Second Gladstone ministry
After campaigning against the foreign policy of the Beaconsfield ministry, William Gladstone led the Liberal Party to victory in the 1880 general election. The nominal leader of the Party, Lord Hartington, resigned in Gladstone's favour and Gladstone was appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for a second time by Queen Victoria. He pursued a policy of parliamentary reform, but his government became wildly unpopular after the death of General Gordon in 1885. Gladstone was held responsible, and resigned, leaving the way free for the Conservatives under Lord Salisbury to form a government.
Cabinet; April 1880 – June 1885
†Created Earl of Selborne in 1882.Changes
- May 1881: The Lord Carlingford succeeds the Duke of Argyll as Lord Privy Seal.
- April 1882: The Earl Spencer becomes Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, but retains his seat in the cabinet and his position as Lord President.
- May 1882: William Edward Forster resigns as Chief Secretary for Ireland. His successor is not in the cabinet.
- July 1882: The Earl of Kimberley succeeds John Bright as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster remaining also Colonial Secretary.
- December 1882: Hugh Childers succeeds William Ewart Gladstone as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Lord Hartington succeeds Childers as Secretary for War. Kimberley succeeds Hartington as Secretary for India. The Earl of Derby succeeds Kimberley as Colonial Secretary. John George Dodson succeeds Kimberley as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Sir Charles Dilke succeeds Dodson as President of the Local Government Board.
- March 1883: Carlingford succeeds Spencer as Lord President, remaining also Lord Privy Seal. Spencer remains in the Cabinet as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
- October 1884: George Otto Trevelyan succeeds Dodson as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
- March 1885: The Earl of Rosebery succeeds Carlingford as Lord Privy Seal. Carlingford remains Lord President. George John Shaw-Lefevre enters the cabinet as Postmaster-General.
List of Ministers
| Office | Name | Date |
| Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Leader of the House of Commons | William Ewart Gladstone | 23 April 18809 June 1885 |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | William Ewart Gladstone | 28 April 1880 |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Hugh Childers | 16 December 1882 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury | Lord Richard Grosvenor | 28 April 1880 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Lord Frederick Cavendish | 28 April 1880 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Leonard Courtney | 8 May 1882 |
| Financial Secretary to the Treasury | John Tomlinson Hibbert | 12 December 1884 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Sir Arthur Hayter | 5 May 188026 June 1882 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | John Holms | 5 May 188026 June 1882 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Charles Cecil Cotes | 5 May 18809 June 1885 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Herbert Gladstone | 24 August 18819 June 1885 |
| Junior Lords of the Treasury | Robert Duff | 26 June 18829 June 1885 |
| Lord Chancellor | The Lord Selborne | 28 April 1880 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Earl Spencer | 28 April 1880 |
| Lord President of the Council | The Lord Carlingford | 19 March 1883 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Duke of Argyll | 28 April 1880 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Lord Carlingford | 2 May 1881 |
| Lord Privy Seal | The Earl of Rosebery | 5 March 1885 |
| Secretary of State for the Home Department | Sir William Vernon Harcourt | 28 April 1880 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | Arthur Wellesley Peel | 28 April 1880 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | Leonard Courtney | 1 January 1881 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | The Earl of Rosebery | 8 August 1881 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | John Tomlinson Hibbert | 7 June 1883 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department | Henry Fowler | 12 December 1884 |
| Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the House of Lords | The Earl Granville | 28 April 1880 |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Sir Charles Dilke | 28 April 1880 |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Lord Edmond FitzMaurice | 1 January 1883 |
| Secretary of State for War | Hugh Childers | 28 April 1880 |
| Secretary of State for War | Marquess of Hartington | 16 December 1882 |
| Under-Secretary of State for War | The Earl of Morley | 1 May 1880 |
| Financial Secretary to the War Office | Henry Campbell-Bannerman | 28 April 1880 |
| Financial Secretary to the War Office | Sir Arthur Hayter | 13 May 1882 |
| Surveyor-General of the Ordnance | Sir John Miller Adye | 1 June 1880 |
| Surveyor-General of the Ordnance | Henry Robert Brand | 17 January 1882 |
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | The Earl of Kimberley | 28 April 1880 |
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | The Earl of Derby | 16 December 1882 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies | Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff | 29 August 1880 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies | Leonard Courtney | 6 August 1881 |
| Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies | Evelyn Ashley | 12 May 1882 |
| Secretary of State for India | Marquess of Hartington | 28 April 1880 |
| Secretary of State for India | The Earl of Kimberley | 16 December 1882 |
| Under-Secretary of State for India | The Marquess of Lansdowne | 29 April 1880 |
| Under-Secretary of State for India | Viscount Enfield | 1 September 1880 |
| Under-Secretary of State for India | John Kynaston Cross | 16 January 1883 |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | The Earl of Northbrook | 28 April 1880 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty | George Shaw-Lefevre | 28 April 1880 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty | George Trevelyan | 29 November 1880 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty | Henry Campbell-Bannerman | 10 May 1882 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty | Sir Thomas Brassey | 23 October 1884 |
| Civil Lord of the Admiralty | Thomas Brassey | 12 May 1880 |
| Civil Lord of the Admiralty | George Wightwick Rendel | 22 July 1882 |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | William Edward Forster | 30 April 1880 |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | Lord Frederick Cavendish | 6 May 1882 |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | George Trevelyan | 9 May 1882 |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | Henry Campbell-Bannerman | 23 October 1884 |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | The Earl Cowper | 4 May 1880 |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | The Earl Spencer | 4 May 1882 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | John Bright | 28 April 1880 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | The Earl of Kimberley | 25 July 1882 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | John George Dodson | 28 December 1882 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | George Trevelyan | 29 October 1884 |
| President of the Local Government Board | John George Dodson | 3 May 1880 |
| President of the Local Government Board | Sir Charles Dilke | 28 December 1882 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board | John Tomlinson Hibbert | 3 May 1880 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board | George W. E. Russell | 7 June 1883 |
| Postmaster-General | Henry Fawcett | 3 May 1880 |
| Postmaster-General | George Shaw-Lefevre | 7 November 1884 |
| President of the Board of Trade | Joseph Chamberlain | 3 May 1880 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade | Evelyn Ashley | 29 April 1880 |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade | John Holms | 15 May 1882 |
| First Commissioner of Works | William Patrick Adam | 3 May 1880 |
| First Commissioner of Works | George Shaw-Lefevre | 29 November 1881 |
| First Commissioner of Works | The Earl of Rosebery | 13 February 1885 |
| Vice-President of the Committee on Education | A. J. Mundella | 3 May 1880 |
| Paymaster-General | The Lord Wolverton | 24 May 1880 |
| Attorney General | Sir Henry James | 3 May 1880 |
| Solicitor General | Sir Farrer Herschell | 3 May 1880 |
| Judge Advocate General | George Osborne Morgan | 7 May 1880 |
| Lord Advocate | John McLaren | 5 May 1880 |
| Lord Advocate | John Balfour | 19 August 1881 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | John Balfour | 6 May 1880 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | Alexander Asher | 19 August 1881 |
| Attorney General for Ireland | Hugh Law | 10 May 1880 |
| Attorney General for Ireland | William Moore Johnson | 17 November 1881 |
| Attorney General for Ireland | Andrew Marshall Porter | 3 January 1883 |
| Attorney General for Ireland | John Naish | 19 December 1883 |
| Attorney General for Ireland | Samuel Walker | 1885 |
| Solicitor General for Ireland | William Moore Johnson | 24 May 1880 |
| Solicitor General for Ireland | Andrew Marshall Porter | 18 November 1881 |
| Solicitor General for Ireland | John Naish | 9 January 1883 |
| Solicitor General for Ireland | Samuel Walker | 19 December 1883 |
| Solicitor General for Ireland | The Macdermot | 1885 |
| Lord Steward of the Household | The Earl Sydney | 3 May 1880 |
| Lord Chamberlain of the Household | The Earl of Kenmare | 3 May 1880 |
| Vice-Chamberlain of the Household | Lord Charles Bruce | 3 May 1880 |
| Master of the Horse | The Duke of Westminster | 3 May 1880 |
| Treasurer of the Household | The Earl of Breadalbane | 3 May 1880 |
| Comptroller of the Household | The Lord Kensington | 3 May 1880 |
| Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms | The Earl Fife | 3 May 1880 |
| Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms | The Marquess of Huntly | 21 January 1881 |
| Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms | The Lord Carrington | 27 June 1881 |
| Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard | The Lord Monson | 3 May 1880 |
| Master of the Buckhounds | The Earl of Cork | 3 May 1880 |
| Mistress of the Robes | The Duchess of Bedford | 3 May 1880 |
| Mistress of the Robes | The Duchess of Roxburghe | 11 January 1883 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Methuen | 10 May 18809 June 1885 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Earl of Zetland | 10 May 188014 September 1880 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Earl of Listowel | 10 May 188014 September 1880 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Ribblesdale | 10 May 18809 June 1885 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Sudeley | 10 May 18809 June 1885 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Wrottesley | 10 May 18809 June 1885 |
| Lords in Waiting | Viscount Enfield | 20 May 18801 September 1880 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Viscount Torrington | 23 June 185927 April 1884 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Earl of Dalhousie | 14 September 18809 June 1885 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Sandhurst | 14 September 18809 June 1885 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Lord Thurlow | 14 September 18809 June 1885 |
| Lords in Waiting | The Viscount Bridport | 30 June 188418 February 1901 |
| Extra Lord in Waiting | The Lord Sackville | 1 October 18761 October 1888 |
;Notes