The secretary of state for Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Scotland Office. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The Scottish secretary represent Scottish interests within the British Government, as well as advocating for British Government policies in Scotland. He is additionally responsible for partnership between the British and Scottish Governments, as well as relations between Westminster and Holyrood.
Much of the Scottish secretary's responsibility transferred to the office of the first minister of Scotland upon the establishment of a new Scottish Executive, since renamed the Scottish Government, and a new devolved Scottish Parliament in 1999, following the Scotland Act 1998.
The office holder works alongside the other Scotland Office ministers. The Scottish secretary is supported by his deputy, the parliamentary under-secretary of state for Scotland. The incumbent is Douglas Alexander, following his appointment by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in September 2025. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for Scotland.
Contents
Overview
History of office
The post was first created after the Acts of Union 1707 united England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain. It was abolished in 1746, following the Jacobite rising of 1745. Scottish affairs thereafter were managed by the lord advocate until 1827, when responsibility passed to the Home Office. In 1885 the post of secretary for Scotland was re-created, with the incumbent usually a member of the Cabinet. In 1926 this post was upgraded to a full secretary of state appointment by the Secretaries of State Act 1926.
After the 1999 Scottish devolution, the powers of the Scottish Office were divided, with most transferred to the Scottish Government or to other British government departments, leaving only a limited role for the Scotland Office. From June 2003 to October 2008, the holder of the office of secretary of state for Scotland also held another Cabinet post concurrently, leading to claims that the Scottish role was seen as a part-time ministry.
Functions
With the advent of legislative devolution for Scotland in 1999, the role of Scottish secretary was diminished. Most of the functions vested in the office since administrative devolution in the 19th century were transferred to the newly established Scottish ministers upon the opening of the Scottish Parliament, or to other British government ministers. Many went to the first minister of Scotland as the head of the Scottish Government. Donald Dewar served as the first first minister of Scotland between 1999 and 2000, having previously served as the Scottish secretary between 1997 and 1999.
However, the Scottish secretary does represent Scotland in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom on matters that are not devolved to the Scottish Parliament, and also holds Scotland Questions on the first Wednesday of every month between 11:30 am and 12 noon, when any member of Parliament can ask a question on any matter relating to Scotland. However, devolved issues are not usually raised by MPs, as these are decided solely by Scottish Government policy, and influenced, discussed and voted on by members of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. Moreover, the Scottish secretary cannot introduce any bill or legislation in the British Parliament relating to a devolved matter, under the convention that the British Government will not introduce legislation on devolved areas without the agreement of the Scottish Parliament. The secretary of state is also the group leader of the Scottish MPs from the government party.
The Scottish secretary mainly acts as a go-between for the British and Scottish governments and parliaments. However, due to the secretary's position as a minister in the British government, the convention of Cabinet collective responsibility applies, and as such the post is usually viewed as being a partisan one to promote the UK government's decision-making in Scotland, as adherence to the convention precludes doing anything else.
With the rise of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in both the Scottish Parliament and the British Parliament and the resultant interest in Scottish Independence, the secretary of state's role has also subsequently increased in prominence. The Scotland Office itself has received a cumulative increase in budget of 20% from 2013 to 2017, with a 14.4% increase in 2015/16 alone.
The UK government's website lists the secretary of state for Scotland's responsibilities as being:
List of Scottish secretaries
Secretaries of state for Scotland (1707–1746)
John Erskine, Earl of Mar had served as Secretary of State of the independent Scotland from 1705. Following the Acts of Union 1707, he remained in office.
The post of secretary of state for Scotland existed after the Union of the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England in 1707 till the Jacobite rising of 1745. After the rising, responsibility for Scotland lay primarily with the office of the home secretary, usually exercised by the lord advocate.
Office thereafter vacant.
Secretaries for Scotland (1885–1926)
The secretary for Scotland was chief minister in charge of the Scottish Office in the United Kingdom government. The Scottish Office was created with the post of secretary for Scotland by the Secretary for Scotland Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict. c. 61). From 1892 the secretary for Scotland sat in cabinet. The post was upgraded to full secretary of state rank as the secretary of state for Scotland in 1926.
From 1885 to 1999, secretaries for Scotland and secretaries of state for Scotland also ex officio held the post of Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland. From 1999, the position of keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland has been held by the first minister of Scotland.