Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury is the official title of the most senior whip of the governing party in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Today, any official links between the Treasury and this office are nominal and the title of the office can be seen as a sinecure that allows the incumbent to draw a Government salary, attend Cabinet, and use a Downing Street residence, traditionally 12 Downing Street.
The position is currently held by Anneliese Midgley since 20 July 2026.
Contents
History
The position of Secretary to the Treasury was created in 1660. Until 1711, there was only one Secretary to the Treasury; however, in that year, a second position was created to help deal with the increasing workload. This new position was known as the junior secretary to the Treasury, and the existing post as the senior secretary to the Treasury. Initially, when the position of Senior Secretary to the Treasury became vacant (except as the result of an election causing a change of government), the junior secretary was usually automatically promoted to the senior role. Over time, however, the roles of the Senior and Junior Secretaries began to diverge, the Senior Secretary post being used as a sinecure post for the chief whip, with no formal responsibilities to the Treasury. The junior secretary post remained a substantive position working in the Treasury. As such, the senior secretary became known as the parliamentary secretary to the Treasury while the junior secretary became known as Financial Secretary to the Treasury, and the 'automatic' promotion from Junior to Senior ceased. While the exact date on which this change occurred is disputed, it is agreed that the distinction was complete by 1830. In the mid-nineteenth century, the parliamentary secretary to the Treasury was referred to as the patronage secretary to the Treasury.
Parliamentary secretaries to the Treasury, 1830–present
19th century
Edward Ellice 1830–1832
Charles Wood 1832–1834
Sir George Clerk, 6th Baronet 1834–1835
Edward Stanley 1835–1841
Denis Le Marchant 1841
Sir Thomas Fremantle, 1st Baronet 1841–1844
John Young 1844–1846
Henry Tufnell 1846–1850
William Goodenough Hayter 1850–1852
William Forbes Mackenzie 1852
William Goodenough Hayter 1853–1858
Sir William Jolliffe, 1st Baronet 1858–1859
Henry Brand 1859–1866
Thomas Edward Taylor 1866–1868
Gerard Noel 1868
George Glyn 1868–1873
Arthur Wellesley Peel 1873–1874
Sir William Hart Dyke, 7th Baronet 1874–1880
Lord Richard Grosvenor 1880–1885
Aretas Akers-Douglas 1885–1886
Arnold Morley 1886
Aretas Akers-Douglas 1886–1892
Edward Marjoribanks 1892–1894
20th century
Sir Alexander Acland-Hood, 4th Baronet 1902–1905
George Whiteley 1905–1908
Jack Pease 1908–1910
Alexander Murray, Master of Elibank 1910–1912
Percy Holden Illingworth 1912–1915
John William Gulland 1915
Lord Edmund Talbot 1915–1916 (Conservative, jointly)
John William Gulland 1915–1916 (Liberal, jointly)
Lord Edmund Talbot 1916–1921 (Conservative, jointly)
Neil Primrose 1916–1917 (Liberal, jointly)
Frederick Guest 1917–1921 (Liberal, jointly)
Leslie Orme Wilson 1921–1922 (Conservative, jointly)
Charles McCurdy 1921–1922 (Liberal, jointly)
Leslie Orme Wilson 1922–1923
Bolton Eyres-Monsell 1923–1924
Ben Spoor 1924
Bolton Eyres-Monsell 1924–1929
Tom Kennedy 1929–1931
David Margesson 1931–1940
Sir Charles Edwards 1940–1942 (Labour, jointly)
James Gray Stuart 1941–1945 (Conservative, jointly)
21st century
Colour key (for political parties):
Conservative Labour