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Parliamentary private secretary

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This article is about a UK government office. For similar positions in other countries, see Parliamentary secretary.
Not to be confused with Principal Private Secretary.
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A parliamentary private secretary (PPS) is a member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom who acts as an unpaid assistant to a government minister or a shadow minister. They are selected from backbench MPs as the "eyes and ears" of the minister in the House of Commons.[1]

PPSs are junior to parliamentary under-secretaries of state, a ministerial post salaried by one or more departments.

Duties and powers of a PPS

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Although not paid other than their salary as an MP,[2] PPSs help the government track backbench opinion in Parliament. They are subject to some restrictions, as outlined in the Ministerial Code of the British government, but are not members of the Government.[3][1]

A PPS can sit on select committees but must avoid "associating themselves with recommendations critical of, or embarrassing to the Government", and must not make statements or ask questions on matters affecting the minister's department.[4] In particular, the PPS in the Department for Communities and Local Government may not participate in planning decisions or in the consideration of planning cases.[5][6]

PPSs are not members of the government, and all efforts are made to avoid these positions being referred to as such. They are instead considered more simply as normal Members. However, their close confidence with ministers does impose obligations on every PPS. The guidelines surrounding the divulging of classified information by ministers to PPSs are rigid.[7]

Ministers choose their own PPSs, but they are expected to consult the Chief Whip and must seek the written approval for each candidate from the prime minister.[8]

Although not on the government payroll, PPSs are expected to act as part of the payroll vote, voting in line with the government on every division.[9][10]

When on official Departmental business, a PPS receives travel and subsistence allowance paid out of government funds, as with formal members of the government. This makes the PPS the only type of unpaid advisor who receives reimbursement in the course of duty.[11]

Overseas travel for PPSs must be approved by the Prime Minister and is granted only in exceptional cases.[11]

The role in the career of MPs

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The role of PPS is seen as a starting point for many MPs who aspire to become ministers themselves.[12] According to Philip W. Buck, a professor of political science at Stanford University:

Nine-tenths of the M.P.s who first won seats in the House of Commons in 1918 or thereafter, and who held some ministerial office in the years from 1918 to 1955, began their progress towards posts in a ministry or a Cabinet by serving as parliamentary secretaries or as junior ministers... Recruitment to the front bench clearly begins with these two offices.[13]

After the leaking of party details in emails associated with Desmond Swayne, PPS to David Cameron, a writer of the Thirsk and Malton Labour Party Constituency Blog commented:

A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is a thankless job. Despite having risen to the rank of MP, those with Governmental ambitions will need to pay their dues once more – as a bag carrier. Admittedly, PPS is a bit more than that – you are supposed to be the eyes and ears, reporting back to your boss all the gossip, what people are saying about your work in the bars and cafes of Westminster.[14]

Current Parliamentary Private Secretaries

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The following is a list of Parliamentary Private Secretaries in the UK, since the swearing in of the Starmer ministry on 5 July 2024. The Leader of the Opposition usually has at least one Parliamentary Private Secretary as well.[15]

Parliamentary Private Secretaries
Office or ministerial team Incumbent Parliamentary Private Secretary
Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Union and Minister for the Civil Service Keir Starmer Liz Twist
Chirs Ward
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner Navendu Mishra
Harpreet Uppal
HM Treasury
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves Alistair Strathern
Imogen Walker
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy Alan Gemmell
Jessica Toale
Home Office
Secretary of State for the Home Department Yvette Cooper Jade Botterill
Louise Jones
Ministry of Defence
Secretary of State for Defence John Healey Pamela Nash
Rachel Hopkins
Ministry of Justice
Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood Sally Jameson
Department for Health and Social Care
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting Zubir Ahmed
Ashley Dalton
Cabinet Office
Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden Torsten Bell
Satvir Kaur
Department for Energy Security & Net Zero
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband Katie White
Department for Business and Trade
Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade Jonathan Reynolds Preet Kaur Gill
Department for Work and Pensions
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall Olivia Bailey
Department for Education
Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson Alan Strickland
Emma Foody
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed Kanishka Narayan
Department for Transport
Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh Liam Conlon
Northern Ireland Office
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hillary Benn Matt Rodda
Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray Melanie Ward
Office of the Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens Becky Gittins
Office of the Leader of the House of Lords
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal Baroness Smith of Basildon [Vacant]
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy Kim Leadbeater
Office of the Leader of the House of Commons
Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council Lucy Powell Sarah Coombes
Attorney General's Office
Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland Richard Hermer KC, Baron Hermer Karl Turner

Johnson ministry (2022)

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The following is a list of Parliamentary Private Secretaries under the Second Johnson ministry as of April 2022.[16]

Parliamentary Private Secretaries
Office or ministerial team Incumbent Parliamentary Private Secretary
Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Union and Minister for the Civil Service[See also 1] Boris Johnson Alexander Stafford
Ministry of Justice
Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Dominic Raab Mike Wood
Julie Marson
Ministerial team [Vacant]
HM Treasury
Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi [Vacant]
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke [Vacant]
Ministerial team [Vacant]
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and Minister for Women and Equalities Liz Truss John Lamont
Ministerial team Laura Farris
Dean Russell
Home Office
Secretary of State for the Home Department Priti Patel Gagan Mohindra
Home Office ministerial team Matt Vickers
Luke Evans
Ministry of Defence
Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace Suzanne Webb
Ministerial team [Vacant]
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations Greg Clark [Vacant]
Ministerial team [Vacant]
[Vacant]
Department for Health and Social Care
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Steve Barclay [Vacant]
Ministerial team [Vacant]
[Vacant]
Cabinet Office
Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay Jane Hunt
Ministerial team[See also 2] Ian Levy
COP26 President and Minister of State Alok Sharma Katherine Fletcher
Minister without Portfolio (Co-chair of the Conservative Party) [Vacant] [Vacant]
Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency Jacob Rees-Mogg Gareth Bacon
Minister without Portfolio and Minister of State Nigel Adams Brendan Clarke-Smith
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kwasi Kwarteng [Vacant]
Ministerial team Felicity Buchan
Department for International Trade
Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan [Vacant]
Ministerial team [Vacant]
Department for Work and Pensions
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Thérèse Coffey Flick Drummond
Ministerial team Andy Carter
Department for Education
Secretary of State for Education James Cleverly [Vacant]
Ministerial team [Vacant]
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs George Eustice [Vacant]
Ministerial team Mark Jenkinson
[Vacant]
Department for Transport
Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps [Vacant]
Ministerial team [Vacant][17]
Northern Ireland Office
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Shailesh Vara [Vacant][18]
Ministerial team [Vacant]
Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack [Vacant]
Office of the Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Wales Robert Buckland [Vacant][19]
Office of the Leader of the House of Lords
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Chris Clarkson
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Nadine Dorries Paul Bristow
Ministerial team Simon Baynes
Richard Holden
Office of the Leader of the House of Commons
Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council Mark Spencer [vacant]
Attorney General's Office
Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland Suella Braverman Alberto Costa
  1. ^ See Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister.
  2. ^ See Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Cabinet Office.

Johnson ministry (2021)

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Post or ministerial team Parliamentary Private Secretary
Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Minister for the Union Rt Hon. Boris Johnson MP Alex Burghart MP
Trudy Harrison MP
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office Rt Hon. Stephen Barclay MP Kevin Hollinrake MP
Cabinet Office ministerial team Jane Hunt MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rt Hon. Rishi Sunak MP James Cartlidge MP
HM Treasury ministerial team Claire Coutinho MP
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rt Hon. Steve Barclay MP Craig Williams MP
Secretary of State for the Home Department Rt Hon. Priti Patel MP Mike Wood MP
Home Office ministerial team Andrew Lewer MP
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and First Secretary of State Rt. Hon. Liz Truss MP Bim Afolami MP
Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministerial team Joy Morrisey MP
Secretary of State for Defence Rt Hon. Ben Wallace MP Jack Brereton MP
Ministry of Defence ministerial team Natalie Elphicke MP
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Rt Hon. Robert Buckland QC MP Chris Clarkson MP
Ministry of Justice ministerial team Julie Marson MP
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Rt Hon. Sajid Javid MP Steve Double MP
Department of Health and Social Care ministerial team Virginia Crosbie MP
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Rt Hon. Alok Sharma MP Ben Bradley MP
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ministerial team Jo Gideon MP
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Rt Hon. Robert Jenrick MP Andrea Jenkyns MP
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ministerial team Jacob Young MP
Ending rough sleeping, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Adam Holloway MP
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Rt Hon. Oliver Dowden MP John Lamont MP
Secretary of State for International Trade, President of the Board of Trade and Minister for Women and Equalities Rt Hon. Liz Truss MP David Duguid MP
Secretary of State for Education Rt Hon. Gavin Williamson MP Scott Mann MP
Department for Education ministerial team Angela Richardson MP
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Rt Hon. George Eustice MP Caroline Ansell MP
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ministerial team Fay Jones MP
Secretary of State for Transport Rt Hon. Grant Shapps MP Robert Courts MP
Department for Transport ministerial team Laura Trott MP
Secretary of State for International Development Rt Hon. Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP Flick Drummond MP
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Rt Hon. Thérèse Coffey MP Bim Afolami MP
Secretary of State for Scotland Rt Hon. Alister Jack MP Ruth Edwards MP
Secretary of State for Wales Rt Hon. Simon Hart MP Sarah Atherton MP
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Rt Hon. Brandon Lewis MP Sarah Dines MP
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons Rt Hon. Jacob Rees-Mogg MP Lucy Allan MP
Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal Rt Hon. Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Chris Green MP
Attorney General Rt Hon. Suella Braverman QC MP Alberto Costa MP
Minister without Portfolio and Conservative Party Chairman Rt Hon. Amanda Milling MP Damien Moore MP
The Leader of the Opposition Rt Hon. Sir Keir Starmer KCB QC MP Sharon Hodgson MP[20]

Notable Parliamentary Private Secretaries to the Prime Minister

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Main article: Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister

While giving the holder a close-up view of the workings of government at the highest levels, relatively few Parliamentary Private Secretaries to the Prime Minister seem to have gone on to serve at the highest level of government themselves, although Sir Alec Douglas-Home served as Prime Minister in 1963–4, while Anthony Barber was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1970 to 1974, Robert Carr, Home Secretary, 1972–4, and Christopher Soames, Peter Shore, and Gavin Williamson, the future Secretary of State for Education, all went on to be senior Cabinet ministers.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Maer, Lucinda (4 September 2017). "Parliamentary Private Secretaries". House of Commons Library: 4.
  2. ^ "Parliamentary Private Secretary". Explore Parliament. 2007-03-28. Archived from the original on 2007-06-26.
  3. ^ "Ministerial Code" (PDF). gov.uk. December 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  4. ^ The Ministerial Code §3.10.
  5. ^ Ministerial Code §3.12.
  6. ^ "Guidance on propriety issues in handling planning casework in Communities and Local Government". Communities and Local Government. 2007-03-28. Archived from the original on 2007-02-05.
  7. ^ The Ministerial Code §3.8.
  8. ^ The Ministerial Code §3.6.
  9. ^ The Ministerial Code §3.9.
  10. ^ Brazier, Rodney (2020-09-07). "Rodney Brazier: Why is Her Majesty's Government so big?". UK Constitutional Law Association. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  11. ^ a b The Ministerial Code §3.11.
  12. ^ "Parliamentary Private Secretaries (PPSs)". bbc online. 2007-03-28.
  13. ^ Buck, Philip W. (1963). "The Early Start toward Cabinet Office, 1918–55". The Western Political Quarterly. 16 (3): 624–632. doi:10.2307/444766. JSTOR 444766.
  14. ^ "Monday, July 10, 2006". Thirsk and Malton Constituency Labour Party Blog. 2007-03-28.[dead link]
  15. ^ "Parliamentary Private Secretary - Who are they and what do they do?". politics.co.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  16. ^ "Parliamentary Private Secretaries - April 2022" (PDF). Government of the United Kingdom. April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  17. ^ "Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid resign as Boris Johnson apologises for Chris Pincher 'mistake' – UK politics live". the Guardian. 2022-07-05. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  18. ^ "Crisis for Boris Johnson as Sunak and Javid lead wave of resignations from government". Sky News. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  19. ^ "Boris Johnson: Virginia Crosbie quits and calls for PM to resign". BBC News. 2022-07-06. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  20. ^ "Keir Starmer appoints northern MP to build bridges with backbenchers". the Guardian. 2021-05-14. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
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