- Conservative Government 1955–1957
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In April 1955 Sir Anthony Eden succeeded Winston Churchill as Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and finally reached the post he had coveted for so long. He retained Rab Butler (with whom he did not get along) as Chancellor of the Exchequer until December 1955, when Eden demoted him to Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons. Eden was succeeded as Foreign Secretary by future Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, who, however, only held this post until December of the same year, when he replaced Butler as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Selwyn Lloyd gained his first cabinet post when he succeeded Macmillan as Minister of Defence in April 1955, and again replaced Macmillan as Foreign Secretary in December of that year. Another future Prime Minister, the Earl of Home, entered the cabinet as Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations in 1955. Gwilym Lloyd George, younger son of former Liberal leader David Lloyd George, remained as Home Secretary.
Eden's decision to take military action over the Suez Crisis of 1956 caused major embarrassment for Britain and their French allies. Eden, then already in declining health, resigned as Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party in January 1957. Harold Macmillan was chosen over Rab Butler to succeeded as party leader and Prime Minister.
Members of the Cabinet are in bold face.
Office Name Dates Notes Prime Minister
and First Lord of the TreasurySir Anthony Eden 6 April 1955 - 9 January 1957 Lord Chancellor The Viscount Kilmuir April 1955 Lord President of the Council
and Leader of the House of LordsThe Marquess of Salisbury April 1955 Lord Privy Seal
and Leader of the House of CommonsHarry Crookshank April 1955 R. A. Butler 20 December 1955 Chancellor of the Exchequer R. A. Butler April 1955 Harold Macmillan 20 December 1955 Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury Patrick Buchan-Hepburn April 1955 Edward Heath 30 December 1955 Financial Secretary to the Treasury Henry Brooke April 1955 Economic Secretary to the Treasury Sir Edward Boyle 7 April 1955 Derek Walker-Smith 11 November 1956 Lords of the Treasury Edward Heath April 1955 - 20 December 1955 Hendrie Oakshott April 1955 - 13 June 1955 Martin Redmayne April 1955 - 9 January 1957 Richard Thompson April 1955 - 8 April 1956 Gerard Wills April 1955 - 9 January 1957 Hon. Peter Legh 13 June 1955 - 9 January 1957 Edward Wakefield 24 January 1956 - 9 January 1957 Harwood Harrison 8 April 1956 - 9 January 1957 Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Harold Macmillan 7 April 1955 Selwyn Lloyd 20 December 1955 Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Marquess of Reading April 1955 - 9 January 1957 Anthony Nutting Allan Noble 9 November 1956 - 9 January 1957 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Robin Turton April 1955 - 20 December 1955 Douglas Dodds-Parker 20 December 1955 - 9 January 1957 Lord John Hope April 1955 - 9 November 1956 Hon. David Ormsby-Gore 9 November 1956 - 9 January 1957 Secretary of State for the Home Department
and Welsh AffairsHon. Gwilym Lloyd-George April 1955 Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department Sir Hugh Lucas-Tooth April 1955 - 20 December 1955 The Lord Mancroft April 1955 - 9 January 1957 First Lord of the Admiralty James Thomas April 1955 Viscount Cilcennin The Viscount Hailsham 2 September 1956 Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty Allan Noble April 1955 Hon. George Ward 20 December 1955 Civil Lord of the Admiralty Simon Wingfield Digby April 1955 Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Derick Heathcoat-Amory April 1955 Combined with Minister of Food Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Richard Nugent April 1955 - 9 January 1957 The Earl St Aldwyn April 1955 - 9 January 1957 Harmar Nicholls 7 April 1955 - 9 January 1957 William Deedes 20 December 1955 - 9 January 1957 Secretary of State for Air The Lord de L'Isle and Dudley April 1955 Nigel Birch 20 December 1955 Under-Secretary of State for Air Hon. George Ward April 1955 Christopher Soames 20 December 1955 Secretary of State for the Colonies Alan Lennox-Boyd April 1955 Minister of State for the Colonies Henry Hopkinson April 1955 John Hare 20 December 1955 John Maclay 18 October 1956 Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies The Lord Lloyd April 1955 Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations The Earl of Home 7 April 1955 Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations Douglas Dodds-Parker April 1955 Allan Noble 20 December 1955 Lord John Hope 9 November 1956 Minister of Defence Selwyn Lloyd 7 April 1955 Sir Walter Monckton 20 December 1955 Anthony Head 18 October 1956 Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence The Lord Carrington April 1955 The Earl of Gosford 26 May 1956 Minister of Education Sir David Eccles April 1955 Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Education Dennis Vosper April 1955 Minister of Food Derick Heathcoat-Amory April 1955 Combined with Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Food Charles Hill April 1955 Minister of Fuel and Power Geoffrey Lloyd April 1955 Aubrey Jones 20 December 1955 Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fuel and Power Hon. Lancelot Joynson-Hicks April 1955 David Lockhart-Mure Renton 20 December 1955 Minister of Health Iain Macleod April 1955 Robin Turton 20 December 1955 Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health Patricia Hornsby-Smith April 1955 Minister of Housing and Local Government Duncan Sandys April 1955 Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Local Government William Deedes April 1955 Enoch Powell 20 December 1955 Minister of Labour and National Service Sir Walter Monckton April 1955 Iain Macleod 20 December 1955 Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour Harold Watkinson April 1955 Robert Carr 20 December 1955 Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster The Lord Woolton April 1955 Office in Cabinet The Earl of Selkirk 20 December 1955 Minister without Portfolio The Earl of Munster April 1955 - 8 January 1957 Paymaster General Earl of Selkirk April 1955 Vacant 20 December 1955 Sir Walter Monckton 18 October 1956 Minister of Pensions Osbert Peake April 1955 John Boyd-Carpenter 20 December 1955 Office not in Cabinet Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Pensions John George Smyth April 1955 - 20 December 1955 Ernest Marples April 1955 - 20 December 1955 Edith Pitt 20 December 1955 - 9 January 1957 Hon. Richard Wood 20 December 1955 - 9 January 1957 Postmaster-General Charles Hill 7 April 1955 Assistant Postmaster-General David Gammans April 1955 Cuthbert Alport 20 December 1955 Secretary of State for Scotland Hon. James Stuart April 1955 Minister of State for Scotland Tom Galbraith 7 April 1955 Lord Strathclyde Under-Secretary of State for Scotland William McNair Snadden April 1955 - 3 June 1955 James Henderson Stewart April 1955 - 9 January 1957 Jack Nixon Browne 7 April 1955 - 9 January 1957 Niall Macpherson 13 June 1955 - 9 January 1957 Minister of Supply Reginald Maudling 7 April 1955 Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Supply Frederick Erroll 7 April 1955 Ian Harvey 11 November 1956 President of the Board of Trade Peter Thorneycroft April 1955 Minister of State for Trade Derick Heathcoat-Amory April 1955 Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade Donald Kaberry 7 April 1955 Derek Walker-Smith 19 October 1955 Frederick Erroll 11 November 1956 Minister of Transport John Boyd-Carpenter April 1955 Harold Watkinson 20 December 1955 Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport John Profumo April 1955 - 9 January 1957 High Molson April 1955 - 9 January 1957 Secretary of State for War Anthony Head April 1955 Hon. John Hare Under-Secretary of State and Financial Secretary for War Fitzroy Maclean April 1955 Minister of Works Nigel Birch April 1955 Patrick Buchan-Hepburn 20 December 1955 Office in Cabinet Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Works Reginald Bevins April 1955 Attorney General Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller April 1955 Solicitor General Sir Harry Hylton-Foster April 1955 Lord Advocate William Rankine Milligan April 1955 Solicitor General for Scotland William Grant April 1955 Treasurer of the Household Cedric Drewe April 1955 Knighted Tam Galbraith 13 June 1955 Comptroller of the Household Tam Galbraith April 1955 Hendrie Oakshott 13 June 1955 Vice-Chamberlain of the Household Henry Studholme April 1955 Richard Thompson 8 April 1956 Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms The Earl Fortescue April 1955 Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard The Earl of Onslow April 1955 Lords in Waiting The Lord Hawke April 1955 - 9 January 1957 The Lord Fairfax of Cameron April 1955 - 9 January 1957 The Lord Chesham April 1955 - 9 January 1957 References
- D. Butler and G. Butler, ed. Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900-2000.
Preceded by
Conservative Government 1951-1955British Government
1955–1957Succeeded by
Conservative Government 1957-1964Categories:- British ministries
- Conservative Party (UK)
- 20th century in the United Kingdom
- 1955 establishments in the United Kingdom
- 1957 disestablishments
- 1950s in the United Kingdom
- Ministries of Elizabeth II
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