The secretary of state for the Home Department, more commonly known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office, equivalent to an interior minister. The position is a Great Office of State, making the home secretary one of the most senior and influential ministers in the government. The incumbent is a statutory member of the British Cabinet and National Security Council.
The position was created in 1782, though its responsibilities have changed many times. Past office holders have included the prime ministers Lord North, Robert Peel, the Duke of Wellington, Lord Palmerston, Winston Churchill, James Callaghan and Theresa May. The longest-serving home secretary is Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, who held the post continuously for 9 years, 221 days. The shortest-serving home secretary is Grant Shapps, who served in the position for the final six days of the premiership of Liz Truss. In 2007, Jacqui Smith became the first female home secretary. The incumbent home secretary is Shabana Mahmood, who has served since 5 September 2025 and was reappointed on the formation of the Burnham ministry on 20 July 2026.
The office holder works alongside the other Home Office ministers and the permanent under-secretary of state of the Home Office. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow home secretary, and the performance of the home secretary is also scrutinized by the Home Affairs Select Committee in the House of Commons and the Justice and Home Affairs Committee in the House of Lords.
Historically, the role has been regarded as a political dead end for aspiring politicians, due to the numerous potential issues and controversies it tends to involve.
Contents
Responsibilities
Corresponding to what is generally known as an interior minister in many other countries, the home secretary's remit includes:
Oversight of Home Office ministers
Law enforcement in England and Wales and UK wide elements of policing, that are not devolved.
Matters of national security and counter-terrorism
Matters of immigration and border security
Oversight of the Security Service (MI5).
Formerly, the home secretary was the minister responsible for prisons and probation in England and Wales; however in 2007 those responsibilities were transferred to the Ministry of Justice under the lord chancellor.
From the birth of King Edward VIII in 1894 until the birth of Princess Alexandra of Kent in 1936, the home secretary would be present at all royal births to verify that the baby and potential heir to the throne was a descendent of the monarch, and not an imposter. Prior to this, a wider range of privy counsellors would attend. The practice was abolished by King George VI shortly before the birth of King Charles III.
History
The title Secretary of State in the government of England dates back to the early 17th century. The position of Secretary of State for the Home Department was created in the British governmental reorganisation of 1782, in which the responsibilities of the Northern and Southern Departments were reformed into the Foreign Office and Home Office.
In 2007, the new Ministry of Justice took on the criminal justice functions of the Home Office and its agencies.