Seventy-two women have been appointed to positions in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, with three female prime ministers serving in cabinet. Since, by convention, members of the cabinet must be a member of either the House of Commons or House of Lords, the prime minister could not appoint women to the cabinet until the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 allowed women to stand for MP, and could not appoint peeresses to it until the Life Peerages Act 1958.
Female prime ministers Three women have led the cabinet as prime minister.
denotes the first female minister of that particular department.
ImagePrime MinisterPartyConstituencyYearappointedRoles heldconcurrentlyMinistryMargaret ThatcherConservativeFinchley1979First Lord of the Treasury Minister for the Civil ServiceThatcher IThatcher IIThatcher IIITheresa MayConservativeMaidenhead2016First Lord of the Treasury Minister for the Civil ServiceMay IMay IILiz TrussConservativeSouth West Norfolk2022First Lord of the Treasury Minister for the Civil ServiceTruss
Female cabinet members
denotes the first female minister of that particular department.
ImageMemberPartyConstituencyPositionYearappointedMinistryRefMargaret BondfieldLabourWallsendMinister of Labour1929MacDonald IIEllen WilkinsonLabourJarrowMinister of Education1945Attlee IFlorence HorsbrughConservativeManchester Moss SideMinister of Education1951Churchill IIBarbara CastleLabourBlackburnMinister of Overseas Development1964Wilson IMinister of Transport1965Wilson IISecretary of State for Employment and Productivity1968First Secretary of State1968Secretary of State for Health and Social Services1974Wilson IIIWilson IVJudith HartLabourClydesdalePaymaster General1968Wilson IIZeigler, Philip.'Wilson: The Authorised Life'. Weidenfeld & Nicolson (20 Sept. 1993). Margaret ThatcherConservativeFinchleySecretary of State for Education and Science1970HeathShirley WilliamsLabourHertford and StevenageSecretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection1974Wilson IIIWilson IVCallaghanSecretary of State for Education and Science1976Baroness YoungConservativeN/A (peeress)Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster1981Thatcher ILord Privy Seal1982Virginia BottomleyConservativeSouth West SurreySecretary of State for Health1992Major IISecretary of State for National Heritage1995Gillian ShephardConservativeSouth West NorfolkSecretary of State for Employment1992Major IIMinister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food1993Secretary of State for Education1994Secretary of State for Education and Employment1995Margaret BeckettLabourDerby SouthSecretary of State for Trade and Industry1997Blair ILord President of the Council1998Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs2001Blair IIBlair IIISecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs2006Harriet HarmanLabourCamberwell and PeckhamSecretary of State for Social Security1997Blair ILord Privy Seal2007BrownMo MowlamLabourRedcarSecretary of State for Northern Ireland1997Blair IChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster1999Baroness JayLabourN/A (peeress)Leader of the House of Lords1998Blair ILord Privy Seal1998Clare ShortLabourBirmingham LadywoodSecretary of State for International Development1997Blair IBlair IIAnn TaylorLabourDewsburyLord President of the Council1997Blair IHelen LiddellLabourAirdrie and ShottsSecretary of State for Scotland2001Blair IBlair IIEstelle MorrisLabourBirmingham YardleySecretary of State for Education and Skills2001Blair IIPatricia HewittLabourLeicester WestSecretary of State for Trade and Industry2001Blair IISecretary of State for Health2005Blair IIITessa JowellLabourDulwich and West NorwoodSecretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport2001Blair IIBlair IIIBaroness AmosLabourN/A (peeress)Secretary of State for International Development2003Blair IILord President of the Council2003Blair IIBlair IIIRuth KellyLabourBolton WestSecretary of State for Education and Skills2004Blair IIBlair IIISecretary of State for Communities and Local Government2006Secretary of State for Transport2007BrownHilary ArmstrongLabourNorth West DurhamChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster2006Blair IIIHazel BlearsLabourSalford and EcclesMinister without portfolio2006Blair IIISecretary of State for Communities and Local Government2007BrownBaroness Ashton of UphollandLabourN/A (peeress)Lord President of the Council2007BrownJacqui SmithLabourRedditchSecretary of State for the Home Department2007BrownYvette CooperLabourPontefract and CastlefordChief Secretary to the Treasury2008BrownSecretary of State for Work and Pensions2009Pontefract, Castleford and KnottingleySecretary of State for the Home Department2024StarmerSecretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs2025Secretary of State for Health and Social Care2026BurnhamBaroness Royall of BlaisdonLabourN/A (peeress)Lord President of the Council2008BrownChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster2009Cheryl GillanConservativeChesham and AmershamSecretary of State for Wales2010Cameron–CleggTheresa MayConservativeMaidenheadSecretary of State for the Home Department2010Cameron–CleggCameron IICaroline SpelmanConservativeMeridenSecretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs2010Cameron–CleggBaroness WarsiConservativeN/A (peeress)Minister without portfolio2010Cameron–CleggJustine GreeningConservativePutneySecretary of State for Transport2011Cameron–CleggSecretary of State for International Development2012Cameron IISecretary of State for Education2016May IMay IIMaria MillerConservativeBasingstokeSecretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport2012Cameron–CleggTheresa VilliersConservativeChipping BarnetSecretary of State for Northern Ireland2012Cameron–CleggCameron IISecretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs2019Johnson IJohnson IINicky MorganConservativeLoughboroughSecretary of State for Education2014Cameron–CleggCameron IISecretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport2019Johnson IN/A (peeress)Johnson IIBaroness Stowell of BeestonConservativeN/A (peeress)Lord Privy Seal2014Cameron–CleggCameron IILiz TrussConservativeSouth West NorfolkSecretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs2014Cameron–CleggCameron IISecretary of State for Justice2016May ISecretary of State for International Trade2019Johnson IJohnson IISecretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs2021Amber RuddConservativeHastings and RyeSecretary of State for Energy and Climate Change2015Cameron IISecretary of State for the Home Department2016May IMay IISecretary of State for Work and Pensions2018Johnson IKaren BradleyConservativeStaffordshire MoorlandsSecretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport2016May IMay IISecretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport2017Secretary of State for Northern Ireland2018Baroness Evans of Bowes ParkConservativeN/A (peeress)Lord Privy Seal2016May IMay IIJohnson IJohnson IIAndrea LeadsomConservativeSouth NorthamptonshireSecretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs2016May ISecretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy2019Johnson IJohnson IIPriti PatelConservativeWithamSecretary of State for International Development2016May IMay IISecretary of State for the Home Department2019Johnson IJohnson IIPenny MordauntConservativePortsmouth NorthSecretary of State for International Development2017May IISecretary of State for Defence2019Lord President of the Council2022TrussSunakLeader of the House of Commons2022TrussSunakEsther McVeyConservativeTattonSecretary of State for Work and Pensions2018May IIThérèse CoffeyConservativeSuffolk CoastalSecretary of State for Work and Pensions2019Johnson IJohnson IISecretary of State for Health and Social Care2022TrussDeputy Prime MinisterSecretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs2022SunakAmanda MillingConservativeCannock ChaseMinister without portfolio2020Johnson IIAnne-Marie TrevelyanConservativeBerwick-upon-TweedSecretary of State for International Development2020Johnson IISecretary of State for International Trade2021Secretary of State for Transport2022TrussNadine DorriesConservativeMid BedfordshireSecretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport2021Johnson IIMichelle DonelanConservativeChippenhamSecretary of State for Education2022Johnson IISecretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport2022TrussSunakSecretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology2023Kemi BadenochConservativeSaffron WaldenSecretary of State for International Trade2022TrussSunakSecretary of State for Business and Trade2023Suella BravermanConservativeFarehamSecretary of State for the Home Department2022Truss2022SunakChloe SmithConservativeNorwich NorthSecretary of State for Work and Pensions2022TrussSecretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology2023SunakGillian KeeganConservativeChichesterSecretary of State for Education2022SunakLucy FrazerConservativeSouth East CambridgeshireSecretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport2023SunakClaire CoutinhoConservativeEast SurreySecretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero2023SunakVictoria AtkinsConservativeLouth and HorncastleSecretary of State for Health and Social Care2023SunakLouise HaighLabourSheffield HeeleySecretary of State for Transport2024StarmerChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster2026BurnhamFirst Secretary of State2026Liz KendallLabourLeicester WestSecretary of State for Work and Pensions2024StarmerSecretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology2025StarmerShabana MahmoodLabourBirmingham LadywoodSecretary of State for Justice2024StarmerSecretary of State for the Home Department2025BurnhamLisa NandyLabourWiganSecretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport2024StarmerSecretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport2026BurnhamBridget PhillipsonLabourHoughton and Sunderland SouthSecretary of State for Education2024StarmerMinister for Women and Equalities2026BurnhamLucy PowellLabourManchester CentralLord President of the Council2024StarmerSecretary of State for Education2026BurnhamAngela RaynerLabourAshton-under-LyneDeputy Prime Minister2024StarmerSecretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities2024StarmerSecretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government2024Starmer2026BurnhamRachel ReevesLabourLeeds West and PudseyChancellor of the Exchequer2024StarmerBaroness Smith of BasildonLabourN/A (peeress)Lord Privy Seal2024StarmerBurnhamJo StevensLabourCardiff EastSecretary of State for Wales2024StarmerHeidi AlexanderLabourSwindon SouthSecretary of State for Transport2024StarmerBurnhamEmma ReynoldsLabourWycombeSecretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs2025StarmerAngela EagleLabourWallaseySecretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs2026BurnhamMiatta FahnbullehLabourPeckhamSecretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero2026BurnhamAnneliese MidgleyLabourKnowsleyParliamentary Secretary to the Treasury2026Burnham
Female ministers also attending cabinet Some roles, such as the Attorney General, can attend cabinet meetings without being a member of the cabinet.
denotes the first female minister of that particular department.