Secretary to the Treasury
In the United Kingdom, there are several secretaries to the Treasury, who are Treasury ministers nominally acting as secretaries to HM Treasury. The origins of the office are unclear, although it probably originated during Lord Burghley's tenure as Lord Treasurer in the 16th century. The number of secretaries was expanded to two by 1714 at the latest. The Treasury ministers together discharge all the former functions of the Lord Treasurer, which are nowadays nominally vested in the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury. Of the commissioners, only the Second Lord of the Treasury, who is also the chancellor of the Exchequer, is a Treasury minister.
The chancellor is the senior Treasury minister, followed by the chief secretary, who also attends Cabinet and has particular responsibilities for public expenditure. In order of seniority, the junior Treasury ministers are: the financial secretary, the economic secretary, the exchequer secretary, and the commercial secretary.
One of the present-day secretaries, the parliamentary secretary to the Treasury, formerly known as the Patronage Secretary, is not a Treasury minister but the government whip in 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.
Current secretaries to the Treasury
Civil Servants
From October 2022, the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury - the head of the departmental civil service - is James Bowler. There are two Second Permanent Secretaries: Catherine Little and Jim O'Neill.Secretaries to the Treasury
1660–1830
- June 1660: Sir Philip Warwick
- May 1667: Sir George Downing, Bt
- October 1671: Sir Robert Howard
- July 1673: Charles Bertie
- March 1679: Henry Guy
- April 1689: William Jephson
- June 1691: Henry Guy
- March 1695: William Lowndes