Odtnhj

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Royal Arms of Her Majesty's Government
Incumbent Karen Bradley since 8 January 2018
Northern Ireland Office
Style	Northern Ireland Secretary (informal) The Right Honourable (within the UK and the Commonwealth)
Residence	Hillsborough Castle
Appointer	The Monarch on advice of the Prime Minister
Precursor	Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Governor of Northern Ireland
Formation	24 March 1972
First holder	William Whitelaw
Website	www.nio.gov.uk

Northern Ireland
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Northern Ireland
Executive Executive Committee First Minister Vacant deputya First Minister Vacant Civil Service Government departments  a Lowercase "d" per here.
Assembly Speaker Robin Newton MLA Acts Committees Statutory rules Members (MLA)
Law Supreme Court (UK) Courts of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland in the UK Her Majesty's Government Northern Ireland Office Secretary of State Rt. Hon. Karen Bradley MP Parliament of the United Kingdom Direct rule Grand Committee Select Committee Elections Current MPs for Westminster
Northern Ireland in the EU European Parliament elections Constituency
Local government Administrative divisions Counties Districts
Other countries Atlas
v t e

United Kingdom
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of the United Kingdom
Constitution Constitution Cabinet Manual Erskine May Taxation European Communities Act 1972
The Crown British Monarchy Monarch Queen Elizabeth II Heir apparent The Prince of Wales Royal family Succession to the British throne Royal prerogative
Executive HM Government Prime Minister Theresa May Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond Cabinet Current ministry Her Majesty's Civil Service Departments Executive agencies Public bodies List of current heads of government in the United Kingdom and dependencies Privy Council Crown-in-Council Queen Elizabeth II
Legislature Parliament (56th Parliament) Crown-in-Parliament Queen Elizabeth II House of Lords Lord Speaker The Lord Fowler House of Commons Speaker John Bercow Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition Shadow Cabinet Member of Parliament (MP) State Opening of Parliament Prime Minister's Questions Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament relating to the EU Statutory instruments English Grand Committee Scottish Grand Committee Welsh Grand Committee Northern Ireland Grand Committee English law Reserved matters
Judiciary Supreme Court President The Baroness Hale of Richmond Deputy President The Lord Mance Judges of the Supreme Court Courts of the United Kingdom Courts of England and Wales Courts of Scotland Courts of Northern Ireland
Devolution Joint Ministerial Committee Legislative consent motions Scotland Government Parliament Act of the Scottish Parliament Scottish statutory instrument Scottish law Wales Government National Assembly Act of the National Assembly for Wales Welsh law Northern Ireland Executive Assembly Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly Northern Ireland law England Governance of England English votes for English laws Greater London Authority Executive Mayor Mayoral cabinet Assembly London Plan Combined authorities Metro mayors Cornwall Council
Administrative geography England Subdivisions of England Local government in England Scotland Subdivisions of Scotland Local government in Scotland Wales Local government in Wales Northern Ireland Local government in Northern Ireland
Elections Parliamentary constituencies Political parties Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 General Elections 1801 co-option 1802 1806 1807 1812 1818 1820 1826 1830 1831 1832–33 1835 1837 1841 1847 1852 1857 1859 1865 1868 1874 1880 1885 1886 1892 1895 1900 1906 1910 (Jan–Feb) 1910 (Dec) 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 1974 (Feb) 1974 (Oct) 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 Next election Referendums 1975 2011 2016
Crown Dependencies  Guernsey  Alderney  Sark  Herm  Isle of Man  Jersey Common Travel Area
Overseas Territories  Akrotiri and Dhekelia  Anguilla  Bermuda  British Antarctic Territory  British Indian Ocean Territory  British Virgin Islands  Cayman Islands  Falkland Islands  Gibraltar  Montserrat  Pitcairn Islands  Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha  Saint Helena  Ascension Island  Tristan da Cunha  South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands  Turks and Caicos Islands British Overseas Territories Act 2002 British Overseas Territories citizen Visa requirements for British Overseas Territories citizens
Foreign relations Foreign policy History Australia–United Kingdom relations Canada-United Kingdom relations European Union–United Kingdom relations France–United Kingdom relations Ireland-United Kingdom relations New Zealand-United Kingdom relations United Kingdom–United States relations Politics of the European Union The Commonwealth Member states of the Commonwealth United Kingdom and the United Nations United Nations Security Council P5 G7 G20
United Kingdom portal Other countries Atlas
v t e

Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, informally known as the Northern Ireland Secretary (Irish: Rúnaí Stáit Thuaisceart Éireann^[1][2]), is the principal secretary of state in Her Majesty's Government with responsibilities for Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State is a Minister of the Crown who is accountable to the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is the chief minister in the Northern Ireland Office. As with other ministers, the position is appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister.

The position is normally described simply as 'the Secretary of State' by residents of Northern Ireland.^{[citation needed]}

Formerly holding a large portfolio over home affairs in Northern Ireland, the current devolution settlement has lessened the Secretary of State's role, granting many of the former powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive. The Secretary of State is now generally limited to representing Northern Ireland in the UK cabinet, overseeing the operation of the devolved administration and a number of reserved and excepted matters which remain the sole competence of the UK Government e.g. security, human rights, certain public inquiries and the administration of elections.^[3]

Created in 1972, the position has switched between Members of Parliament from the Conservative Party and Labour Party. As Labour has not fielded candidates in Northern Ireland and the Conservatives have not had candidates elected to Northern Ireland Assembly or for House of Commons seats in the province, those appointed as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland have not represented a constituency in Northern Ireland. This contrasts with the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Secretary of State for Wales.

The Secretary of State resides in Hillsborough Castle, which was previously the official residence of the Governor of Northern Ireland, and remains the royal residence of the Monarch in Northern Ireland.

The Secretary of State exercises their duties through, and is administratively supported by, the Northern Ireland Office.

History

Historically, the principal ministers for Irish (and subsequently Northern Ireland) affairs in the UK Government and its predecessors were:

• the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (c.1171–1922);


• the Chief Secretary for Ireland (1560–1922); and


• the Home Secretary (1922–1972).^[4]

In August 1969, for example, Home Secretary James Callaghan approved the sending of British Army soldiers to Northern Ireland.^[5] Scotland and Wales were represented by the Secretary of State for Scotland and Secretary of State for Wales from 1885 and 1965 respectively but Northern Ireland remained separate, due to the devolved Northern Ireland Government and Northern Ireland Parliament.

The office of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland was created after the Northern Ireland government (at Stormont) was first suspended and then abolished following widespread civil strife. The British government was increasingly concerned that Stormont was losing control of the situation. On 30 March 1972, direct rule from Westminster was introduced.^[6] The Secretary of State filled three roles which existed under the previous Stormont regime:^[7]

• the Governor of Northern Ireland (the nominal head of the executive and representative of the British monarch)


• the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland (now filled by the First Minister of Northern Ireland and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland acting jointly)


• the Minister of Home Affairs (now filled by the Minister of Justice).

Direct rule was seen as a temporary measure, with a power-sharing devolution preferred as the solution, and was annually renewed by a vote in Parliament.

The Sunningdale Agreement in 1973 resulted in a brief, power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive, from 1 January 1974, which was ended by the loyalist Ulster Workers' Council strike on 28 May 1974. The strikers opposed the power-sharing and all-Ireland aspects of the new administration.

The Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention (1975–1976) and Northern Ireland Assembly (1982–1986) were unsuccessful in restoring devolved government. After the Anglo-Irish Agreement on 15 November 1985, the UK Government and Irish Government co-operated more closely on security and political matters.

Following the Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement) on 10 April 1998, devolution returned to Northern Ireland on 2 December 1999. This removed many of the duties of the Secretary of State and his Northern Ireland Office colleagues and devolved them to locally elected politicians, constituting the Northern Ireland Executive.

The devolved administration was suspended several times (especially between 15 October 2002 and 8 May 2007) because the Ulster Unionist Party and Democratic Unionist Party were uncomfortable being in government with Sinn Féin when the Provisional Irish Republican Army had failed to decommission its arms fully and continued its criminal activities. On each of these occasions, the responsibilities of the ministers in the Executive then returned to the Secretary of State and his ministers. During these periods, in addition to administration of the region, the Secretary of State was also heavily involved in the negotiations with all parties to restore devolved government.

Power was again devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 8 May 2007. The Secretary of State retained responsibility for policing and justice until most of those powers were devolved on 12 April 2010.^[8]

List of Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland

Colour key
  Conservative
  Labour

Portrait		Name	Term of office		Party	Prime Minister
		William Whitelaw MP for Penrith and The Border	24 March 1972	2 December 1973	Conservative		Edward Heath
		Francis Pym MP for Cambridgeshire	2 December 1973	4 March 1974	Conservative
		Merlyn Rees MP for Leeds South	5 March 1974	10 September 1976	Labour		Harold Wilson
		Roy Mason MP for Barnsley	10 September 1976	4 May 1979	Labour		James Callaghan
		Humphrey Atkins MP for Spelthorne	5 May 1979	14 September 1981	Conservative		Margaret Thatcher
		Jim Prior MP for Lowestoft (until 1983) MP for Waveney (from 1983)	14 September 1981	11 September 1984	Conservative
		Douglas Hurd MP for Witney	11 September 1984	3 September 1985	Conservative
		Tom King MP for Bridgwater	3 September 1985	24 July 1989	Conservative
		Peter Brooke MP for Cities of London and Westminster South	24 July 1989	10 April 1992	Conservative
							John Major
		Sir Patrick Mayhew MP for Tunbridge Wells	10 April 1992	2 May 1997	Conservative
		Mo Mowlam MP for Redcar	3 May 1997	11 October 1999	Labour		Tony Blair
		Peter Mandelson MP for Hartlepool	11 October 1999	24 January 2001	Labour
		John Reid MP for Hamilton North and Bellshill	25 January 2001	24 October 2002	Labour
		Paul Murphy MP for Torfaen	24 October 2002	6 May 2005	Labour
		Peter Hain MP for Neath (also Welsh Secretary)	6 May 2005	27 June 2007	Labour
		Shaun Woodward MP for St Helens South	28 June 2007	11 May 2010	Labour		Gordon Brown
		Owen Paterson MP for North Shropshire	12 May 2010	4 September 2012	Conservative		David Cameron (Coalition)
		Theresa Villiers MP for Chipping Barnet	4 September 2012	14 July 2016	Conservative
							David Cameron (II)
		James Brokenshire MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup	14 July 2016	8 January 2018	Conservative		Theresa May
		Karen Bradley MP for Staffordshire Moorlands	8 January 2018	Incumbent	Conservative

See also

• First Minister of Northern Ireland


• Great Seal of Northern Ireland


• Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland


• Secretary of State (United Kingdom)


• Secretary of State for Scotland


• Secretary of State for Wales

Notes