Secretary of State for Scotland

Secretary of State for Scotland
Scottish Gaelic: Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba
Scots: Secretar o State fir Scotland
Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government in Scotland
Incumbent
Douglas Alexander
since 5 September 2025
Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland
StyleScottish Secretary
(informal)
The Right Honourable
(within the UK and Commonwealth)
TypeMinister of the Crown
StatusSecretary of State
Member of
Reports toThe Prime Minister
SeatWestminster
NominatorThe Prime Minister
AppointerThe Monarch
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
Formation
  • 1 May 1707
    (as Secretary of State for Scotland)
  • 17 August 1885
    (as Secretary for Scotland)
  • 26 July 1926 :
    (as Secretary of State for Scotland)
DeputyParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
Salary£159,038 per annum (2022)[1]
(including £86,584 MP salary)[2]
WebsiteScotland Office

The Secretary of State for Scotland is the main minister responsible for Scotland in the Government of the United Kingdom. They sit in Cabinet and run the Scotland Office.

List

Secretaries of state for Scotland (1926–)

Secretary of State Term of office Party Ministry
John Gilmour[3]
MP for Glasgow Pollok 		26 July
1926
Template:Inconsistent 		4 June
1929 		Unionist Baldwin II
William Adamson
MP for West Fife 		7 June
1929 		24 August
1931 		Labour MacDonald II
Archibald Sinclair[4]
MP for Caithness and Sutherland 		25 August
1931 		28 September
1932 		Liberal National I
(N.Lab.–Con.–Lib.N.–Lib.)
National II
(N.Lab.–Con.–Lib.N.–Lib.)
Godfrey Collins[5]
MP for Greenock 		28 September
1932 		29 October
1936 		Liberal National
National III
(Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.)
Walter Elliot[6]
MP for Glasgow Kelvingrove 		29 October
1936 		6 May
1938 		Unionist
National IV
(Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.)
John Colville[7]
MP for Midlothian and Peebles Northern 		6 May
1938 		10 May
1940 		Unionist
Chamberlain War
(Con.–N.Lab.–Lib.N.)
Ernest Brown[8]
MP for Leith 		14 May
1940 		8 February
1941 		Liberal National Churchill War
(All parties)
Thomas Johnston[9]
MP for West Stirlingshire 		8 February
1941 		23 May
1945 		Labour
Harry Primrose
6th Earl of Rosebery 		25 May
1945 		26 July
1945 		Liberal National Churchill Caretaker
(Con.–N.Lib.)
Joseph Westwood[10]
MP for Stirling and Falkirk 		3 August
1945 		7 October
1947 		Labour Attlee
(I & II)
Arthur Woodburn[11]
MP for Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire 		7 October
1947 		28 February
1950 		Labour
Hector McNeil[12]
MP for Greenock 		28 February
1950 		26 October
1951 		Labour
James Stuart
MP for Moray and Nairn 		30 October
1951 		13 January
1957 		Unionist Churchill III
Eden
John Maclay[13]
MP for West Renfrewshire 		13 January
1957 		13 July
1962 		Unionist Macmillan
(I & II)
Michael Noble[14]
MP for Argyllshire 		13 July
1962 		16 October
1964 		Unionist
Douglas-Home
Willie Ross[15]
MP for Kilmarnock 		18 October
1964 		19 June
1970 		Labour Wilson
(I & II)
Gordon Campbell
MP for Moray and Nairn 		20 June
1970 		4 March
1974 		Conservative Heath
Willie Ross
MP for Kilmarnock 		5 March
1974 		8 April
1976 		Labour Wilson
(III & IV)
Bruce Millan[16]
MP for Glasgow Craigton 		8 April
1976 		4 May
1979 		Labour Callaghan
George Younger[17]
MP for Ayr 		5 May
1979 		11 January
1986 		Conservative Thatcher I
Thatcher II
Malcolm Rifkind[18]
MP for Edinburgh Pentlands 		11 January
1986 		28 November
1990 		Conservative
Thatcher III
Ian Lang[19]
MP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale 		28 November
1990 		5 July
1995 		Conservative Major I
Major II
Michael Forsyth[20]
MP for Stirling 		5 July
1995 		2 May
1997 		Conservative
Donald Dewar[21]
MP for Glasgow Anniesland 		2 May
1997 		17 May
1999 		Labour Blair I
John Reid[22]
MP for Hamilton North and Bellshill 		17 May
1999 		25 January
2001 		Labour
Helen Liddell[23]
MP for Airdrie and Shotts 		25 January
2001 		13 June
2003 		Labour Blair II
Alistair Darling[24][a]
MP for Edinburgh South West[b]
 13 June
2003 		5 May
2006 		Labour
Blair III
Douglas Alexander[25][a]
MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South 		5 May
2006 		28 June
2007 		Labour
Des Browne[26][c]
MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun 		28 June
2007 		3 October
2008 		Labour Brown
Jim Murphy[27]
MP for East Renfrewshire 		3 October
2008 		11 May
2010 		Labour
Danny Alexander[28]
MP for Inverness, Nairn,
Badenoch and Strathspey 		12 May
2010 		29 May
2010 		Liberal Democrat Cameron–Clegg
(Con.–L.D.)
Michael Moore[29]
MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk 		29 May
2010 		7 October
2013 		Liberal Democrat
Alistair Carmichael[30]
MP for Orkney and Shetland 		7 October
2013 		8 May
2015 		Liberal Democrat
David Mundell[31]
MP for Dumfriesshire,
Clydesdale and Tweeddale 		11 May
2015 		24 July
2019 		Conservative Cameron II
May I
May II
Alister Jack[32]
MP for Dumfries and Galloway 		24 July
2019 		5 July
2024 		Conservative Johnson I
Johnson II
Truss
Sunak
Ian Murray
MP for Edinburgh South 		5 July
2024 		5 September
2025 		Labour Starmer
Douglas Alexander
MP for Lothian East 		5 September
2025 		Incumbent Labour

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Concurrently served as Secretary of State for Transport
  2. ↑ MP for Edinburgh Central until 2005; MP for Edinburgh South West thereafter
  3. ↑ Concurrently served as Secretary of State for Defence

References

  1. ↑ "Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.
  2. ↑ "Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  3. ↑ "Mr John Gilmour". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  4. ↑ "Sir Archibald Sinclair". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  5. ↑ "Mr Godfrey Collins". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  6. ↑ "Mr Walter Elliot". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  7. ↑ "Mr John Colville". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  8. ↑ "Mr Ernest Brown". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  9. ↑ "Mr Thomas Johnston". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  10. ↑ "Mr Joseph Westwood". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  11. ↑ "Mr Arthur Woodburn". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  12. ↑ "Mr Hector McNeill". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  13. ↑ "Hon. John Maclay". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  14. ↑ "Mr Michael Noble". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  15. ↑ "Mr William Ross". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  16. ↑ "Rt Hon Bruce Millan". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  17. ↑ "Rt Hon Sir George Younger". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  18. ↑ "Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind QC". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  19. ↑ "Lord Lang of Monkton". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  20. ↑ "Lord Forsyth of Drumlean". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  21. ↑ "Rt Hon Donald Dewar". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  22. ↑ "Lord Reid of Cardowan". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  23. ↑ "Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  24. ↑ "Lord Darling of Roulanish". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  25. ↑ "Rt Hon Douglas Alexander". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  26. ↑ "Lord Browne of Ladyton". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  27. ↑ "Rt Hon Jim Murphy". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  28. ↑ "Rt Hon Danny Alexander". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  29. ↑ "Rt Hon Michael Moore". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  30. ↑ "Rt Hon Alistair Carmichael MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  31. ↑ "Rt Hon David Mundell MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  32. ↑ "Mr Alistair Jack MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
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