The minister for the Cabinet Office is a position in the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom, responsible for the work and policies of the Cabinet Office.
The role has often been held concurrently with that of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (as is the case currently), making the holder the second highest ranking minister in the Cabinet Office, after the Prime Minister, and a full Cabinet member. At other times, when the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is held by a separate official (such as between 2022–2026), the Minister for the Cabinet Office is subordinate to them, ranking third in the Cabinet Office and attending Cabinet but not as a full member.
From the second May ministry until mid-2019 when the first Johnson ministry came to power, it functioned as an alternative title to Deputy Prime Minister or First Secretary of State. This practice ended when Dominic Raab was appointed as First Secretary of State on 24 July 2019, by Boris Johnson.
The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow minister for the Cabinet Office.
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Function and status
The Cabinet Office has a primary responsibility to support the work of the Prime Minister and ensure the effective running of government. Within this set-up, the Minister for the Cabinet Office has been seen to have varying responsibilities and stature in the government. The role is a flexible one and has variously been described as one or several of the following under different office-holders (and sometimes conflicting accounts of the status of the same office holder):
Monitoring the co-ordination of the work of government departments
Chairing or sitting on several Cabinet Committees
An additional title to indicate special responsibility
An additional title to indicate seniority
The government describes the minister for the Cabinet Office as being "in overall charge of and responsible for the policy and work of the department, and attends Cabinet".
Damian Green held the office in 2017, simultaneously with the office of First Secretary of State. Green chaired numerous Cabinet Committees and filled in for the Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions. By virtue of his responsibilities and as First Secretary of State, he was considered the de facto Deputy Prime Minister. Upon the appointment of David Lidington in 2018, Lidington retained the responsibilities Green had held, but the title of First Secretary of State remained vacant (as did the office of Deputy Prime Minister) until 2019.
As a result, the office between 2017–2019 absorbed the responsibilities of a de facto Deputy Prime Minister, without either of the associated titles usually granted to individuals in the British Government (First Secretary of State or Deputy Prime Minister). In 2019, new Prime Minister Boris Johnson ended this arrangement with the appointment of a new First Secretary of State, Dominic Raab, before upgrading his title again to Deputy Prime Minister in 2021.
Current minister and responsibilities
Louise Haigh has served as the Minister for the Cabinet Office since the 20th of July 2026. She also serves as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and First Secretary of State alongside her position.
The most recent responsibilities are:
Oversight of all Cabinet Office policy and appointments
Oversight of transition period activity and the United Kingdom's future relations with the EU
Devolution issues and Strengthening the Union
Leading cross-government and public sector transformation and efficiency
Oversight of cross-government work on veterans' issues
Oversight of Cabinet Office responsibilities on National Security and resilience, and the Civil Contingencies Secretariat, including COVID-19
Supporting the coordination of the cross-government and the devolution aspects of the response to COVID-19
Ministers for the Cabinet Office
Every occupant of the position has simultaneously held one or more sinecure offices, either as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Paymaster General, or First Secretary of State. The incumbent Louise Haigh holds both the role of First Secretary of State and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Ministers of State at the Cabinet Office
Minister of State for the Cabinet Office
1997: Derek Foster
1997–1999: Peter Kilfoyle
1998–2001: The Lord Falconer of Thoroton
1999–2001: Ian McCartney
2001: The Baroness Morgan of Huyton
2001–2002: Barbara Roche
2002–2003: Douglas Alexander
2004–2005: David Miliband
Minister Assisting the Deputy Prime Minister
2012–2015: David Laws
Minister of State in the Cabinet Office
2020–2022: The Lord True
2021–2022: Alok Sharma (President for COP26)
2021: The Lord Frost (Minister of State for EU Relations)
2022–2024: The Baroness Neville-Rolfe
2024: Steve Baker (with responsibility for Windsor Framework implementation)
2025–2026: Dan Jarvis
2026: Angela Eagle
2026–present: Dan Jarvis
Minister of State at the Cabinet Office