Living prime ministers of the United Kingdom
This is a chronological list of all those who served as British prime minister and were still living at different periods in history.
There have been four periods when there was only one living prime minister, starting with the appointment (1721) of Robert Walpole, and more recently during the second term of William Ewart Gladstone upon the death (1881) of Benjamin Disraeli.
There have been eleven periods when six living current or former prime ministers co-existed,[lower-alpha 1] with the longest being a nine-year period beginning with the first appointment (1834) of Robert Peel. The most recent period is ongoing since July 2019, when Boris Johnson was appointed prime minister; his five living predecessors are John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May. There has been one period (1754) with no living prime minister, a period of ten days that spanned the death of Henry Pelham on 6 March and the appointment of the Duke of Newcastle.[lower-alpha 2]
If one were to include future prime ministers, there was one period when nineteen had co-existed
.Timeline of living prime ministers
Colour key: | Whig | Tory | Conservative | Peelite | Liberal | Labour |
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Start | End | Start event | Interval | End event | Living PMs | |
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3 Apr 1721 | 16 Feb 1742 | Appointment of Robert Walpole | 20 years, 319 days | Appointment of Lord Wilmington | 1 | |
16 Feb 1742 | 2 Jul 1743 | Appointment of Lord Wilmington | 1 year, 136 days | Death of Lord Wilmington | 2 |
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2 Jul 1743 | 27 Aug 1743 | Death of Lord Wilmington | 56 days | Appointment of Henry Pelham | 1 |
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27 Aug 1743 | 18 Mar 1745 | Appointment of Henry Pelham | 1 year, 203 days | Death of Robert Walpole | 2 |
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18 Mar 1745 | 6 Mar 1754 | Death of Robert Walpole | 8 years, 353 days | Death of Henry Pelham | 1 |
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6 Mar 1754 | 16 Mar 1754 | Death of Henry Pelham | 10 days | Appointment of the Duke of Newcastle | 0 | None |
16 Mar 1754 | 16 Nov 1756 | Appointment of the Duke of Newcastle | 2 years, 245 days | Appointment of the Duke of Devonshire | 1 | |
16 Nov 1756 | 26 May 1762 | Appointment of the Duke of Devonshire | 5 years, 191 days | Appointment of Lord Bute | 2 |
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26 May 1762 | 16 Apr 1763 | Appointment of Lord Bute | 325 days | Appointment of George Grenville | 3 |
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16 Apr 1763 | 2 Oct 1764 | Appointment of George Grenville | 1 year, 169 days | Death of the Duke of Devonshire | 4 |
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2 Oct 1764 | 13 Jul 1765 | Death of the Duke of Devonshire | 284 days | Appointment of Lord Rockingham | 3 |
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13 Jul 1765 | 30 Jul 1766 | Appointment of Lord Rockingham | 1 year, 17 days | Appointment of William Pitt the Elder | 4 |
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30 Jul 1766 | 14 Oct 1768 | Appointment of William Pitt the Elder | 2 years, 76 days | Appointment of the Duke of Grafton | 5 |
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14 Oct 1768 | 17 Nov 1768 | Appointment of the Duke of Grafton | 34 days | Death of the Duke of Newcastle | 6 |
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17 Nov 1768 | 28 Jan 1770 | Death of the Duke of Newcastle | 1 year, 72 days | Appointment of Lord North | 5 |
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28 Jan 1770 | 13 Nov 1770 | Appointment of Lord North | 289 days | Death of George Grenville | 6 |
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13 Nov 1770 | 11 May 1778 | Death of George Grenville | 7 years, 179 days | Death of William Pitt the Elder | 5 |
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11 May 1778 | 1 Jul 1782 | Death of William Pitt the Elder | 4 years, 51 days | Death of Lord Rockingham | 4 |
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1 Jul 1782 | 4 Jul 1782 | Death of Lord Rockingham | 3 days | Appointment of Lord Shelburne | 3 |
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4 Jul 1782 | 2 Apr 1783 | Appointment of Lord Shelburne | 272 days | Appointment of the Duke of Portland | 4 |
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2 Apr 1783 | 19 Dec 1783 | Appointment of the Duke of Portland | 261 days | Appointment of William Pitt the Younger | 5 |
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19 Dec 1783 | 10 Mar 1792 | Appointment of William Pitt the Younger | 8 years, 82 days | Death of Lord Bute | 6 |
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10 Mar 1792 | 5 Aug 1792 | Death of Lord Bute | 148 days | Death of Lord North | 5 |
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5 Aug 1792 | 17 Mar 1801 | Death of Lord North | 8 years, 224 days | Appointment of Henry Addington | 4 |
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17 Mar 1801 | 7 May 1805 | Appointment of Henry Addington | 4 years, 51 days | Death of Lord Shelburne | 5 |
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7 May 1805 | 23 Jan 1806 | Death of Lord Shelburne | 261 days | Death of William Pitt the Younger | 4 |
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23 Jan 1806 | 11 Feb 1806 | Death of William Pitt the Younger | 19 days | Appointment of Lord Grenville | 3 |
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11 Feb 1806 | 4 Oct 1809 | Appointment of Lord Grenville | 3 years, 235 days | Appointment of Spencer Perceval | 4 |
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4 Oct 1809 | 30 Oct 1809 | Appointment of Spencer Perceval | 26 days | Death of the Duke of Portland | 5 |
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30 Oct 1809 | 14 Mar 1811 | Death of the Duke of Portland | 1 year, 135 days | Death of the Duke of Grafton | 4 |
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14 Mar 1811 | 11 May 1812 | Death of the Duke of Grafton | 1 year, 58 days | Assassination of Spencer Perceval | 3 |
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11 May 1812 | 8 Jun 1812 | Assassination of Spencer Perceval | 28 days | Appointment of Lord Liverpool | 2 |
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8 Jun 1812 | 12 Apr 1827 | Appointment of Lord Liverpool | 14 years, 308 days | Appointment of George Canning | 3 |
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12 Apr 1827 | 8 Aug 1827 | Appointment of George Canning | 118 days | Death of George Canning | 4 |
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8 Aug 1827 | 31 Aug 1827 | Death of George Canning | 23 days | Appointment of Lord Goderich | 3 |
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31 Aug 1827 | 22 Jan 1828 | Appointment of Lord Goderich | 144 days | Appointment of the Duke of Wellington | 4 |
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22 Jan 1828 | 4 Dec 1828 | Appointment of the Duke of Wellington | 317 days | Death of Lord Liverpool | 5 |
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4 Dec 1828 | 22 Nov 1830 | Death of Lord Liverpool | 1 year, 353 days | Appointment of Lord Grey | 4 |
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22 Nov 1830 | 12 Jan 1834 | Appointment of Lord Grey | 3 years, 51 days | Death of Lord Grenville | 5 |
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12 Jan 1834 | 16 Jul 1834 | Death of Lord Grenville | 185 days | Appointment of Lord Melbourne | 4 |
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16 Jul 1834 | 10 Dec 1834 | Appointment of Lord Melbourne | 147 days | Appointment of Robert Peel | 5 |
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10 Dec 1834 | 15 Feb 1844 | Appointment of Robert Peel | 9 years, 67 days | Death of Henry Addington | 6 |
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15 Feb 1844 | 17 Jul 1845 | Death of Henry Addington | 1 year, 152 days | Death of Lord Grey | 5 |
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17 Jul 1845 | 30 Jun 1846 | Death of Lord Grey | 348 days | Appointment of Lord John Russell | 4 |
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30 Jun 1846 | 24 Nov 1848 | Appointment of Lord John Russell | 2 years, 147 days | Death of Lord Melbourne | 5 |
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24 Nov 1848 | 2 Jul 1850 | Death of Lord Melbourne | 1 year, 220 days | Death of Robert Peel | 4 |
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2 Jul 1850 | 23 Feb 1852 | Death of Robert Peel | 1 year, 236 days | Appointment of Lord Derby | 3 |
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23 Feb 1852 | 14 Sep 1852 | Appointment of Lord Derby | 204 days | Death of the Duke of Wellington | 4 |
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14 Sep 1852 | 19 Dec 1852 | Death of the Duke of Wellington | 96 days | Appointment of Lord Aberdeen | 3 |
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19 Dec 1852 | 6 Feb 1855 | Appointment of Lord Aberdeen | 2 years, 49 days | Appointment of Lord Palmerston | 4 |
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6 Feb 1855 | 28 Jan 1859 | Appointment of Lord Palmerston | 3 years, 356 days | Death of Lord Goderich | 5 |
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28 Jan 1859 | 14 Dec 1860 | Death of Lord Goderich | 1 year, 321 days | Death of Lord Aberdeen | 4 |
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14 Dec 1860 | 18 Oct 1865 | Death of Lord Aberdeen | 4 years, 308 days | Death of Lord Palmerston | 3 |
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18 Oct 1865 | 27 Feb 1868 | Death of Lord Palmerston | 2 years, 132 days | Appointment of Benjamin Disraeli | 2 |
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27 Feb 1868 | 3 Dec 1868 | Appointment of Benjamin Disraeli | 280 days | Appointment of William Ewart Gladstone | 3 |
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3 Dec 1868 | 23 Oct 1869 | Appointment of William Ewart Gladstone | 324 days | Death of Lord Derby | 4 |
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23 Oct 1869 | 28 May 1878 | Death of Lord Derby | 8 years, 217 days | Death of Lord John Russell | 3 |
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28 May 1878 | 19 Apr 1881 | Death of Lord John Russell | 2 years, 326 days | Death of Benjamin Disraeli | 2 |
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19 Apr 1881 | 23 Jun 1885 | Death of Benjamin Disraeli | 4 years, 65 days | Appointment of Lord Salisbury | 1 |
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23 Jun 1885 | 5 Mar 1894 | Appointment of Lord Salisbury | 8 years, 255 days | Appointment of Lord Rosebery | 2 |
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5 Mar 1894 | 19 May 1898 | Appointment of Lord Rosebery | 4 years, 75 days | Death of William Ewart Gladstone | 3 |
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19 May 1898 | 12 Jul 1902 | Death of William Ewart Gladstone | 4 years, 54 days | Appointment of Arthur Balfour | 2 |
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12 Jul 1902 | 22 Aug 1903 | Appointment of Arthur Balfour | 1 year, 41 days | Death of Lord Salisbury | 3 |
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22 Aug 1903 | 5 Dec 1905 | Death of Lord Salisbury | 2 years, 105 days | Appointment of Henry Campbell-Bannerman | 2 |
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5 Dec 1905 | 5 Apr 1908 | Appointment of Henry Campbell-Bannerman | 2 years, 122 days | Appointment of H. H. Asquith | 3 |
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5 Apr 1908 | 22 Apr 1908 | Appointment of H. H. Asquith | 17 days | Death of Henry Campbell-Bannerman | 4 |
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22 Apr 1908 | 6 Dec 1916 | Death of Henry Campbell-Bannerman | 8 years, 228 days | Appointment of David Lloyd George | 3 |
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6 Dec 1916 | 23 Oct 1922 | Appointment of David Lloyd George | 5 years, 321 days | Appointment of Bonar Law | 4 |
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23 Oct 1922 | 22 May 1923 | Appointment of Bonar Law | 211 days | Appointment of Stanley Baldwin | 5 |
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22 May 1923 | 30 Oct 1923 | Appointment of Stanley Baldwin | 161 days | Death of Bonar Law | 6 |
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30 Oct 1923 | 22 Jan 1924 | Death of Bonar Law | 84 days | Appointment of Ramsay MacDonald | 5 |
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22 Jan 1924 | 15 Feb 1928 | Appointment of Ramsay MacDonald | 4 years, 24 days | Death of H. H. Asquith | 6 |
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15 Feb 1928 | 21 May 1929 | Death of H. H. Asquith | 1 year, 95 days | Death of Lord Rosebery | 5 |
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21 May 1929 | 19 Mar 1930 | Death of Lord Rosebery | 302 days | Death of Arthur Balfour | 4 |
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19 Mar 1930 | 28 May 1937 | Death of Arthur Balfour | 7 years, 70 days | Appointment of Neville Chamberlain | 3 |
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28 May 1937 | 9 Nov 1937 | Appointment of Neville Chamberlain | 165 days | Death of Ramsay MacDonald | 4 |
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9 Nov 1937 | 10 May 1940 | Death of Ramsay MacDonald | 2 years, 183 days | Appointment of Winston Churchill | 3 |
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10 May 1940 | 9 Nov 1940 | Appointment of Winston Churchill | 183 days | Death of Neville Chamberlain | 4 |
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9 Nov 1940 | 26 Mar 1945 | Death of Neville Chamberlain | 4 years, 137 days | Death of David Lloyd George | 3 |
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26 Mar 1945 | 26 Jul 1945 | Death of David Lloyd George | 122 days | Appointment of Clement Attlee | 2 |
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26 Jul 1945 | 14 Dec 1947 | Appointment of Clement Attlee | 2 years, 141 days | Death of Stanley Baldwin | 3 |
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14 Dec 1947 | 6 Apr 1955 | Death of Stanley Baldwin | 7 years, 113 days | Appointment of Anthony Eden | 2 |
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6 Apr 1955 | 10 Jan 1957 | Appointment of Anthony Eden | 1 year, 279 days | Appointment of Harold Macmillan | 3 |
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10 Jan 1957 | 19 Oct 1963 | Appointment of Harold Macmillan | 6 years, 282 days | Appointment of Lord Home | 4 |
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19 Oct 1963 | 16 Oct 1964 | Appointment of Lord Home | 363 days | Appointment of Harold Wilson | 5 |
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16 Oct 1964 | 24 Jan 1965 | Appointment of Harold Wilson | 100 days | Death of Winston Churchill | 6 |
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24 Jan 1965 | 8 Oct 1967 | Death of Winston Churchill | 2 years, 257 days | Death of Clement Attlee | 5 |
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8 Oct 1967 | 19 Jun 1970 | Death of Clement Attlee | 2 years, 254 days | Appointment of Edward Heath | 4 |
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19 Jun 1970 | 5 Apr 1976 | Appointment of Edward Heath | 5 years, 291 days | Appointment of James Callaghan | 5 |
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5 Apr 1976 | 14 Jan 1977 | Appointment of James Callaghan | 284 days | Death of Anthony Eden | 6 |
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14 Jan 1977 | 4 May 1979 | Death of Anthony Eden | 2 years, 110 days | Appointment of Margaret Thatcher | 5 |
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4 May 1979 | 29 Dec 1986 | Appointment of Margaret Thatcher | 7 years, 239 days | Death of Harold Macmillan | 6 |
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29 Dec 1986 | 28 Nov 1990 | Death of Harold Macmillan | 3 years, 334 days | Appointment of John Major | 5 |
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28 Nov 1990 | 24 May 1995 | Appointment of John Major | 4 years, 177 days | Death of Harold Wilson | 6 |
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24 May 1995 | 9 Oct 1995 | Death of Harold Wilson | 138 days | Death of Lord Home | 5 |
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9 Oct 1995 | 2 May 1997 | Death of Lord Home | 1 year, 205 days | Appointment of Tony Blair | 4 |
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2 May 1997 | 26 Mar 2005 | Appointment of Tony Blair | 7 years, 328 days | Death of James Callaghan | 5 |
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26 Mar 2005 | 17 Jul 2005 | Death of James Callaghan | 113 days | Death of Edward Heath | 4 |
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17 Jul 2005 | 27 Jun 2007 | Death of Edward Heath | 1 year, 345 days | Appointment of Gordon Brown | 3 |
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27 Jun 2007 | 11 May 2010 | Appointment of Gordon Brown | 2 years, 318 days | Appointment of David Cameron | 4 |
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11 May 2010 | 8 Apr 2013 | Appointment of David Cameron | 2 years, 332 days | Death of Margaret Thatcher | 5 |
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8 Apr 2013 | 13 Jul 2016 | Death of Margaret Thatcher | 3 years, 96 days | Appointment of Theresa May | 4 |
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13 Jul 2016 | 24 Jul 2019 | Appointment of Theresa May | 3 years, 11 days | Appointment of Boris Johnson | 5 |
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24 Jul 2019 | Present | Appointment of Boris Johnson | 1 year, 197 days | Present | 6 |
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Statistics
Living as of February 2021
Miscellaneous
- There have been four men who have been the only living Prime Minister: Sir Robert Walpole (as the first, from April 1721 to February 1742), Henry Pelham (from Walpole's death in March 1745 to March 1754), the Duke of Newcastle (from Newcastle's appointment in March 1754 to November 1756) and William Ewart Gladstone (from Benjamin Disraeli's death in April 1881 to June 1885).
- During eleven periods in the history of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from 1801 to present, there have been six persons alive to have been Prime Minister. Such periods include: from October to November 1768 (when Newcastle, Lord Bute, George Grenville, Lord Rockingham, Lord Chatham and the Duke of Grafton were alive); from January to November 1770 (when Bute, George Grenville, Rockingham, Chatham, Grafton and Lord North were alive); from December 1783 to March 1792 (when Bute, Grafton, North, Lord Shelburne, the Duke of Portland and William Pitt were alive); from December 1834 to February 1844 (when Henry Addington, Lord Goderich, the Duke of Wellington, Lord Grey, Lord Melbourne and Sir Robert Peel were alive); from May to October 1923 (when Lord Rosebery, Arthur Balfour, H. H. Asquith, David Lloyd George, Bonar Law and Stanley Baldwin were alive); from January 1924 to February 1928 (when Rosebery, Balfour, Asquith, Lloyd George, Baldwin and Ramsay MacDonald were alive); from October 1964 to January 1965 (when Winston Churchill, Clement Attlee, Sir Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Sir Alec Douglas-Home and Harold Wilson were alive); from April 1976 to January 1977 (when Eden, Macmillan, Home, Wilson, Edward Heath and James Callaghan were alive); from May 1979 to December 1986 (when Macmillan, Home, Wilson, Heath, Callaghan and Margaret Thatcher were alive); from November 1990 to May 1995 (when Home, Wilson, Heath, Callaghan, Thatcher and John Major were alive). The eleventh and most recent period is ongoing since July 2019 (when Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson are still alive). Of these periods, the earliest two and the most recent three consisted of each Prime Minister appointed consecutively. The longest period where there have been six living prime ministers was 9 years and 67 days, ending with the death of Addington in February 1844.
- There has been only one period where there has been no living prime minister – in March 1754 following Pelham's death on 6 March to Newcastle's appointment on 16 March.
- Newcastle was the only person to be both the only living Prime Minister (from March 1754 to November 1756) and one of the six living prime ministers (from October to November 1768).
- There have been 22 premierships during which a Prime Minister has not died, the most recent being Theresa May's premiership. This does not include the premierships of Lord Wilmington, Rockingham and George Canning (who were themselves the only prime ministers to die during their premierships), nor the premiership of incumbent Boris Johnson (as no Prime Minister has died since Thatcher, who died during David Cameron's premiership). Conversely, only twice (during the premierships of Pitt the Younger and Baldwin) has there been as many as three deaths during a premiership. (This does not count Spencer Perceval's premiership, whose own death was the third during his ministry.) The longest streak of premierships without a prime ministerial death is three, which has happened twice: no Prime Minister died during the premierships of Newcastle, the Duke of Devonshire or Bute; nor would a Prime Minister die during the premierships of Eden, Macmillan or Douglas-Home. If one were to include the multiple terms served by each Prime Minister that had been in office more than once, the record is five: no Prime Minister died during Salisbury's first ministry, Gladstone's third ministry, Salisbury's second ministry, Gladstone's fourth ministry or during the premiership of Rosebery.
- Because he was the first Prime Minister, and the fact that he served for more than twenty years, Walpole holds the distinction of serving over the longest period during which no prime ministers died. The second longest term without a death of a Prime Minister would be that of Lord Liverpool who served almost fifteen years in office. In recent years, the Prime Minister who served the longest without a death during his term was Macmillan, who served for almost seven years in office.
- The longest period between deaths of prime ministers was the 17 years and 41 days between the deaths of Baldwin on 14 December 1947 and Churchill on 24 January 1965. The shortest was the 113 days between the deaths of Callaghan on 26 March 2005 and Heath on 17 July 2005.
- If the longest period between deaths is to be exceeded, no Prime Minister must die before 19 May 2030 (the current oldest and second oldest surviving prime ministers, Major and Brown, would then be 87 and 79 years old respectively).
- The second longest was the 17 years and 30 days between the deaths of Disraeli on 19 April 1881 and Gladstone on 19 May 1898.
- Only three times (in 1792, 1995 and 2005) have there been two prime ministers dying in the same year.
- Following his premiership's end in 1804, Addington lived to see a record 14 premierships prior to his death in February 1844. Goderich follows with 12 premierships after his own premiership ended in 1828, prior to his death in January 1859. In modern times, the Prime Minister to have lived to see the most premierships following their own was Lloyd George, with eight following the end of his premiership in 1922.
- If one includes future as well as past and current prime ministers, the record sits at nineteen:
- Between Disraeli's birth on 21 December 1804 and Shelburne's death on 7 May 1805, the following prime ministers were alive: Grafton, Shelburne, Portland, Pitt, Addington, Lord Grenville, Perceval, Liverpool, Canning, Goderich, Wellington, Grey, Melbourne, Peel, Lord John Russell, Lord Derby, Lord Aberdeen, Lord Palmerston and Disraeli.
- Since 6 April 1955 (a period of 65 years, 306 days), there have been at least three living prime ministers, and since 23 June 1885 (a period of 135 years, 228 days), there have been at least 2 living prime ministers.
See also
Notes
- For comparison, the United States has had five periods in which six current or former presidents co-existed.
- Because of the presidential line of succession, the US has had no period where there was no living president.
References
- Englefield, Dermot; et al. (1995), "Comparative Data", Facts About the British Prime Ministers: A Compilation of Biographical and Historical Information, New York: H.W. Wilson Co., pp. 359–363, 415, ISBN 978-0-8242-0863-9
- "Past Prime Ministers", number10.gov.uk, archived from the original on 25 August 2008