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List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom by length of tenure

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This is a list of prime ministers of the United Kingdom by length of tenure. This is based on the difference between dates; if counted by the number of calendar days, the figures would be one day greater for each term served.

The term prime minister appeared in the early eighteenth century as an unofficial title for the leader of the government, usually the head of the Treasury.[1] Jonathan Swift, for example, wrote that in 1713 there had been "those who are now commonly called Prime Minister among us", referring to Sidney Godolphin and Robert Harley, Queen Anne's lord treasurers and chief ministers.[2] Robert Walpole is regarded as the first prime minister; he became First Lord of the Treasury of Great Britain in 1721. This list includes all prime ministers of the Kingdom of Great Britain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the modern-day United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Notable lengths

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A painting of Walpole in formal attire and a powdered wig
20 years and 314 days: Robert Walpole (1721–1742)
Longest term and longest total tenure
William Ewart Gladstone
12 years and 126 days: William Ewart Gladstone (1868–1874, 1880–1885, 1886, and 1892–1894)
Most non-consecutive terms
Portrait of Margaret Thatcher
11 years and 208 days: Margaret Thatcher (1979–1990)[3]
Longest-serving prime minister in the 20th century
Portrait of Liz Truss
49 days: Liz Truss (2022)[4]
Shortest-serving prime minister

Of the 57 past prime ministers, nine served more than 10 years while eight served less than a year.[5] Robert Walpole is the only person to have served as prime minister for more than two decades. Liz Truss is the shortest-serving prime minister, resigning after seven weeks.[4][6][7] The previous shortest time served was George Canning, who served for less than four months before dying in office.[8] Margaret Thatcher, in office for 11 years and 208 days between 1979 and 1990, is the longest-serving prime minister in modern history,[3] and the longest-serving prime minister officially referred to as such.[9][10] William Gladstone is the only person to have served four separate terms.

List of office holders by tenure

[edit]
Rank Prime Minister Party Start End Tenure length (term) Tenure length (total) Reason for exit Ref.
1 Robert Walpole Sir Robert Walpole Whig 3 April 1721 11 February 1742 20 years, 315 days Resigned [5]
2 William Pitt the Younger William Pitt the Younger Tory (Pittite) 19 December 1783 14 March 1801 17 years, 86 days 18 years, 345 days Resigned
10 May 1804 23 January 1806 1 year, 259 days Died
3 Robert Jenkinson The Earl of Liverpool Tory (Pittite) 8 June 1812 9 April 1827 14 years, 306 days Resigned due to illness [11]
4 photograph The Marquess of Salisbury Conservative 23 June 1885 28 January 1886 220 days 13 years, 255 days Resigned
25 July 1886 11 August 1892 6 years, 18 days Defeated in election
25 June 1895 11 July 1902 7 years, 17 days Resigned due to illness
5 photograph William Ewart Gladstone Liberal 3 December 1868 17 February 1874 5 years, 77 days 12 years, 130 days Defeated in election
23 April 1880 9 June 1885 5 years, 48 days Defeated in election
1 February 1886 20 July 1886 170 days Resigned
15 August 1892 2 March 1894 1 year, 200 days Resigned
6 Frederick North, Lord North Lord North Tory (Northite) 28 January 1770 27 March 1782 12 years, 59 days Resigned
7 photograph Margaret Thatcher Conservative 4 May 1979 28 November 1990 11 years, 209 days Resigned
8 Henry Pelham Henry Pelham Whig 27 August 1743 6 March 1754 10 years, 192 days Died
9 photograph Tony Blair Labour 2 May 1997 27 June 2007 10 years, 57 days Resigned
10 photograph The Viscount Palmerston Whig 6 February 1855 19 February 1858 3 years, 14 days 9 years, 143 days Resigned [5]
Liberal 12 June 1859 18 October 1865 6 years, 129 days Died
11 photograph H. H. Asquith Liberal 8 April 1908 5 December 1916 8 years, 243 days Resigned [11]
12 photograph Sir Winston Churchill Conservative 10 May 1940 26 July 1945 5 years, 78 days 8 years, 240 days Defeated in election [5]
26 October 1951 5 April 1955 3 years, 162 days Resigned due to illness
13 photograph Harold Wilson Labour 16 October 1964 19 June 1970 5 years, 247 days 7 years, 280 days Defeated in election [11]
4 March 1974 5 April 1976 2 years, 33 days Resigned
14 Thomas Pelham-Holles The Duke of Newcastle Whig 16 March 1754 11 November 1756 2 years, 241 days 7 years, 207 days Dismissed [5]
29 June 1757 26 May 1762 4 years, 332 days Dismissed
15 photograph Stanley Baldwin Conservative 22 May 1923 22 January 1924 246 days 7 years, 85 days Lack of majority after election
4 November 1924 4 June 1929 4 years, 213 days Defeated in election
7 June 1935 28 May 1937 1 year, 356 days Resigned
16 photograph Benjamin Disraeli Conservative 27 February 1868 1 December 1868 279 days 6 years, 341 days Election
20 February 1874 21 April 1880 6 years, 62 days Election
17 photograph Ramsay MacDonald Labour 22 January 1924 4 November 1924 288 days 6 years, 291 days Defeated in election
Labour / National Labour 5 June 1929 7 June 1935 6 years, 3 days Resigned due to illness
18 photograph Harold Macmillan Conservative 10 January 1957 18 October 1963 6 years, 282 days Resigned due to illness [11]
19 William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne The Viscount Melbourne Whig 16 July 1834 14 November 1834 122 days 6 years, 257 days Dismissed [5]
18 April 1835 30 August 1841 6 years, 135 days Defeated in election
20 photograph John Major Conservative 28 November 1990 2 May 1997 6 years, 156 days Defeated in election
21 photograph Lord John Russell Whig 30 June 1846 21 February 1852 5 years, 237 days 6 years, 112 days Defeated in election
Liberal 29 October 1865 26 June 1866 241 days Resigned
22 photograph Clement Attlee Labour 26 July 1945 26 October 1951 6 years, 93 days Defeated in election [11]
23 photograph David Cameron Conservative 11 May 2010 13 July 2016 6 years, 64 days Resigned
24 photograph David Lloyd George Liberal 6 December 1916 19 October 1922 5 years, 318 days Resigned [5]
25 Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel Conservative 10 December 1834 8 April 1835 120 days 5 years, 57 days Defeated in election [11]
30 August 1841 29 June 1846 4 years, 304 days Resigned
26 engraving The Earl of Derby Conservative 23 February 1852 17 December 1852 299 days 3 years, 283 days No confidence vote
20 February 1858 11 June 1859 1 year, 112 days No confidence vote
28 June 1866 25 February 1868 1 year, 243 days Resigned due to illness
27 photograph Edward Heath Conservative 19 June 1970 4 March 1974 3 years, 259 days Defeated in election
28 Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey The Earl Grey Whig 22 November 1830 9 July 1834 3 years, 230 days Resigned [5]
29 photograph Arthur Balfour Conservative 12 July 1902 4 December 1905 3 years, 146 days Resigned
30 William Cavendish-Bentinck The Duke of Portland Whig 2 April 1783 18 December 1783 261 days 3 years, 83 days Lost a vote in the Lords [11]
Tory (Pittite) 31 March 1807 4 October 1809 2 years, 188 days Resigned due to illness
31 Henry Addington Henry Addington Tory (Pittite) 17 March 1801 10 May 1804 3 years, 55 days Replaced
32 photograph Boris Johnson Conservative 24 July 2019 6 September 2022 3 years, 45 days Resigned
33 photograph James Callaghan Labour 5 April 1976 4 May 1979 3 years, 30 days Defeated in election [5]
34 photograph Theresa May Conservative 13 July 2016 24 July 2019 3 years, 12 days Resigned [11]
35 photograph Neville Chamberlain Conservative 28 May 1937 10 May 1940 2 years, 357 days Resigned [5]
36 Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington The Duke of Wellington Tory 22 January 1828 16 November 1830 2 years, 299 days 2 years, 322 days Replaced
17 November 1834 9 December 1834 23 days Caretaker
37 photograph Gordon Brown Labour 27 June 2007 11 May 2010 2 years, 319 days Defeated in election
38 Spencer Perceval Spencer Perceval Tory (Pittite) 4 October 1809 11 May 1812 2 years, 221 days Assassinated
39 photograph Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman Liberal 5 December 1905 3 April 1908 2 years, 121 days Resigned due to illness
40 George Grenville George Grenville Whig (Grenvillite) 16 April 1763 10 July 1765 2 years, 86 days Replaced [11]
41 William Pitt the Elder The Earl of Chatham Whig (Chathamite) 30 July 1766 14 October 1768 2 years, 77 days Resigned due to illness
42 engraving The Earl of Aberdeen Peelite 19 December 1852 30 January 1855 2 years, 43 days Resigned [5]
43 photograph Sir Anthony Eden Conservative 6 April 1955 9 January 1957 1 year, 279 days Resigned due to illness [11]
44 photograph Rishi Sunak Conservative 25 October 2022 5 July 2024 1 year, 255 days Defeated in election
45 Spencer Compton The Earl of Wilmington Whig 16 February 1742 2 July 1743 1 year, 137 days Died
46 Charles Watson-Wentworth The Marquess of Rockingham Whig (Rockinghamite) 13 July 1765 30 July 1766 1 year, 18 days 1 year, 115 days Resigned [5]
27 March 1782 1 July 1782 97 days Died
47 photograph The Earl of Rosebery Liberal 5 March 1894 22 June 1895 1 year, 110 days Election [11]
48 Augustus FitzRoy The Duke of Grafton Whig (Chathamite) 14 October 1768 28 January 1770 1 year, 107 days Resigned [5]
49 William Grenville The Lord Grenville Whig 11 February 1806 25 March 1807 1 year, 43 days Replaced [11]
50 photograph Sir Alec Douglas-Home Conservative (Scot. Unionist) 18 October 1963 16 October 1964 365 days Defeated in election
51 John Stuart The Earl of Bute Tory 26 May 1762 8 April 1763 318 days Resigned [5]
52 William Petty The Earl of Shelburne Whig (Chathamite) 4 July 1782 26 March 1783 266 days Replaced [11]
53 William Cavendish The Duke of Devonshire Whig 16 November 1756 29 June 1757 226 days Replaced [5]
54 photograph Andrew Bonar Law Conservative (Scot. Unionist) 23 October 1922 20 May 1923 210 days Resigned due to illness
55 photograph Sir Keir Starmer Labour 5 July 2024 Incumbent 143 days[a] Incumbent [11]
56 F. J. Robinson The Viscount Goderich Tory (Canningite) 31 August 1827 8 January 1828 131 days Replaced
57 George Canning George Canning Tory (Canningite) 12 April 1827 8 August 1827 119 days Died [11]
58 photograph Liz Truss Conservative 6 September 2022 25 October 2022 49 days Resigned [4][11]

Disputed

[edit]
Prime Minister Party Start End Tenure length Reason for exit
James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave The Earl Waldegrave Whig 8 June 1757 12 June 1757 5 days Unsupported
William Pulteney The Earl of Bath Whig 10 February 1746 12 February 1746 3 days Unsupported

Notes

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  1. ^ As of 25 November 2024

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Dodd, A. H. (1956). The Growth of Responsible Government from James the First to Victoria. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. p. 50.
  2. ^ Marriott, J. A. R. (1925). English Political Institutions. Oxford University Press, Oxford. p. 87.
  3. ^ a b "Baroness Margaret Thatcher: Conservative 1979 to 1990". GOV.UK. Crown. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Liz Truss doubles down on disastrous 'growth' plan in farewell speech". The Independent. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Past Prime Ministers". gov.uk. Government of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008.
  6. ^ Marx, Willem (20 October 2022). "British Prime Minister Liz Truss resigns after weeks of criticism and turmoil". NPR. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  7. ^ Landler, Mark; Castle, Stephen (20 October 2022). "Here is the latest on the political turmoil in Britain". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  8. ^ Fortescue, Ali (20 October 2022). "The divided Tories won't find it easy choosing a new PM". Sky News. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  9. ^ Mackay, Robert (28 December 1987). "Thatcher longest serving British prime minister". United Press International. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  10. ^ Marriott, John (1923). English Political Institutions: An Introductory Study (2nd ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 83. OL 17361473W.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "British Prime Ministers | University of Oxford". www.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
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