Minister of State for Europe

Minister of State for Europe and the Americas
Incumbent
Sir Alan Duncan
since 15 July 2016
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Reports to Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Nominator Secretary of State
Appointer The Prime Minister
approved and sworn in by the Queen-in-Council
Term length No fixed term
Formation 1979
First holder Douglas Hurd

The Minister of State for Europe (colloquially also known as the Minister for Europe or Europe Minister) is an informal title for a ministerial position within the Government of the United Kingdom, in charge of affairs with Europe, the European Union and NATO.[1]

The office is generally, formally one of a number of Ministers of State within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Despite being a junior ministerial role, the position has sometimes conferred the right to attend meetings of the Cabinet, which is occasionally granted to other such Ministers at the Prime Minister's discretion. This first occurred when Denis MacShane was replaced by Douglas Alexander after the 2005 general election, although Alexander's successor ceased to have this right. The Minister of State is also responsible for the British Overseas Territories of Gibraltar and Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus.

When Chris Bryant MP held the office it was not as a Minister of State but a more junior Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State.[2]

The responsibilities of the office were next appointed to a Minister of State in 2010 by then Prime Minister David Cameron. He appointed David Lidington, who held the office for over six years.

As of July 2016, the responsibilities of the Minister for Europe were combined with the portfolio of the traditionally more junior Minister of State for Europe and the Americas.

The now enlarged post of Minister of State for Europe and the Americas is held by Sir Alan Duncan, who is largely regarded as the second most senior-ranking Foreign Office Minister behind the Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, formerly Boris Johnson .[3][4] The Minister is responsible for government policy towards The Americas (including Cuba); Europe; NATO and European security; defence and international security; the Falkland Islands; polar regions; migration; protocol; human resources; OSCE and Council of Europe; relations with Parliament; FCO finance; knowledge and technology

The post is not to be confused with the Minister of State within the Department for Exiting the European Union, the department created by Prime Minister Theresa May following the UK's vote to leave the EU in 2016. They support the work of the department overseeing the UK's exit from the EU rather than overseeing government policy towards all-European affairs.[5][6]

List of Ministers for Europe

Name Portrait Term of office Political party P.M. F.Sec.
Douglas Hurd 4 May 1979 9 June 1983 Conservative Thatcher Carrington
Pym
Malcolm Rifkind 9 June 1983 11 January 1986 Conservative Howe
Lynda Chalker 11 January 1986 24 July 1989 Conservative
Francis Maude 25 July 1989 28 November 1990 Conservative Major
Hurd
Tristan Garel-Jones 28 November 1990 27 May 1993 Conservative Major
David Heathcoat-Amory 27 May 1993 20 July 1994 Conservative
David Davis 20 July 1994 May 1997 Conservative
Rifkind
Doug Henderson 5 May 1997 28 July 1998 Labour Blair Cook
Joyce Quin 28 July 1998 28 July 1999 Labour
Geoff Hoon 28 July 1999 11 October 1999 Labour
Keith Vaz 11 October 1999 11 June 2001 Labour
Peter Hain 11 June 2001 24 October 2002 Labour Straw
Denis MacShane 28 October 2002 11 May 2005 Labour
Douglas Alexander 11 May 2005 8 May 2006 Labour
Geoff Hoon 8 May 2006 27 June 2007 Labour Beckett
Jim Murphy 28 June 2007 3 October 2008 Labour Brown Miliband
Caroline Flint 3 October 2008 5 June 2009 Labour
Glenys Kinnock 5 June 2009 13 October 2009 Labour
Chris Bryant
Undersecretary of State for Europe and Asia		 13 October 2009 12 May 2010 Labour
David Lidington 12 May 2010 14 July 2016 Conservative Cameron Hague
Hammond
Alan Duncan
Minister of State for Europe and the Americas		 15 July 2016 Incumbent Conservative May Johnson

References

  1. ↑ https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state--15
  2. ↑ "The Times & The Sunday Times".
  3. ↑ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/20/boris-johnsons-deputy-alan-duncan-tells-stop-playing-games/
  4. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/oct/03/brexit-vote-was-tantrum-by-british-working-class-says-alan-duncan
  5. ↑ https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state--38
  6. ↑ https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state--54

See also

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