Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security

The Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security, formerly Minister of State for Trade Policy and Minister of State for Trade, is a mid-level role at the Department for Business and Trade in the Government of the United Kingdom. It is currently held by Douglas Alexander, who took the office on 6 July 2024. From 2016 to February 2023, the role was based in the Department for International Trade.

History

Although a Minister of State position, it was considered to be one of the most important jobs outside Cabinet rank as when Douglas Alexander became Minister of State for Trade in September 2004, he was given a special provision to attend the Cabinet meetings.

The subsequent role of Minister of State for Investment was created in 2021.

The minister formerly worked at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Department for International Trade.

List of ministers

Minister			Entered office	Left office	Political party	Prime Minister
Minister of State for Trade
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Derick Heathcoat-Amory cropped.png	Derick Heathcoat-Amory	3 September 1953	18 October 1954	Conservative	rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	Winston Churchill
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	Derek Walker-Smith	18 October 1954	6 April 1955	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Derick Heathcoat-Amory cropped.png	Derick Heathcoat-Amory	6 April 1955	16 January 1957	Conservative	style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	Anthony Eden
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	Derek Walker-Smith	16 January 1957	17 September 1957	Conservative	rowspan=6 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	Harold Macmillan
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	John Vaughan-Morgan	17 September 1957	22 October 1959	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Frederick Erroll, 1st Baron Erroll of Hale.jpg	Frederick Erroll	22 October 1959	9 October 1961	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	Keith Joseph	9 October 1961	16 July 1962	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	Alan Green	16 July 1962	23 October 1963	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	The Lord Derwent	6 September 1962	23 October 1963	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	The Lord Drumalbyn	23 October 1963	16 October 1964	Conservative	rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	Alec Douglas-Home
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	Edward du Cann	23 October 1963	16 October 1964	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	George Darling	20 October 1964	6 April 1968	Labour	rowspan=8 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	Harold Wilson
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	Edward Redhead	20 October 1964	11 October 1965	Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	Roy Mason	20 October 1964	7 January 1967	Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	The Lord Brown	11 October 1965	19 June 1970	Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	Joseph Mallalieu	7 January 1967	1 July 1968	Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Dell, Edmund cropped, Bestanddeelnr 930-1791.jpg	Edmund Dell	6 April 1968	13 October 1969	Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank crop 2.jpg	William Rodgers	1 July 1968	13 October 1969	Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Goronwy Roberts.jpg	Goronwy Roberts	13 October 1969	19 June 1970	Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	Frederick Corfield	24 June 1970	15 October 1970	Conservative	rowspan=3 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	Edward Heath
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	Michael Noble	15 October 1970	5 November 1972	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Geoffrey Howe (1985).jpg	Geoffrey HoweTemplate:Efn	5 November 1972	4 March 1974	Conservative
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	Eric Deakins	4 March 1974	5 April 1976	Labour	rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	Harold Wilson
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Stanley Clinton-Davis (1985).jpg	Stanley Clinton-Davis	4 March 1974	4 May 1979	Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Michael Meacher official portrait.jpg	Michael Meacher	5 April 1976	4 May 1979	Labour	style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	James Callaghan
Minister of State for Trade
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	Cecil Parkinson	7 May 1979	14 September 1981	Conservative	rowspan=5 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	Margaret Thatcher
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	Peter Rees	14 September 1981	9 June 1983	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	Paul Channon	9 June 1983	24 January 1986	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Alan Clark 1993.jpg	Alan Clark	24 January 1986	25 July 1989	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Lord Trefgarne 2020 crop 2.jpg	The Lord Trefgarne	25 July 1989	23 July 1990	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	Tim Sainsbury	23 July 1990	14 April 1992	Conservative	rowspan=3 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	John Major
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Richard Needham, 1989 (cropped).jpg	Richard Needham	14 April 1992	6 July 1995	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	Anthony Nelson	6 July 1995	2 May 1997	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Stanley Clinton-Davis (1985).jpg	The Lord Clinton-Davis	2 May 1997	28 July 1998	Labour	rowspan=8 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	Tony Blair
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Blank.svg	Brian Wilson	28 July 1998	28 July 1999	Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Richard Caborn.jpg	Richard Caborn	28 July 1999	11 June 2001	Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean crop 2.jpg	The Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean	11 June 2001	13 June 2003	Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Mike O'Brien 2.jpg	Mike O'Brien	13 June 2003	9 September 2004	Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Douglas Alexander at the India Economic Summit 2008.jpg	Douglas Alexander	9 September 2004	11 May 2005	Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Ianperason.jpg	Ian Pearson	11 May 2005	8 May 2006	Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Minister of State for Trade, UK, Mr. Ian McCartney, in New Delhi on November 27, 2006 (cropped).jpg	Ian McCartneyTemplate:Efn	8 May 2006	28 June 2007	Labour
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Lord Jones 2.jpg	The Lord Jones of Birmingham	29 June 2007	3 October 2008	IndependentTemplate:Efn	rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	Gordon Brown
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Gareth Thomas crop 2.jpg	Gareth ThomasTemplate:Efn	3 October 2008	5 June 2009	Labour
Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Business
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Davies lord Mervyn.jpg	The Lord Davies of Abersoch	14 January 2009	11 May 2010	Labour	style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	Gordon Brown
Minister of State for Business and Enterprise
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Mr Mark Prisk crop 2.jpg	Mark PriskTemplate:Efn	11 May 2010	11 January 2011	Conservative		David Cameron
Minister of State for Trade and Investment
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint crop 2.jpg	The Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint	11 January 2011	11 December 2013	Conservative		David Cameron
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Lord Livingston of Parkhead crop 2.jpg	The Lord Livingston of Parkhead	11 December 2013	11 May 2015	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Lord Maude of Horsham crop 2, 2024.jpg	The Lord Maude of Horsham	11 May 2015	10 February 2016	Conservative	style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	David Cameron
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Lordprice.jpg	The Lord PriceTemplate:Efn	4 April 2016	3 September 2017	Conservative	style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	Theresa May
Minister of State for Trade
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Baroness Fairhead crop 2, 2021.jpg	The Baroness Fairhead	28 September 2017	7 May 2019	Conservative	style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	Theresa May
Minister of State for Trade Policy
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Greg Hands crop 2.jpg	Greg Hands	15 July 2016	21 June 2018	Conservative	rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	Theresa May
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of George Hollingbery crop 2.jpg	George Hollingbery	21 June 2018	25 July 2019	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Conor Burns crop 2.jpg	Conor Burns	25 July 2019	4 May 2020	Conservative	rowspan=3 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	Boris Johnson
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Greg Hands crop 2.jpg	Greg Hands	13 February 2020	15 September 2021	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt.jpg	Penny Mordaunt	16 September 2021	6 September 2022	Conservative
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Conor Burns MP crop 2.jpg	Conor Burns	7 September 2022	7 October 2022	Conservative	rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	Liz Truss
rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Greg Hands crop 2.jpg	Greg Hands	9 October 2022	7 February 2023	Conservative
rowspan=3 style="background-color:Template:Party color" |						Rishi Sunak
		Vacant	7 February 2023	13 November 2023
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Greg Hands crop 2.jpg	Greg Hands	13 November 2023	5 July 2024	Conservative
Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security
style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	File:Official portrait of Douglas Alexander MP crop 2, 2024.jpg	Douglas Alexander	6 July 2024	Present	Labour	style="background-color:Template:Party color" |	Keir Starmer

Minister of State for Investment

Minister of State			Entered office	Left office	Political party	Prime Minister
rowspan=3 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	File:Lord Grimstone (cropped).jpg	The Lord Grimstone of Boscobel	18 March 2020	7 July 2022	Conservative	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Boris Johnson
File:Dominic R.A. Johnson.jpg	The Lord Johnson of Lainston	2 October 2022	28 October 2022	Conservative	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Liz Truss
		24 November 2022	5 July 2024	Conservative	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Rishi Sunak
rowspan=3 style="background-color: Template:Party color" |		Poppy Gustafsson	10 October 2024	Incumbent	Labour	style="background-color: Template:Party color" |	Keir Starmer

External links

• Official UKTI website
• Gov.uk Minister of State for Trade and Investment