President of the Board of Trade
| United Kingdom President of the Board of Trade | |
|---|---|
 Royal Arms as used byHis Majesty's Government | |
| Board of Trade | |
| Style | The Right Honourable (Formal prefix) President of the Board of Trade |
| Member of | British Cabinet Privy Council |
| Reports to | ThePrime Minister |
| Seat | Westminster,London |
| Appointer | TheSovereign on advice of thePrime Minister |
| Term length | No fixed term |
Thepresident of the Board of Tradeis head of theBoard of Trade.A committee of thePrivy Council of the United Kingdom,it was first established as a temporary committee of inquiry in the 17th century, that evolved gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions.[1]The current holder of the post isJonathan Reynolds,[2]who is concurrently thesecretary of state for business and trade.
History[edit]
The idea of aBoard of Tradewas first translated into action byOliver Cromwellin 1655 when he appointed his sonRichard Cromwellto head a body of Lords of thePrivy Council,judges and merchants to consider measures to promote trade.Charles IIestablished a Council of Trade on 7 November 1660 followed by a Council of Foreign Plantations on 1 December that year. The two were united on 16 September 1672 as the Board of Trade and Plantations.
After the Board was re-established in 1696, there were 15 (and later 16) members of the Board – the 7 (later 8)great officers of state,and 8 unofficial members, who did the majority of the work. The senior unofficial member of the board was the president of the board, commonly known as the first lord of trade. The board was abolished on 11 July 1782, but a Committee of the Privy Council was established on 5 March 1784 for the same purposes. On 23 August 1786 a new committee was set up, more strongly focused on commercial functions than the previous boards of trade. At first the president of the Board of Trade only occasionally sat in theCabinet,but from the early 19th century it was usually a cabinet-level position.
In 2020, there was an unusual appointment of adeputy presidentto assist the president, but the holder remained only an adviser to the Board.[3]This appears to have been a one-off appointment, and this role no longer exists.[4]However, the president was previously assisted by thevice president.[5]
List of presidents of the Board of Trade[edit]
First Lord of Trade (1672–1782)[edit]
President of the Committee on Trade and Foreign Plantations (1784–1786)[edit]
| President of the Committee | Term of office | Party | Ministry | Monarch | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Thomas Townshend 1stViscount Sydney |
5 March 1784 |
23 August 1786 |
Whig | Pitt I | George III (1760–1820) | |
President of the Board of Trade (1786–1963)[edit]
President of the Board of Trade (1963–present)[edit]
Timeline[edit]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Olson, Alison G."The Board of Trade and Colonial Virginia".Encyclopedia Virginia.Retrieved9 March2015.
- ^Diver, Tony (6 September 2022)."Liz Truss Cabinet latest: Kwasi Kwarteng appointed as Chancellor and Suella Braverman becomes Home Secretary".The Telegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Retrieved6 September2022.
- ^Stuart, Graham."Board of Trade: Membership".UK Parliament.Retrieved11 March2022.
- ^"Board of Trade".UK Government.Retrieved11 March2022.
- ^"Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 3, Officials of the Boards of Trade 1660-1870".British History Online.Retrieved11 March2022.
- ^"Officials of the Boards of Trade 1660-1870 - Council of trade and plantations 1696-1782".Office-Holders in Modern Britain.Vol. 3.
- ^May, Callum (22 July 2016)."Minister Greg Clark was briefly given wrong job".BBC News.Retrieved22 July2016.
- ^Tilbrook, Richard (15 July 2016)."Business Transacted and Orders Approved at the Privy Council Held by the Queen at Buckingham Palace on 15th July 2016"(PDF).Privy Council Office.Retrieved22 July2016.
- ^Tilbrook, Richard (19 July 2016)."Business Transacted and Orders Approved at the Privy Council Held by the Queen at Buckingham Palace on 19th July 2016"(PDF).Privy Council Office.Retrieved22 July2016.
- ^Liam Fox [@LiamFox] (24 July 2019)."Sadly, I will be leaving the Government. It has been a privilege to have served as Secretary of State for International Trade these past 3 years"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.