Lord of the Treasury

In the United Kingdom, there are at least six Lords of the Treasury who serve concurrently. Traditionally, this board (serving as a commission for the Lord High Treasurer) consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the Treasury, and four or more junior lords (to whom this title is usually applied).

Strictly they are commissioners for exercising the office of Lord High Treasurer. This office has continually been in commission since the resignation in 1714 of Charles, Duke of Shrewsbury, who was appointed to the office by Queen Anne on her deathbed. [Stuart Handley, ‘Talbot, Charles, duke of Shrewsbury (1660–1718)’, "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", (Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008) [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/26922] , accessed 19 Aug 2008. ]

Until the 19th century, this commission made most of the economic decisions of Great Britain (England, before the Act of Union 1707). However, starting during the 1800s, these positions became sinecure positions, with the First Lord serving almost invariably as Prime Minister, the Second Lord invariably as Chancellor of the Exchequer (the exchequer being the modern treasury of the United Kingdom), and the junior lords serving as assistant whips in Parliament.

Currently, there are seven lords of the treasury:

"(As of July 18, 2007.)"

*Prime Minister and First Lord — The Rt Hon. Gordon Brown MP
*Chancellor of the Exchequer and Second Lord — The Rt Hon. Alistair Darling MP
*Junior Lords — Alan Campbell MP, Stephen McCabe MP, Frank Roy MP, Claire Ward MP, Dave Watts MP

ee also

*Secretary to the Treasury
*HM Treasury
*List of British ministries
*List of Lord Treasurers includes a list of former Lords Commissioners of the Treasury until 1714.
*List of Lords Commissioners of the Treasury since 1714

References

* [http://20.1911encyclopedia.org/T/TR/TREASURY.htm 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica] .
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=16739 'Treasurers and Commissioners of the Treasury 1660—1870', "Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 1: Treasury Officials 1660-1870" (1972), pp. 16-25] .