Secretary of State for Defence
| Secretary of State for Defence | |
|---|---|
Flag of the Secretary of State for Defence | |
| Ministry of Defence | |
| Style |
|
| Type | Minister of the Crown |
| Status | Secretary of state |
| Abbreviation | SoSDef |
| Member of |
|
| Reports to | The Prime Minister |
| Seat | Westminster |
| Nominator | The Prime Minister |
| Appointer | The Crown on advice of the Prime Minister |
| Term length | At His Majesty's pleasure |
| Constituting instrument | Defence (Transfer of Functions) Act 1964 section 1(a) |
| Precursor | Minister of Defence |
| Formation | 1 April 1964 |
| First holder | Peter Thorneycroft |
| Unofficial names | Defence Secretary |
| Deputy | Minister for Defence Procurement (since 2020) Minister of State for the Armed Forces (before 2020) |
| Salary | £154,089 per annum (2022)[1] (including £86,584 MP salary)[2] |
| Website | www |
The secretary of state for defence (defence secretary) is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Ministry of Defence.[3] As a senior minister, the incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.
The current secretary of state for defence is John Healey who was appointed on 5 July 2024 by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.[4]
References
- ↑ "Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.
- ↑ "Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ↑ "Secretary of State for Defence". gov.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
- ↑ "John Healey: Who is the new Defence Secretary and how has he voted on military matters?". Forces Network. Retrieved 5 July 2024.