election | Hastings Premiership | |||
|
|
James Somerset The Earl of Northumberland MP for York Central |
26 June 2022 | 9 July 2022 | 14 days | Jun. 2022 Election | Northumberland Premiership | |||
|
Charles Somerset The Baron Huntingdon MP for Cambridge |
9 July 2022 | 9 August 2022 | 32 days | Appointed | Huntingdon Premiership | |||
|
Joshua Sherwood MP for Prince Edward Island |
15 August 2022 | 7 October 2022 | 54 days | Aug. 2022 Election | J. Sherwood Premiership | William V | ||
| Elizabeth III | |||||||||
| | 
|
Matthew Somerset The Duke of Somerset MP for Glasgow Central |
7 October 2022 | 7 December 2022 | 62 days | Oct. 2022 Election | British Royalist | 1st Somerset Premiership | Elizabeth III |
| | 
|
Cameron Romefeller The Baroness Lomond MP for West Dunbartonshire |
7 December 2022 | 31 January 2023 | 56 days | Dec. 2022 Election | British Federation of Labour | 2nd Lomond Premiership | |
| | 
|
Elio Somerset The 1st Baron Exeter MP for Exeter |
31 January 2023 | 5 April 2023 | 65 days | Jan. 2023 Election | Liberal Progressive | Exeter Premiership | Elizabeth III |
| Edward IX | |||||||||
| |
|
Matthew Somerset The Duke of Somerset MP for Glasgow Central |
5 April 2023 | 24 May 2023 | 50 days | Apr. 2023 Election | Independent (Unity Coalition) |
2nd Somerset Premiership | Edward IX |
| | 
|
Elizabeth Howard-Campbell The 1st Duchess of Edinburgh MP for St. James |
24 May 2023 | 27 July 2023 | 65 days | May 2023 Election | British Constitutionalist | Edinburgh Premiership | |
|
|
Cameron Romefeller The Viscountess Balloch MP for West Dunbartonshire |
27 July 2023 | 20 September 2023 | 56 days | July 2023 Election | Balloch Premiership | |||
| | 
|
August Lleyton The Earl of Stirling MP for Stirling |
21 September 2023 | 20 November 2023 | 61 days | Sept. 2023 Election | Heron | Stirling Premiership | |
|
William Somerset The 2nd Viscount Douglas MP for Kensington |
21 November 2023 | 5 March 2024 | 106 days | Nov. 2023 Election | Douglas Premiership | Edward IX | ||
| Jan. 2024 Election | Charles III | ||||||||
|
Thomas Carew The Baron Knightstone MP for East Devon |
5 March 2024 | 1 July 2024 | 119 days | Mar. 2024 Election | Heron (Concorde Coalition) |
Knightstone Premiership | Charles III | |
| | May 2024 Election | Unionist | |||||||
| | 
|
Josephine Carew-Grey The Baroness Wilton MP for Tavistock |
1 July 2024 | 2 August 2024 | 33 days | July 2024 Election | Unionist (Unionist-British Workers' Coalition) |
Wilton Premiership | |
|
|
James Forsyte The Duke of Warwick MP for York Central |
2 August 2024 | 27 August 2024 | 26 days | Appointed | Warwick Premiership | |||
|
|
Thomas Carew The Viscount Sidmouth MP for East Devon |
27 August 2024 | 8 October 2024 | 43 days | Aug. 2024 Election | Unionist (National Government) |
1st Sidmouth Premiership | ||
|
|
August Carew-Grey The Baron Calder & Wilton MP for County Clare |
8 October 2024 | 9 November 2024 | 33 days | Oct. 2024 Election | Unionist | Calder Premiership | ||
| |
|
Charles Wright The Baron Huntingdon MP for Orkney & Shetland |
9 November 2024 | 13 November 2024 | 5 days | Appointed | British Workers' | Huntingdon Caretaker | |
| | 
|
Matthew Somerset The Duke of Somerset MP for Glasgow Central |
13 November 2024 | 5 December 2024 | 23 days | Nov. 2024 Election | Conservative (Conservative & Unionist) |
3rd Somerset Premiership | |
| | 
|
Thomas Carew The Viscount Sidmouth MP for East Devon |
6 December 2024 | 6 January 2025 | 32 days | Appointed | Unionist | 2nd Sidmouth Premiership | Charles III |
| George VII | |||||||||
| | 
|
William Somerset The 2nd Duke of Cambridge MP for Kensington |
6 January 2025 | 21 February 2025 | 47 days | Jan. 2025 Election | Heron (Unionist-Heron Coalition) |
Cambridge Premiership | George VII |
| | 
|
Josephine Carew The Countess of Strathmore MP for East Devon |
21 February 2025 | 20 March 2025 | 28 days | Feb. 2025 Election | Unionist | Strathmore Premiership | |
| |
|
Charles Wright The Viscount Kirkwall MP for Orkney & Shetland |
20 March 2025 | 20 April 2025 | 32 days | Appointed | Independent | Kirkwall Premiership | |
| | 
|
James Forsyte The Duke of Warwick MP for York Central |
20 April 2025 | 20 June 2025 | 62 days | Apr. 2025 Election | Commonwealth Non-Aligned (Common Cause Alliance) |
Warwick Premiership (II) | |
| | 
|
Thomas Carew The Marquess of Dorchester MP for East Devon |
20 June 2025 | Present | 59 days | June 2025 Election | Unionist | Dorchester Premiership | |
Disputed Prime Ministers
In order to be considered a Prime Minister, the individual in question must have accepted an invitation from the Sovereign to form a Government in their name: however, the sole disputed PM did not recieve this invitation, but was still considered the acting-PM, effective in all but name. Sirch Somerset was the effective second-in-command and acted as PM over the pre-election period in August 2022, but due to IRL technological limitations, never recieved an invitation to the palace. The nature of this position is disputed: BWP hardliners continue to refer to Sirch Somerset as the "19th Prime Minister", bumping the subsequent naming convention up by one.
Currently, Sirch Somerset is the only Disputed PM.
| Portrait | Prime Minister | Term of Office | Mandate | Party | Government | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Duration | ||||||
| |
|
Sirch Somerset The Viscount Halifax MP for Vancouver Centre |
9 August 2022 | 15 August 2022 | 7 days | Appointed | British Workers' | Halifax Caretaker |
Statistics
Longest single tenures as Prime Minister
| Prime Minister | Tenure |
| Victor NewtonII | 231 days |
| Oliver Newman | 140 days |
| James Sherwood-SomersetI | 133 days |
| Thomas CarewI | 119 days |
| Colfax County | 113 days |
| Kalara Sherwood-Somerset | 111 days |
| Fabian Hardie | 109 days |
| William Somerset | 106 days |
| Angus Somerset | 99 days |
| Corneliu Flint | 70 days |
| Victor HanoverIII | 66 days |
| Victor SomersetIV | 66 days |
| Sirch Sherwood-Somerset | 65 days |
| Elio Somerset | 65 days |
| Elizabeth Howard-Campbell | 65 days |
| Harold Macmillan | 62 days |
| Matthew SomersetI | 62 days |
| James ForsyteIV | 62 days |
| August LleytonI | 61 days |
| Cameron RomefellerII | 56 days |
| Cameron RomefellerIII | 56 days |
| Joshua Sherwood | 54 days |
| Matthew SomersetII | 50 days |
| William SomersetII | 47 days |
| Thomas CarewII | 43 days |
| James Stephenson | 36 days |
| Cameron HanoverI | 36 days |
| Josephine Carew-Grey | 33 days |
| August Carew-GreyII | 33 days |
| Charles SomersetI | 32 days |
| Thomas CarewIII | 32 days |
| Charles WrightIII | 32 days |
| Josephine CarewII | 28 days |
| James ForsyteIII | 26 days |
| Matthew SomersetIII | 23 days |
| Philip Ross | 17 days |
| Victor NewtonI | 15 days |
| James ForsyteII | 14 days |
| Charles WrightII | 5 days |
Longest overall time as Prime Minister (cumulative tenures)
| Prime Minister | Tenure |
| Victor Somerset4 | 378 days |
| James Forsyte4 | 235 days |
| Thomas Carew3 | 194 days |
| William Somerset2 | 153 days |
| Cameron Romefeller3 | 148 days |
| Oliver Newman | 140 days |
| Matthew Somerset3 | 135 days |
| Colfax County | 113 days |
| Kalara Sherwood-Somerset | 111 days |
| Fabian Hardie | 109 days |
| Angus Somerset | 99 days |
| August Carew2 | 93 days |
| Corneliu Flint | 70 days |
| Charles Wright3 | 69 days |
| Sirch Sherwood-Somerset | 65 days |
| Elio Somerset | 65 days |
| Elizabeth Howard-Campbell | 65 days |
| Harold Macmillan | 62 days |
| Josephine Carew2 | 61 days |
| Joshua Sherwood | 54 days |
| James Stephenson | 36 days |
| Philip Ross | 17 days |
Other Records and Statistics
| Description | Holder(s) |
| Most tenures as Prime Minister | Victor Somerset (4) James Forsyte (4) Thomas Carew (4) |
| Longest single tenure of an elected Prime Minister | James Forsyte (133 days) |
| Every Sovereign's longest serving Prime Minister (cumulative) | Queen Victoria II - Victor Somerset (246 days) King William V - Victor Somerset (132 days) Queen Elizabeth III - Matthew Somerset (62 days) King Edward IX - William Somerset (102 days) King Charles III - Thomas Carew (189 days) King George VII - James Forsyte (62 days) |
| Most Elections won (Prime Minister)[14] | James Forsyte (4) Thomas Carew (4) |
| Most Summons to the Palace[15] | Thomas Carew (6) |
| Most Elections won (Party) | British Workers' Party (8) |
| Prime Minister who represented the most parties while in office | James Forsyte (4: Liberal Democrats, British Workers' Party, Unionist Party, Commonwealth Non-Aligned Alliance) |
| Prime Minister who represented two parties during a single tenure | Thomas Carew (Heron, Unionist) |
| Party with the most Prime Ministers | British Workers' Party (7) |
| Most consecutive tenures of the same party in 10 Downing Street | British Workers' Party (5 Prime Ministers across 4 Sessions of Parliament) Unionist Party (5 Prime Ministers across 4 Sessions of Parliament) |
| Most consecutive elections won (Prime Minister) | Angus Somerset (2) James Forsyte (2) Kalara Sherwood-Somerset (2) William Somerset (2) Thomas Carew (2) |
| Most consecutive elections won (Party) | British Workers' Party (4) Heron Party (4) Unionist Party (4) |
| Longest tenure in Downing Street by party | British Workers' Party (262 days) |
| Only elected "acclaimed" Prime Minister | Victor Somerset (February 2022) August Carew-Grey (September 2023, October 2024) |
| Prime Ministers who have held all Great Offices of State | Victor Somerset James Forsyte Elizabeth Howard-Campbell William Somerset Josephine Carew |
| Only Prime Minister to have had multiple appointed terms. | Charles Wright (July 2022, November 2024, March 2025) |
| Most Monarchs in service to | Cameron Romefeller (3: King William V, Queen Elizabeth III, King Edward IX) Matthew Somerset (3: Queen Elizabeth III, King Edward IX, King Charles III) William Somerset (3: King Edward IX, King Charles III, King George VII) Charles Wright (3: King William V, King Charles III, King George VII) James Forsyte (3: King William V, King Charles III, King George VII) |
| Most seperate tenures as PM in a calendar year | Thomas Carew (3, 2024) |
| Most seperate tenures as PM in service to a single Monarch | Thomas Carew (3, King Charles III) |
Notes
- ↑ The Governance Act 2025, 1 Geo. 7 c. 20 s. 7(1), Organic Acts of Parliament, 31 March 2025
- ↑ The Governance Act 2025, 1 Geo. 7 c. 20 s. 7(2), Organic Acts of Parliament, 31 March 2025
- ↑ Prime Minister's Questions Act 2023, s. 3.01a , Standard Acts of Parliament, 9 July 2023
- ↑ Prime Minister's Questions Act 2023, s. 3.01, Standard Acts of Parliament, 9 July 2023
- ↑ The Governance Act 2025, 1 Geo. 7 c. 20 sch. 1 s. 6(1), Organic Acts of Parliament, 31 March 2025
- ↑ The Governance Act 2025, 1 Geo. 7 c. 20 s. 8(2), Organic Acts of Parliament, 31 March 2025
- ↑ The Governance Act 2025, 1 Geo. 7 c. 20 s. 9, Organic Acts of Parliament, 31 March 2025
- ↑ Order-in-Council 097, s. 7.6, Orders-in-Council, 31 December 2024
- ↑ Order-in-Council 097, s. 9.2, Orders-in-Council, 31 December 2024
- ↑ The July Budget Act 2025, 1 Geo. 7 c. # sch. 1 s. 1(1a), Standard Acts of Parliament, 16 July 2025
- ↑ The July Budget Act 2025, 1 Geo. 7 c. # sch. 1 s. 1(2f), Standard Acts of Parliament, 16 July 2025
- ↑ The July Budget Act 2025, 1 Geo. 7 c. # sch. 1 s. 1(1b), Standard Acts of Parliament, 16 July 2025
- ↑ Chequers Act 2024, Standard Acts of Parliament, 12 May 2024
- ↑ Won refers to an election in which the individual named became Prime Minister by securing the confidence of the House of Commons either by parliamentary majority or post-hoc agreements.
- ↑ This only refers to Summons to the palace to be appointed as Prime Minister, discounting Summons' and audiences for general discussion with the Sovereign or his appointed representative.