Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
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The secretary of state for Northern Ireland (Template:Langx; Template:Langx),[1][2] also referred to as Northern Ireland Secretary or SoSNI, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the Northern Ireland Office.[3] The officeholder is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The incumbent secretary of state for Northern Ireland is Hilary Benn.
The officeholder works alongside the other Northern Ireland Office ministers. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland.
History
Historically, the principal ministers for Irish (and subsequently Northern Ireland) affairs in the UK Government and its predecessors were:
- the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (Template:Circa 1171–1922);
- the Chief Secretary for Ireland (1560–1922); and
- the Home Secretary (1922–1972).[4]
In August 1969, for example, Home Secretary James Callaghan approved the sending of British Army soldiers to Northern Ireland.[5] Scotland and Wales were represented by the roles of Secretary of State for Scotland and Secretary of State for Wales from 1885 and 1964 respectively, but Northern Ireland remained separate, owing to the devolved Government of Northern Ireland and Parliament of Northern Ireland.
The office of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland was created after the Northern Ireland government (at Stormont) was first suspended and then abolished following widespread civil strife. The British government was increasingly concerned that Stormont was losing control of the situation. On 30 March 1972, direct rule from Westminster was introduced.[6] The secretary of state filled three roles which existed under the previous Stormont regime:[7]
- the governor of Northern Ireland (the nominal head of the executive and representative of the British monarch)
- the prime minister of Northern Ireland (in the present day, a role filled by the first minister of Northern Ireland and deputy first minister of Northern Ireland acting jointly)
- the minister of home affairs (in the present day, a role filled by the minister of justice).
Direct rule was seen as a temporary measure, with a power-sharing devolution preferred as the solution, and was annually renewed by a vote in Parliament.
The Sunningdale Agreement in 1973 resulted in the brief existence of a power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive from 1 January 1974, which was ended by the loyalist Ulster Workers' Council strike on 28 May 1974. The strikers opposed the power-sharing and all-Ireland aspects of the new administration.
The Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention (1975–1976) and Northern Ireland Assembly (1982–1986) were unsuccessful in restoring devolved government. After the Anglo-Irish Agreement on 15 November 1985, the UK Government and Irish Government co-operated more closely on security and political matters.
Following the Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement) on 10 April 1998, devolution returned to Northern Ireland on 2 December 1999. This removed many of the duties of the secretary of state and his Northern Ireland Office colleagues and devolved them to those locally elected politicians who constitute the Northern Ireland Executive.
Formerly holding a large portfolio over home affairs in Northern Ireland, the current devolution settlement has lessened the secretary of state's role, granting many of the former powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive. The secretary of state is now generally limited to representing Northern Ireland in the UK cabinet, overseeing the operation of the devolved administration and a number of reserved and excepted matters which remain the sole competence of the UK Government e.g. security, human rights, certain public inquiries and the administration of elections.[8]
Created in 1972, the position has switched between members of Parliament from the Conservative Party and Labour Party. As Labour has not fielded candidates in Northern Ireland, and the Conservatives have not had candidates elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly or for House of Commons seats in the region, those appointed as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland have not represented a constituency in Northern Ireland. This contrasts with the secretaries of state for Scotland and Wales.
The secretary of state officially resides in Hillsborough Castle, which was previously the official residence of the governor of Northern Ireland, and remains the royal residence of the monarch in Northern Ireland. The secretary of state exercises their duties through, and is administratively supported by, the Northern Ireland Office (NIO).
The devolved administration was suspended several times (especially between 15 October 2002 and 8 May 2007) because the Ulster Unionist Party and Democratic Unionist Party were uncomfortable being in government with Sinn Féin when the Provisional Irish Republican Army had failed to decommission its arms fully and continued its criminal activities. On each of these occasions, the responsibilities of the ministers in the Executive then returned to the secretary of state and his ministers. During these periods, in addition to administration of the region, the secretary of state was also heavily involved in the negotiations with all parties to restore devolved government.
Power was again devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 8 May 2007. The secretary of state retained responsibility for policing and justice until most of those powers were devolved on 12 April 2010.[9] Robert Hazell has suggested merging the offices of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, for Scotland and for Wales into one secretary of state for the Union,[10] in a department into which Rodney Brazier has suggested adding a minister of state for England with responsibility for English local government.[11]
List of secretaries of state for Northern Ireland
Colour key
Template:Legend2
Template:Legend2
| Secretary of state | Term of office | Party | Prime Minister | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:No image.svg | William Whitelaw MP for Penrith and The BorderScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
24 March 1972 | 2 December 1973 | Conservative | rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | Edward Heath |
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Francis Leslie Pym.jpg | Francis Pym MP for CambridgeshireScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2 December 1973 | 4 March 1974 | Conservative | ||
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Merlyn Rees appearing on After Dark , 16 July 1988 - (cropped).jpg | Merlyn Rees MP for Leeds SouthScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
5 March 1974 | 10 September 1976 | Labour | style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | Harold Wilson |
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:No image.svg | Roy Mason MP for BarnsleyScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
10 September 1976 | 4 May 1979 | Labour | style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | James Callaghan |
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:No image.svg | Humphrey Atkins MP for SpelthorneScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
5 May 1979 | 14 September 1981 | Conservative | rowspan=5 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | Margaret Thatcher |
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:No image.svg | Jim Prior MP for Lowestoft (until 1983) MP for Waveney (from 1983)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
14 September 1981 | 11 September 1984 | Conservative | ||
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Douglas Hurd, November 2007 cropped.jpg | Douglas Hurd MP for WitneyScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
11 September 1984 | 3 September 1985 | Conservative | ||
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Official portrait of Lord King of Bridgwater crop 2.jpg | Tom King MP for BridgwaterScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
3 September 1985 | 24 July 1989 | Conservative | ||
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:No image.svg | Peter Brooke MP for Cities of London and Westminster SouthScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
24 July 1989 | 10 April 1992 | Conservative | ||
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | John Major | ||||||
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:No image.svg | Patrick Mayhew MP for Tunbridge WellsScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
10 April 1992 | 2 May 1997 | Conservative | ||
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Mo Mowlam official portrait 2 (cropped).jpg | Mo Mowlam MP for RedcarScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
3 May 1997 | 11 October 1999 | Labour | rowspan=5 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | Tony Blair |
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Peter Mandelson, December 2004.jpg | Peter Mandelson MP for HartlepoolScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
11 October 1999 | 24 January 2001 | Labour | ||
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Official portrait of Lord Reid of Cardowan, 2020.jpg | John Reid MP for Hamilton North and BellshillScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
25 January 2001 | 24 October 2002 | Labour | ||
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Official portrait of Lord Murphy of Torfaen 2020 crop 2.jpg | Paul Murphy MP for TorfaenScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
24 October 2002 | 6 May 2005 | Labour | ||
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Peter Hain Ministerial portrait (3x4 crop).jpg | Peter Hain MP for NeathScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". (also Welsh Secretary)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
6 May 2005 | 28 June 2007 | Labour | ||
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Shaun Woodward, June 2009 cropped.jpg | Shaun Woodward MP for St Helens SouthScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
28 June 2007 | 11 May 2010 | Labour | style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | Gordon Brown |
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Owen Paterson MP crop 2.jpg | Owen Paterson MP for North ShropshireScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
12 May 2010 | 4 September 2012 | Conservative | rowspan=3 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | David Cameron (Coalition)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Theresa Villiers Official Portrait.jpg | Theresa Villiers MP for Chipping BarnetScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
4 September 2012 | 14 July 2016 | Conservative | ||
| David Cameron (II)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | |||||||
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Official portrait of Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP crop 2.jpg | James Brokenshire MP for Old Bexley and SidcupScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
14 July 2016 | 8 January 2018 | Conservative | rowspan=3 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | Theresa May (I)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| Theresa May (II)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | |||||||
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Official portrait of Karen Bradley crop 2.jpg | Karen Bradley MP for Staffordshire MoorlandsScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
8 January 2018 | 24 July 2019 | Conservative | ||
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Official portrait of Julian Smith crop 2.jpg | Julian Smith MP for Skipton and RiponScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
24 July 2019 | 13 February 2020 | Conservative | rowspan=4 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | Boris Johnson (I)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| Boris Johnson (II)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | |||||||
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP crop 2.jpg | Brandon Lewis MP for Great YarmouthScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
13 February 2020 | 7 July 2022 | Conservative | ||
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Official portrait of Mr Shailesh Vara MP crop 2.jpg | Shailesh Vara MP for North West CambridgeshireScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
7 July 2022 | 6 September 2022 | Conservative | ||
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Official portrait of Chris Heaton-Harris MP crop 2.jpg | Chris Heaton-Harris MP for DaventryScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
6 September 2022 | 5 July 2024 | Conservative | style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | Liz Truss (I)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | Rishi Sunak (I)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | ||||||
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP crop 2.jpg | Hilary Benn MP for Leeds SouthScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
5 July 2024 | Incumbent | Labour | style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | Keir Starmer (I)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
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Timeline
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See also
- First Minister of Northern Ireland
- Great Seal of Northern Ireland
- Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
- Secretary of State (United Kingdom)
- Secretary of State for Scotland
- Secretary of State for Wales
- Chief Secretary for Ireland, office that existed until 1922
- Governor of Northern Ireland, office that existed from 1922 to 1973
Notes
Template:Northern Ireland Office Template:Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland Template:Cabinet positions in the United Kingdom
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