List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom by experience

This article lists which other significant offices have been held by the prime ministers before and after they have come to power as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The positions and amount of experience a prime minister has acquired has changed over the years, with modern prime ministers having gained experience through leading the opposition, while earlier prime ministers would be more likely to have held roles within the government. Usually a prime minister does not hold high office again after leaving the role. However, there are some cases where individuals have gone on to hold senior roles in future administrations.

Robert Walpole

 * Secretaries at war 1708-1710
 * Treasurer of the Navy 1710-1711
 * Paymaster of the Forces 1714-1715
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1715-1717
 * Paymaster of the Forces 1720-1721
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1721-1742
 * Prime Minister 1721-1742

Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington

 * Paymaster of Pensions 1707-1713
 * Speaker of the House of Commons 1715-1727
 * Paymaster of the Forces 1722-1730
 * Lord President of the Council 1730-1742
 * Prime Minister 1742-1743

Henry Pelham

 * Secretaries at war 1724-1730
 * Paymaster of the Forces 1730-1743
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1743-1754
 * Prime Minister 1743-1754

Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle

 * Lord Chamberlain 1717-1724
 * Secretary of State for the Southern Department 1724-1748
 * Secretary of State for the Northern Department 1748-1754
 * Prime Minister 1754-1756
 * Prime Minister 1757-1762
 * Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1765-1766

William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire

 * Master of the Horse 1751-1755
 * Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1755-1757
 * Prime Minister 1756-1757
 * Lord Chamberlain 1757-1762

John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute

 * Secretary of State for the Northern Department 1761-1762
 * Leader of the House of Lords 1762-1763
 * Prime Minister 1762-1763

George Grenville

 * Treasurer of the Navy 1754-1756
 * Treasurer of the Navy 1756-1762
 * Secretary of State for the Northern Department 1962
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1763-1765
 * Prime Minister 1763-1765

Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham

 * Lord of the Bedchamber 1751-1760
 * Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire 1751-1763
 * Lord of the Bedchamber 1760-1762
 * Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire 1765-1782
 * Prime Minister 1765-1766
 * Leader of the House of Lords 1765-1766
 * Prime Minister 1782
 * Leader of the House of Lords 1782

William Pitt the Elder

 * Paymaster of the Forces 1746-1755
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1756-1757
 * Secretary of State for the Southern Department 1756-1757
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1757-1761
 * Secretary of State for the Southern Department 1757-1761
 * Prime Minister 1766-1768

Augustus Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton

 * Secretary of State for the Northern Department 1765-1766
 * Prime Minister 1768-1770
 * Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1771-1775
 * Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1782-1783

Frederick North, Lord North

 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1767-1782
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1768-1782
 * Prime Minister 1770-1782
 * Secretary of State for Home Affairs 1783
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1783

William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne

 * First Lord of Trade 1763
 * Secretary of State for the Southern Department 1766-1768
 * Home Secretary 1782
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1782-1783
 * Prime Minister 1782-1783

William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland

 * Lord Chamberlain 1765-1766
 * Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1782
 * Prime Minister 1783
 * Home Secretary 1794-1801
 * Lord President of the Council 1801-1805
 * Prime Minister 1807-1809

William Pitt the Younger

 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1782-1783
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1783-1801
 * Prime Minister 1783-1801
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1804-1806
 * Prime Minister 1804-1806

Henry Addington

 * Speaker of the House of Commons 1789-1801
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1801-1804
 * Prime Minister 1801-1804
 * Lord President of the Council 1805
 * Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1806
 * Lord President of the Council 1806-1807
 * Home Secretary 1812-1822

William Grenville

 * Paymaster of the Forces 1784-1789
 * Speaker of the House of Commons 1789
 * Home Secretary 1789-1791
 * Foreign Secretary 1791-1801
 * Prime Minister 1806-1807
 * Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1807-1817

Spencer Perceval

 * Solicitor General of England Wales 1801-1802
 * Attorney General for England and Wales 1802-1806
 * Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1806-1807
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1807-1812
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1807-1812
 * Prime Minister 1809-1812

Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool

 * Master of the Mint 1799-1801
 * Foreign Secretary 1801-1804
 * Home Secretary 1804-1806
 * Home Secretary 1807-1809
 * Leader of the House of Lords 1807-1827
 * Secretary of State for War 1809-1812
 * Prime Minister 1812-1827

George Canning

 * Commissioner of the Board of Control for India 1799-1801
 * Treasury of the Navy 1804-1806
 * Foreign Secretary 1807-1809
 * President of the Board of Control 1816-1821
 * Foreign Secretary 1822-1827
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1822-1827
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1827
 * Prime Minister 1827

Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich

 * President of the Board of Trade 1818-1823
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1823-1827
 * Prime Minister 1827-1828
 * Colonial Office 1830-1833
 * Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1833-1834
 * President of the Board of Trade 1843-1846

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

 * Master General of the Ordnance 1819-1827
 * Commander-in-Chief of the Forces 1827-1828
 * Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1827-1828
 * Leader of the House of Lords 1828-1830
 * Prime Minister 1828-1830
 * Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1830-1834
 * Secretary of State for War 1834
 * Home Secretary 1834
 * Foreign Secretary 1834-1835
 * Leader of the House of Lords 1834-1835
 * Prime Minister 1834
 * Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1835-1841
 * Leader of the House of Lords 1841-1846
 * Commander-in-Chief of the Forces 1842-1852

Charles Grey

 * First Lord of the Admiralty 1806
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1806-1807
 * Foreign Secretary 1806-1807
 * Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1817-1821
 * Leader of the House of Lords 1830-1834
 * Prime Minister 1830-1834

William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne

 * Chief Secretary for Ireland 1827-1828
 * Home Secretary 1830-1834
 * Leader of the House of Lords 1834
 * Prime Minister 1834
 * Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1835
 * Leader of the House of Lords 1841-42
 * Prime Minister 1835-1841

Robert Peel

 * Chief Secretary for Ireland 1812-1818
 * Home Secretary 1822-1827
 * Leader of the Opposition 1827-1828
 * Home Secretary 1828-1830
 * Leader of the Opposition 1830-1834
 * Prime Minister 1835
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1835
 * Leader of the Opposition 1835-1841
 * Prime Minister 1841-1846

John Russell

 * Paymaster of the Forces 1830-1834
 * Leader of the Opposition 1834-1835
 * Home Secretary 1835-1839
 * Secretary of State for War 1839-1841
 * Leader of the Opposition 1841-1846
 * Prime Minister 1846-1852
 * Leader of the Opposition 1852
 * Foreign Secretary 1852-1853
 * Lord President of the Council 1854-1855
 * Secretary of State for the Colonies 1855
 * Foreign Secretary 1859-1865
 * Prime Minister 1865-66
 * Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1866-68

Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby

 * Chief Secretary for Ireland 1830-1833
 * Secretary of State for War and the Colonies 1833-1834
 * Secretary of State for War and the Colonies 1841-1845
 * Prime Minister 1852
 * Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1852-1858
 * Prime Minister 1858-1859
 * Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1859-1866
 * Prime Minister 1866-1868

George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen

 * Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1828
 * Foreign Secretary 1828-1830
 * Secretary of State for War and Colonies 1834-1835
 * Foreign Secretary 1841-1846
 * Prime Minister 1852-1855

Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston

 * Secretary of War 1809-1828
 * Foreign Secretary 1830-1834
 * Foreign Secretary 1835-1841
 * Foreign Secretary 1846-1851
 * Home Secretary 1852-1855
 * Prime Minister 1855-1858
 * Leader of the Opposition 1858-1859
 * Prime Minister 1859-1865

Benjamin Disraeli

 * Leader of the Opposition 1849-1852
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1852
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1852
 * Leader of the Opposition 1852-1858
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1858-1859
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1858-1859
 * Leader of the Opposition 1859-1866
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1866-1868
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1866-1868
 * Prime Minister 1868
 * Leader of the Opposition 1868-1874
 * Prime Minister 1874-1880
 * Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1880-1881

William Ewart Gladstone

 * President of the Board of Trade 1843-1845
 * Secretary of State for War and Colonies 1845-1846
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1852-1855
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1859-1866
 * Leader of the Opposition 1866-1868
 * Prime Minister 1868-1874
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1873-1874
 * Leader of the Opposition 1874-1875
 * Prime Minister 1880-1885
 * Leader of the Opposition 1885-1886
 * Prime Minister 1886
 * Leader of the Opposition 1886-1892
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1892-1894
 * Prime Minister 1892-1894

Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury

 * Secretary of State for India 1874-1878
 * Foreign Secretary 1878-1880
 * Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1881-1885
 * Foreign Secretary 1885-1886
 * Prime Minister 1885-1886
 * Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1886
 * Prime Minister 1886-1892
 * Foreign Secretary 1887-1892
 * Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1892-1895
 * Foreign Secretary 1895-1900
 * Prime Minister 1895-1902
 * Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1900-1902

Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery

 * First Commissioner of Works 1885
 * Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1885
 * Foreign Secretary 1886
 * Foreign Secretary 1892-1894
 * Lord President of the Council 1894-1895
 * Prime Minister 1894-1895
 * Leader of the Opposition (House of Lords) 1895

Arthur Balfour

 * Secretary for Scotland 1886-1887
 * Chief Secretary for Ireland 1887-1891
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1891-1892
 * Leader of the Opposition 1892-1895
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1895-1905
 * Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1902-1903
 * Prime Minister 1902-1905
 * Leader of the Opposition 1905-1906
 * Leader of the Opposition 1906-1911
 * First Lord of the Admiralty 1915-1916
 * Foreign Secretary 1916-1919
 * Lord President of the Council 1919-1922
 * Lord President of the Council 1925-1929

Henry Campbell-Bannerman

 * Secretary to the Admiralty 1882-1884
 * Chief Secretary for Ireland 1884-1885
 * Secretary of State for War 1886
 * Secretary of State for War 1892-1895
 * Leader of the Opposition 1899-1905
 * Prime Minister 1905-1908

Herbert Henry Asquith

 * Home Secretary 1892-1895
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1905-1908
 * Prime Minister 1908-1916
 * Secretary of State for War 1914
 * Leader of the Opposition 1916-1918
 * Leader of the Opposition 1920-1922

David Lloyd George

 * President of the Board of Trade 1905-1908
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1908-1915
 * Minister of Munitions 1915-1916
 * Secretary of State for War 1916
 * Prime Minister 1916-1922

Bonar Law

 * Leader of the Opposition 1911-1915
 * Secretary of State for the Colonies 1915-1916
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1916-1921
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1916-1919
 * Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1919-1921
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1922-1923
 * Prime Minister 1922-1923

Stanley Baldwin

 * Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1917-1921
 * President of the Board of Trade 1921-1922
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1922-1923
 * Prime Minister 1923-1924
 * Leader of the Opposition 1924
 * Prime Minister 1924-1929
 * Leader of the Opposition 1929-1931
 * Lord President of the Council 1931-1935
 * Prime Minister 1935-1937

Ramsay MacDonald

 * Leader of the Opposition 1922-1924
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1924
 * Foreign Secretary 1924
 * Prime Minister 1924
 * Leader of the Opposition 1924-1929
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1929-1935
 * Prime Minister 1929-1935
 * Lord President of the Council 1935-1937

Neville Chamberlain

 * Postmaster General 1922-1923
 * Minister of Health 1923
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1923-1924
 * Minister of Health 1924-1929
 * Minister of Health 1931
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1931-1937
 * Prime Minister 1937-1940
 * Lord President of the Council 1940

Winston Churchill

 * President of the Board of Trade 1908-1910
 * Home Secretary 1910-1911
 * First Lord of the Admiralty 1911-1915
 * Minister of Munitions 1917-1919
 * Secretary of State for Air 1919-1921
 * Secretary of State for War 1919-1921
 * Secretary of State for the Colonies 1921-1922
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1924-1929
 * First Lord of the Admiralty 1939-1940
 * Minister of Defence 1940-1945
 * Prime Minister 1940-1945
 * Leader of the Opposition 1945-1951
 * Minister of Defence 1951-1952
 * Prime Minister 1951-1955

Clement Attlee

 * Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1931
 * Postmaster General 1931
 * Leader of the Opposition 1935-1940
 * Lord Keeper of the Privy Council 1940-1942
 * Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs 1942-1943
 * Deputy Prime Minister 1942-1945
 * Lord President of the Council 1943-1945
 * Leader of the Opposition 1945
 * Prime Minister 1945-1951
 * Leader of the Opposition 1951-1955

Anthony Eden

 * Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1933-1935
 * Foreign Secretary 1935-1938
 * Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs 1939-1940
 * Secretary of State for War 1940
 * Foreign Secretary 1940-1945
 * Leader of the House of Commons 1942-1945
 * Deputy Prime Minister 1951-1955
 * Foreign Secretary 1951-1955
 * Prime Minister 1955-1957

Harold Macmillan

 * Secretary of State for Air 1945
 * Minister of Housing 1951-1954
 * Minister of Defence 1954-1955
 * Foreign Secretary 1955
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1955-1957
 * Prime Minister 1957-1963

Alec Douglas-Home

 * Minister of State for Scotland 1951-1955
 * Secretary of State for the Commonwealth 1955-1960
 * Lord President of the Council 1957
 * Leader of the House of Lords 1957-1960
 * Lord President of the Council 1959-1960
 * Foreign Secretary 1960-1963
 * Prime Minister 1963-1964
 * Leader of the Opposition 1964-1965
 * Shadow Foreign Secretary 1972-1974
 * Foreign Secretary 1970-1974

Harold Wilson

 * Secretary for Overseas Trade 1947
 * President of the Board of Trade 1947-1951
 * Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer 1955-1961
 * Shadow Foreign Secretary 1961-1963
 * Leader of the Opposition 1963-1964
 * Prime Minister 1964-1970
 * Leader of the Opposition 1970-1974
 * Prime Minister 1974-1976

Edward Heath

 * Chief Whip 1955-1959
 * Minister of Labour 1959-1960
 * Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 1960-1963
 * President of the Board of Trade 1963-1964
 * Secretary of State for Industry 1963-1964
 * Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer 1965
 * Leader of the Opposition 1965-1970
 * Prime Minister 1970-1974
 * Leader of the Opposition 1974-1975

James Callaghan

 * Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer 1961-1964
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1964-1967
 * Home Secretary 1967-1970
 * Shadow Home Secretary 1970-1971
 * Shadow Foreign Secretary 1972-1974
 * Foreign Secretary 1974-1976
 * Prime Minister 1976-1979
 * Leader of the Opposition 1979-1980

Margaret Thatcher

 * Shadow Education Secretary 1967-1970
 * Education Secretary 1970-1974
 * Shadow Environment Secretary 1974-1975
 * Leader of the Opposition 1975-1979
 * Prime Minister 1979-1990

John Major

 * Minister of State for Social Security 1986-1987
 * Chief Secretary to the Treasury 1987-1989
 * Foreign Secretary 1989
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1989-1990
 * Prime Minister 1990-1997
 * Leader of the Opposition 1997
 * Shadow Foreign Secretary 1997

Tony Blair

 * Shadow Minister for Trade 1987-1988
 * Shadow Energy Secretary 1988-1989
 * Shadow Employment Secretary 1989-1992
 * Shadow Home Secretary 1992-1994
 * Leader of the Opposition 1994-1997
 * Prime Minister 1997-2007

Gordon Brown

 * Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury 1987-1989
 * Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary 1989-1992
 * Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer 1992-1997
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 1997-2007
 * Prime Minister 2007-2010

David Cameron

 * Conservative Policy Review Coordinator 2004-2005
 * Shadow Education and Skills Secretary 2005-2005
 * Leader of the Opposition 2005-2010
 * Prime Minister 2010-2016
 * Foreign Secretary 2023-2024

Theresa May

 * Shadow Education and Employment Secretary 1998-2001
 * Shadow Women and Equality Minister 1998-2001
 * Shadow Transport Secretary 2001-2002
 * Chairman of the Conservative Party 2002-2003
 * Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary 2003-2004
 * Shadow Transport Secretary 2003-2004
 * Shadow Family Secretary 2004-2005
 * Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary 2005-2005
 * Shadow Leader of the House of Commons 2005-2009
 * Shadow Women and Equality Minister 2007-2010
 * Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary 2009-2010
 * Minister for Women and Equalities 2010-2012
 * Home Secretary 2010-2016
 * Prime Minister 2016-2019
 * Commonwealth Chair-in-Office 2018-2019

Boris Johnson

 * Mayor of London 2008-2016
 * Foreign Secretary 2016-2018
 * Leader of the Conservative Party 2019-2022
 * Commonwealth Chair-in-Office 2019-2022
 * Prime Minister 2019-2022
 * Minister for the Union 2019-2022

Liz Truss

 * Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Childcare and Education 2012-2014
 * Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2014-2016
 * Secretary of State for Justice 2016-2017
 * Lord Chancellor 2016-2017
 * Chief Secretary to the Treasury 2017-2019
 * Secretary of State for International Trade 2019-2021
 * President of the Board of Trade 2019-2021
 * Minister for Women and Equalities 2019-2022
 * Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs 2021-2022
 * Leader of the Conservative Party 2022
 * Minister for the Union 2022
 * Prime Minister 2022

Rishi Sunak

 * Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government 2018-2019
 * Chief Secretary to the Treasury 2019-2020
 * Chancellor of the Exchequer 2020-2022
 * Leader of the Conservative Party 2022-present
 * Minister for the Union 2022-2024
 * Prime Minister 2022-2024