Prime Minister of Great Britain
| Prime Minister of Great Britain | |
|---|---|
 | |
| His Majesty's Government | |
| Style |
|
| Type | Head of Government |
| Member of | |
| Residence | |
| Appointer | The Sovereign |
| Constituting instrument | Executive Act 2024 |
| Formation | 12th of October 2018 |
| First holder | Colfax County |
| Deputy | Deputy Prime Minister First Secretary of State |
| Salary | £15,000 per cycle (July 2024) |
| Website | 10 Downing Street |
The Prime Minister of Great Britain is the Head of Government of the Empire of Great Britain. The Prime Minister advises the Sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern Prime Ministers hold office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the House of Commons, they tend to sit as a Member of Parliament. It is the most senior of the Great Offices of State.
The Office of Prime Minister was not originally established by any statute or constitutional document and existed only by long-established convention, whereby the Sovereign appoints as Prime Minister at their pleasure. However, since the Reign of William V, the office was established by law and the Sovereign appointed the Prime Minister by those procedures. In practice, the office is held by the leader of the political party that holds the majority of seats in the Commons.
The Prime Minister also holds the position of First Lord of the Treasury, as well as a member of various councils and boards to represent the interests of His Majesty's Government. Their official residence and office is 10 Downing Street in London.
The longest-serving Prime Minister per overall terms is Prince Victor, Duke of York, who served for 409 days across four terms. He also holds the record for longest single term, recording 231 days consecutively as Prime Minister. The longest-serving Prime Minister to be elected to the position is James Forsyte, The Duke of Warwick, who served for 133 days. The shortest tenure as Prime Minister is held by Charles Wright, The Baron Huntingdon, who served 5 days as Prime Minister during the Huntingdon Caretaker Premiership. The first female Prime Minister was Serafina Sherwood, 1st Duchess of Manitoba: three further female Prime Ministers have since served: Elizabeth Howard-Campbell, 1st Duchess of Edinburgh, Kathrine Grey, The Countess of Argyll, and Josephine Carew-Grey, The Baroness Wilton.
Thomas Carew, The Viscount Sidmouth has held the office since 6 Decemer 2024.
History
Authority, powers and constraints
Constitutional background
Modern Premiership
Appointment
Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister's Questions
International role
Deputy
Succession
Resignation or Removal
Precedence, privileges and form of address
Prime Ministers of Great Britain
List of Prime Ministers of Great Britain
| Portrait | Prime Minister | Term of Office | Mandate | Party | Government | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Duration | ||||||
| | 
|
Colfax County MP x |
12 October 2018 | 1 February 2019 | 113 days | Appointed | Independent | Colfax County Premiership |
| | 
|
Victor Newton MP x |
1 February 2019 | 15 February 2019 | 15 days | Appointed | Independent | 1st Newton Premiership |
| | 
|
Fabian Hardie MP x |
15 February 2019 | 3 June 2019 | 109 days | Appointed | Independent | Hardie Premiership |
| |
|
Victor Newton MP x |
3 June 2019 | 19 January 2020 | 231 days | Appointed | Independent | 2nd Newton Premiership |
| | 
|
Corneliu Flint MP x |
19 January 2020 | 28 March 2020 | 70 days | Appointed | Independent | Flint Premiership |
| | 
|
Oliver Newman PC MP x |
28 March 2020 | 14 August 2020 | 140 days | Appointed | Centre | Newman Premiership |
| | 
|
Sir James Stephenson MP for Brecon and Radnorshire |
14 August 2020 | 18 September 2020 | 36 days | Appointed | British Workers' | Stephenson Premiership |
| | 
|
Cameron Hanover The Baron Lomond MP for Dublin University UC |
18 September 2020 | 23 October 2020 | 36 days | Sep. 2020 Election | National Progressive Coalition | 1st Lomond Premiership |
| | 
|
Philip Ross MP for Melbourne Ports |
23 October 2020 | 8 November 2020 | 17 days | Appointed | National Progressive Coalition | Ross Premiership |
| |
|
Victor Hanover The Earl of Pembroke MP for York Central |
8 November 2020 | 12 January 2021 | 66 days | Nov. 2020 Election | BWP-Ind Coalition | Pembroke Premiership |
| | 
|
Sir Harold Macmillan MP for Bromley |
12 January 2021 | 14 March 2021 | 62 days | Jan. 2021 Election | Conservative | Macmillan Premiership |
| | 
|
Sir Angus Somerset MP for Sevenoaks |
14 March 2021 | 20 June 2021 | 99 days | Mar. 2021 Election Apr. 2021 Election |
British Workers' | A. Somerset Premiership |
| | 
|
James Sherwood-Somerset The Viscount Spencer MP for York Central |
20 June 2021 | 30 October 2021 | 133 days | Jun. 2021 Election Aug. 2021 Election |
Liberal Democrats | Spencer Premiership |
| | 
|
Kalara Sherwood-Somerset The Duchess of Manitoba MP for Vancouver Centre |
30 October 2021 | 17 January 2022 | 80 days | Oct. 2021 Election Dec. 2021 Election |
SDLP-BWP Coalition | Manitoba Premiership |
| |
|
Victor Somerset The Marquess of Grey MP for York Central |
17 January 2022 | 23 April 2022 | 97 days | ??? | British Workers' | Grey Premiership |
| | 
|
Sirch Sherwood-Somerset The 2nd Baron Hastings MP for Vancouver Centre |
23 April 2022 | 26 June 2022 | 65 days | Apr. 2022 Election | British Workers' | Hastings Premiership |
| |
|
James Somerset The Earl of Northumberland MP for York Central |
26 June 2022 | 9 July 2022 | 14 days | Jun. 2022 Election | British Workers' | Northumberland Premiership |
| | 
|
Charles Somerset The Baron Huntingdon MP for Cambridge |
9 July 2022 | 9 August 2022 | 32 days | Appointed | British Workers' | Huntingdon Premiership |
| | 
|
Joshua Sherwood MP for Prince Edward Island |
15 August 2022 | 7 October 2022 | 54 days | Aug. 2022 Election | British Workers' | J. Sherwood Premiership |
| | 
|
Matthew Somerset The Duke of Somerset MP for Glasgow Central |
7 October 2022 | 7 December 2022 | 62 days | Oct. 2022 Election | British Royalist | 1st Somerset Premiership |
| | 
|
Cameron Romefeller The Baroness Lomond MP for West Dunbartonshire |
7 December 2022 | 31 January 2023 | 56 days | Dec. 2022 Election | British Federation of Labour | 2nd Lomond Premiership |
| | 
|
Elio Somerset The 1st Baron Exeter MP for Exeter |
31 January 2023 | 5 April 2023 | 65 days | Jan. 2023 Election | Liberal Progressive | Exeter Premiership |
| |
|
Matthew Somerset The Duke of Somerset MP for Glasgow Central |
5 April 2023 | 24 May 2023 | 50 days | Apr. 2023 Election | Unity Coalition | 2nd Somerset Premiership |
| | 
|
Elizabeth Howard-Campbell The 1st Duchess of Edinburgh MP for St. James |
24 May 2023 | 27 July 2023 | 65 days | May 2023 Election | British Constitutionalist | Edinburgh Premiership |
| |
|
Cameron Romefeller The Viscountess Balloch MP for West Dunbartonshire |
27 July 2023 | 20 September 2023 | 56 days | July 2023 Election | British Constitutionalist | Balloch Premiership |
| | 
|
August Lleyton The Earl of Stirling MP for Stirling |
21 September 2023 | 20 November 2023 | 61 days | Sept. 2023 Election | Heron | Stirling Premiership |
| | 
|
William Somerset The 2nd Viscount Douglas MP for Kensington |
21 November 2023 | 5 March 2024 | 106 days | Nov. 2023 Election Jan. 2024 Election |
Heron-Ind Coalition Heron |
Douglas Premiership |
| | 
|
Thomas Carew The Baron Knightstone MP for East Devon |
5 March 2024 | 1 July 2024 | 119 days | Mar. 2024 Election May 2024 Election |
Heron Unionist |
Knightstone Premiership |
| | ||||||||
| | 
|
Josephine Carew-Grey The Baroness Wilton MP for Tavistock |
1 July 2024 | 2 August 2024 | 33 days | July 2024 Election | Unionist-British Workers' Coalition | Wilton Premiership |
| |
|
James Forsyte The Duke of Warwick MP for York Central |
2 August 2024 | 27 August 2024 | 26 days | Appointed | Unionist-British Workers' Coalition | Warwick Premiership |
| |
|
Thomas Carew The Viscount Sidmouth MP for East Devon |
27 August 2024 | 8 October 2024 | 43 days | Aug. 2024 Election | National Government | 1st Sidmouth Premiership |
| |
|
August Carew-Grey The Baron Calder & Wilton MP for County Clare |
8 October 2024 | 9 November 2024 | 33 days | Oct. 2024 Election | Unionist | Calder Premiership |
| |
|
Charles Wright The Baron Huntingdon MP for Orkney & Shetland |
9 November 2024 | 13 November 2024 | 5 days | Appointed | British Workers' | Huntingdon Caretaker |
| | 
|
Matthew Somerset The Duke of Somerset MP for Glasgow Central |
13 November 2024 | 5 December 2024 | 23 days | Nov. 2024 Election | Conservative & Unionist | 3rd Somerset Premiership |
| |
|
Thomas Carew The Viscount Sidmouth MP for East Devon |
6 December 2024 | Present | 15 days | Appointed | Unionist | 2nd Sidmouth Premiership |
Disputed Prime Ministers
In order to be considered a Prime Minister, the individual in question must have accepted an invitation from the Sovereign to form a Government in their name: however, the sole disputed PM did not recieve this invitation, but was still considered the acting-PM, effective in all but name. Sirch Somerset was the effective second-in-command and acted as PM over the pre-election period in August 2022, but due to IRL technological limitations, never recieved an invitation to the palace. The nature of this position is disputed: BWP hardliners continue to refer to Sirch Somerset as the "18th Prime Minister", bumping the subsequent naming convention up by one.
Currently, Sirch Somerset is the only Disputed PM.
| Portrait | Prime Minister | Term of Office | Mandate | Party | Government | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Duration | ||||||
| |
|
Sirch Somerset The Viscount Halifax MP for Vancouver Centre |
9 August 2022 | 15 August 2022 | 7 days | Appointed | British Workers' | Halifax Caretaker |
Statistics
Longest single tenures as Prime Minister
| Prime Minister | Tenure |
| Victor NewtonII | 231 days |
| Oliver Newman | 140 days |
| James Sherwood-SomersetI | 133 days |
| Thomas CarewI | 119 days |
| Colfax County | 113 days |
| Fabian Hardie | 109 days |
| William Somerset | 106 days |
| Angus Somerset | 99 days |
| Victor SomersetIV | 97 days |
| Kalara Sherwood-Somerset | 80 days |
| Corneliu Flint | 70 days |
| Victor HanoverIII | 66 days |
| Sirch Sherwood-Somerset | 65 days |
| Elio Somerset | 65 days |
| Elizabeth Howard-Campbell | 65 days |
| Harold Macmillan | 62 days |
| Matthew SomersetI | 62 days |
| August LleytonI | 61 days |
| Cameron RomefellerII | 56 days |
| Cameron RomefellerIII | 56 days |
| Joshua Sherwood | 54 days |
| Matthew SomersetII | 50 days |
| Thomas CarewII | 43 days |
| James Stephenson | 36 days |
| Cameron HanoverI | 36 days |
| Josephine Carew-Grey | 33 days |
| Charles Somerset | 32 days |
| August Carew-GreyII | 32 days |
| James ForsyteIII | 26 days |
| Matthew SomersetIII | 23 days |
| Philip Ross | 17 days |
| Victor NewtonI | 15 days |
| James ForsyteII | 14 days |
| Charles WrightII | 5 days |
Longest overall time as Prime Minister (cumulative tenures)
| Prime Minister | Tenure |
| Victor Somerset4 | 409 days |
| James Forsyte3 | 173 days |
| Thomas Carew2 | 162 days |
| Cameron Romefeller3 | 148 days |
| Oliver Newman | 140 days |
| Matthew Somerset3 | 135 days |
| Colfax County | 113 days |
| Fabian Hardie | 109 days |
| William Somerset | 106 days |
| Angus Somerset | 99 days |
| August Carew-Grey2 | 93 days |
| Kalara Sherwood-Somerset | 80 days |
| Corneliu Flint | 70 days |
| Sirch Sherwood-Somerset | 65 days |
| Elio Somerset | 65 days |
| Elizabeth Howard-Campbell | 65 days |
| Harold Macmillan | 62 days |
| Joshua Sherwood | 54 days |
| Charles Somerset2 | 37 days |
| James Stephenson | 36 days |
| Josephine Carew-Grey | 33 days |
| Philip Ross | 17 days |
Other Records and Statistics
| Description | Holder(s) |
| Most tenures as Prime Minister | Victor Somerset (4) |
| Longest tenure of an elected Prime Minister | James Forsyte (133 days) |
| Every Sovereign's longest serving Prime Minister (cumulative) | Victor Somerset (246 days - Queen Victoria III) Victor Somerset (163 days - King William V) Matthew Somerset (62 days - Queen Elizabeth III) William Somerset (102 days - King Edward IX) Thomas Carew (162 days - King Charles III) |
| Most Elections won (Prime Minister) | Cameron Romefeller (3) James Forsyte (3) Thomas Carew (3) Matthew Somerset (3) |
| Most Elections won (Party) | British Workers' Party (7) |
| Prime Minister who represented the most parties while in office | Cameron Romefeller (3: Imperial Labour Party, British Federation of Labour, British Constitutionalist Party) James Forsyte (3: Liberal Democrats, British Workers' Party, Unionist Party) |
| Prime Minister who represented two parties during a single tenure | Thomas Carew (Heron, Unionist) |
| Party with the most Prime Ministers | British Workers' Party (7) |
| Most consecutive tenures of the same party in 10 Downing Street | British Workers' Party (5 Prime Ministers across 5 Sessions of Parliament) Unionist Party (5 Prime Ministers across 4 Sessions of Parliament) |
| Most consecutive elections won (Prime Minister) | Angus Somerset (2) James Forsyte (2) Kalara Sherwood-Somerset (2) William Somerset (2) Thomas Carew (2) |
| Most consecutive elections won (Party) | British Workers' Party (4) Heron Party (4) Unionist Party (4) |
| Longest tenure in Downing Street by party | British Workers' Party (262 days) |
| Only elected "acclaimed" Prime Minister | August Carew-Grey (September 2023, October 2024) |
| Prime Ministers who have held all Great Offices of State | Victor Somerset Elizabeth Howard-Campbell William Somerset |
| Only independent, elected, Prime Minister | Matthew Somerset (April 2023) |
| Only Prime Minister to have had multiple appointed terms. | Charles Somerset (July 2022, November 2024) |
| Most Monarchs in service to | Cameron Romefeller (3: King William V, Queen Elizabeth III, King Edward IX) Matthew Somerset (3: Queen Elizabeth III, King Edward IX, King Charles III) |
| Most seperate tenures as PM in a calendar year | Thomas Carew (3, 2024) |
| Most seperate tenures as PM in service to a single Monarch | Thomas Carew (3, King Charles III) |