Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury


The Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury is a junior ministerial position in the British Government. However, the office is now attached to the Treasury in name only. The holder is usually the Chief Whip of the House of Commons. The office can be seen as a sinecure, allowing the Chief Whip to draw a government salary, attend Cabinet, and use a Downing Street residence.
The incumbent as of July 2019 is Mark Spencer MP.

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, 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 the '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.

Parliamentary Secretaries to the Treasury, 1830–present

19th century