The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland is a junior ministerial post (of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State rank) in the Government of the United Kingdom, supporting the Secretary of State for Scotland. The post is also known as Deputy Secretary of State for Scotland.

Quick Facts United Kingdom, Appointer ...
United Kingdom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
since 9 July 2024
Scotland Office
AppointerThe Monarch
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Inaugural holderJohn Pratt
Formation8 August 1919
WebsiteScotland Office
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History

The post was first established as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health for Scotland in 1919, before becoming the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland in 1926. Additional Parliamentary Under-Secretary posts were added in 1940 and 1951, and a Minister of State post was established in 1951. In 1969–70, one of the Under-Secretary posts was replaced by an additional Minister of State. From 1974 to 1979, there were two Ministers of State and three Under-Secretaries, reverting to one Minister of State in 1979. In 1997, the second Minister of State post was reinstated, and a fourth Under-Secretary post was briefly added from August 1998.

Following devolution in 1999, the number of ministers was reduced. There are currently two Under-Secretaries to support the Secretary of State, and there is no Minister of State.

List of office holders

Under-Secretary for Health for Scotland (1919–1926)

Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (1926–)

More information Name, Portrait ...
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
Name Portrait Party Term start Term end Prime Minister
Walter Elliott

MP for Glasgow Kelvingrove

Thumb Unionist Party 26 July 1926 7 June 1929
Thomas Johnston

MP for Dundee

Thumb Labour Party 7 June 1929 25 March 1931
Joseph Westwood

MP for Stirling and Falkirk

25 March 1931 August 1931
Noel Skelton

MP for Combined Scottish Universities

Unionist Party 3 September 1931 22 November 1935

(Died in office)

John Colville

MP for Midlothian and Peebles Northern

Thumb 28 November 1935 29 October 1936
Henry Scrymgeour-Wedderburn

MP for West Renfrewshire

Thumb 29 October 1936 6 September 1939
Captain Sir John McEwen

MP for Berwick and Haddington

6 September 1939 17 May 1940
Joseph Westwood

MP for Stirling and Falkirk

Labour Party 17 May 1940 23 May 1945
Captain Henry Scrymgeour-Wedderburn

MP for West Renfrewshire

Thumb Unionist Party 8 February 1941 4 March 1942
Allan Chapman

MP for Rutherglen

4 March 1942 26 July 1945
Thomas Galbraith

MP for Glasgow Pollok

26 May 1945
George Buchanan

MP for Glasgow Gorbals

Thumb Labour Party 4 August 1945 7 October 1947
Tom Fraser

MP for Hamilton

26 October 1951
John Robertson

MP for Berwick

7 October 1947
Margaret Herbison

MP for North Lanarkshire

2 March 1950
Thomas Galbraith

MP for Glasgow Pollok

Unionist Party 2 November 1951 5 April 1955
Sir William McNair Snadden

MP for Kinross and Western Perthshire

3 June 1955
Sir James Henderson Stewart

MP for East Fife

Thumb Liberal National 4 February 1952 9 January 1957 Harold Macmillan
Jack Nixon Browne

MP for Glasgow Craigton

Scottish Conservative Party 7 April 1955 9 January 1957
Niall Macpherson

MP for Dumfriesshire

Liberal National 13 June 1955 9 January 1957
Jack Nixon Browne

MP for Glasgow Craigton

Conservative Party 18 January 1957 22 October 1959
Major Lord John Hope

MP for Edinburgh Pentlands

Unionist Party
Niall Macpherson

MP for Dumfriesshire

Liberal National 19 January 1957 28 October 1960
Thomas Galbraith
1st Baron Strathclyde
Unionist Party 22 October 1959 8 November 1962
Gilmour Leburn

MP for Kinross and West Perthshire

Conservative Party 15 August 1963
Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Brooman-White

MP for Rutherglen

28 October 1960 12 December 1963
The Lady Tweedsmuir

MP for Aberdeen South

Unionist Party 3 December 1962 16 October 1964
Anthony Stodart

MP for Edinburgh West

Conservative Party 19 August 1963 Sir Alec Douglas-Home
Gordon Campbell

MP for Moray and Nairn

12 December 1963
Dickson Mabon

MP for Greenock

Labour and Co-operative Party 20 October 1964 7 January 1967 Harold Wilson
William Hughes
Baron Hughes
Labour Party 21 October 1964 13 October 1969
Bruce Millan

MP for Glasgow Craigton

Thumb 6 April 1966 19 June 1970
Norman Buchan

MP for West Renfrewshire

7 January 1967
Alick Buchanan-Smith

MP for North Angus and Mearns

Conservative Party 24 June 1970 4 March 1974 Edward Heath
George Younger

MP for Ayr

Thumb 8 January 1974
Sir Teddy Taylor

MP for Glasgow Cathcart

Thumb 28 July 1971
Hector Monro

MP for Dumfries

28 July 1971 4 March 1974
Sir Teddy Taylor

MP for Glasgow Cathcart

Thumb 8 January 1974
Robert Hughes

MP for Aberdeen North

Thumb Labour Party 11 March 1974 22 July 1975 Harold Wilson
Hugh Brown

MP for Glasgow Provan

28 June 1974 4 May 1979
Harry Ewing

MP for Stirling, Falkirk and Grangemouth

18 October 1974
Frank McElhone

MP for Glasgow Queen's Park

12 September 1975
James Callaghan
Alex Fletcher

MP for Edinburgh North

Conservative Party 7 May 1979 14 June 1983 Margaret Thatcher
Russell Fairgrieve

MP for Aberdeenshire West

15 September 1981
Sir Malcolm Rifkind

MP for Edinburgh Pentlands

Thumb 6 April 1982
Allan Stewart

MP for East Renfrewshire (until 1983)
MP for Eastwood (1983–1997)

15 September 1981 10 September 1986
John MacKay

MP for Argyll (until 1983)
MP for Argyll and Bute (1983–1987)

6 April 1982 14 June 1987
Michael Ancram

MP for Edinburgh South

Thumb 13 June 1983 14 June 1987
Ian Lang

MP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale

Thumb 10 September 1986 13 June 1987
James Douglas-Hamilton

MP for Edinburgh West

Thumb 13 June 1987 6 July 1995
Michael Forsyth

MP for Stirling

Thumb 7 September 1990
Thomas Galbraith
2nd Baron Strathclyde
Thumb 7 September 1990 14 April 1992
Allan Stewart

MP for Eastwood

28 November 1990 8 February 1995 John Major
Hector Monro

MP for Dumfries

14 April 1992 6 July 1995
George Kynoch

MP for Kincardine and Deeside

8 February 1995 2 May 1997
James Lindsay-Bethune
16th Earl of Lindsay
Thumb 6 July 1995 2 May 1997
Raymond Robertson

MP for Aberdeen South

Sam Galbraith

MP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden

Labour Party 6 May 1997 29 July 1999 Tony Blair
John Sewel
Baron Sewel
Malcolm Chisholm

MP for Edinburgh North and Leith

Thumb 10 December 1997
Calum MacDonald

MP for Western Isles

11 December 1997 29 July 1999
Gus Macdonald
Baron Macdonald of Tradeston
Thumb 3 August 1998
Vacant 29 July 1999 29 May 2002
Anne McGuire

MP for Stirling

Thumb Labour Party 29 May 2002 11 May 2005
David Cairns

MP for Inverclyde

Thumb 11 May 2005 28 June 2007
Ann McKechin

MP for Glasgow North

Thumb 16 September 2008 11 May 2010 Gordon Brown
David Mundell

MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale

Thumb Conservative Party 14 May 2010 11 May 2015 David Cameron
Andrew Dunlop
Baron Dunlop
Thumb 14 May 2015 10 June 2017
Ian Duncan
Baron Duncan of Springbank
Thumb 15 June 2017 27 July 2019 Theresa May
Robin Walker

MP for Worcester

Thumb 27 July 2019 16 December 2019 Boris Johnson
Colin Clark

MP for Gordon

Thumb
Douglas Ross

MP for Moray

Thumb 16 December 2019 26 May 2020
David Duguid

MP for Banff and Buchan

Thumb 2 June 2020 16 September 2021
Iain Stewart

MP for Milton Keynes South

Thumb 8 September 2022
David Duguid

MP for Banff and Buchan

Thumb 20 September 2022 27 October 2022 Liz Truss
Malcolm Offord
Baron Offord of Garvel
[1][2][3]
Thumb 4 October 2021 9 February 2024 Liz Truss
Rishi Sunak
John Lamont

MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk

Thumb 27 October 2022 5 July 2024
Donald Cameron
Baron Cameron of Lochiel
Thumb 9 February 2024 5 July 2024
Kirsty McNeill
MP for Midlothian
Thumb Labour Party 9 July 2024 Incumbent Sir Keir Starmer
Close

Minister of State for Scotland (1951–2008)

See also

References

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