Eden ministry

Following the resignation of Winston Churchill in April 1955, Anthony Eden, then-Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, took over as Leader of the Conservative Party, and thus became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Upon assuming office, Eden asked Queen Elizabeth II to dissolve parliament and called a general election for May 1955.[1] After winning the general election with a majority of 60 seats in the House of Commons, Eden governed until his resignation on 10 January 1957.[2]

Eden ministry
1955–1957
Eden (1945)
Date formed	6 April 1955 (1955-04-06)
Date dissolved	9 January 1957 (1957-01-09)
People and organisations
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Sir Anthony Eden
Deputy Prime Minister	[note 1]
Total no. of members	132 appointments
Member party	Conservative Party
Status in legislature	Majority
Opposition party	Labour Party
Opposition leader	Clement Attlee (1955) Hugh Gaitskell (1955–1957)
History
Election(s)	1955 general election
Legislature term(s)	40th UK Parliament 41st UK Parliament
Predecessor	Third Churchill ministry
Successor	First Macmillan ministry

History

Formation

In April 1955, Sir Anthony Eden succeeded Winston Churchill as Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and finally reached the post he had coveted for so long. The original composition of Eden's cabinet was remarkable for the fact that ten out of the original eighteen members were Old Etonians: Eden, Salisbury, Crookshank, Macmillan, Home, Stuart, Thorneycroft, Heathcoat Amory, Sandys and Peake were all educated at Eton College.

He initially retained Rab Butler, with whom he did not get along, as Chancellor of the Exchequer. At the first cabinet reshuffle in December 1955, Eden demoted him to Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons. Eden was succeeded as Foreign Secretary by future Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, who, however, only held this post until December of the same year, when he replaced Butler as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Selwyn Lloyd gained his first cabinet post when he succeeded Macmillan as Minister of Defence in April 1955, and again replaced Macmillan as Foreign Secretary in December of that year. Another future Prime Minister, the Earl of Home, entered the cabinet as Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations in 1955. Gwilym Lloyd George, younger son of former Liberal leader David Lloyd George, remained as Home Secretary.

Fate

Eden's decision to take military action over the Suez Crisis of 1956 caused major embarrassment for Britain and their French allies. Eden, then already in declining health, resigned as Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party in January 1957. Harold Macmillan was chosen over Rab Butler to succeed as party leader and Prime Minister.

Cabinet

Eden Cabinet[3] []

Portfolio	Minister	Term
Cabinet ministers
Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury	The Rt Hon. Sir Anthony Eden KG MC MP	1955–57
Lord Chancellor	The Rt Hon. The Lord Kilmuir GCVO PC QC	1955–57
Lord President of the Council Leader of the House of Lords	The Rt Hon. The Lord Salisbury CH PC	1955–57
Lord Privy Seal Leader of the House of Commons	The Rt Hon. Harry Crookshank MP	Apr–Dec 1955
	The Rt Hon. R. A. Butler CH MP	Dec 1955–57
Chancellor of the Exchequer Second Lord of the Treasury	The Rt Hon. R. A. Butler CH MP	Apr–Dec 1955
	The Rt Hon. Harold Macmillan MP	Dec 1955–57
Foreign Secretary	The Rt Hon. Harold Macmillan MP	Apr–Dec 1955
	The Rt Hon. Selwyn Lloyd CBE QC MP	Dec 1955–57
Secretary of State for the Home Department	The Rt Hon. Gwilym Lloyd George TD MP	1955–57
Colonial Secretary	The Rt Hon. Alan Lennox-Boyd DL MP	1955–57
Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations	The Rt Hon. The Earl Home PC	1955–57
President of the Board of Trade	The Rt Hon. Peter Thorneycroft MP	1955–57
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	The Rt Hon. The Lord Woolton CH PC	Apr–Dec 1955
	The Rt Hon. The Lord Selkirk AFC AE PC	Dec 1955–57
Minister of Education	The Rt Hon. Sir David Eccles KCVO MP	1955–57
Secretary of State for Scotland	The Rt Hon. James Stuart MP	1955–57
Minister of Agriculture	The Rt Hon. Derick Heathcoat-Amory MP	1955–57
Minister of Labour and National Service	The Rt Hon. Sir Walter Turner Monckton GCVO KCMG MC MP	Apr–Dec 1955
	The Rt Hon. Ian Macleod MP	Dec 1955–57
Minister of Defence	The Rt Hon. Selwyn Lloyd CBE QC MP	Apr–Dec 1955
	The Rt Hon. Sir Walter Turner Monckton GCVO KCMG MC MP	Dec 1955–56
	The Rt Hon. Antony Henry Head MC MP	Oct 1956–57
Minister of Housing and Local Government	The Rt Hon. Duncan Sandys MP	1955–57
Minister of Pensions and National Insurance	The Rt Hon. Osbert Peake MP	Apr–Dec 1955
Minister of Public Works	The Rt Hon. Patrick Buchan-Hepburn MP	Dec 1955–57
HM Paymaster General	The Rt Hon. Sir Walter Turner Monckton GCVO KCMG MC MP	Oct 1956–57

Changes

20 December 1955 reshuffle

• Rab Butler succeeded Harry Crookshank as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons.
• Harold Macmillan succeeded Butler as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
• Selwyn Lloyd succeeded Macmillan as Foreign Secretary.
• Sir Walter Monckton succeeded Lloyd as Minister of Defence.
• Iain Macleod succeeded Monckton as Minister of Labour and National Service.
• Lord Selkirk succeeds Lord Woolton as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
• The Minister of Public Works, Patrick Buchan-Hepburn, entered the cabinet
• Osbert Peake retired and his successor as Minister of Pensions and National Insurance was not in the cabinet.

19 October 1956

• In October 1956, Sir Walter Monckton became Paymaster-General, a post which had been vacant since Lord Selkirk's promotion to Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
• Antony Henry Head succeeded Monckton as Minister of Defence.

List of Ministers[3]

Members of the Cabinet are in bold face.

Office	Name	Dates
Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury	Sir Anthony Eden	6 April 1955 –  9 January 1957
Lord Chancellor	The Viscount Kilmuir	April 1955
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Lords	The Marquess of Salisbury	April 1955
Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons	Harry Crookshank	April 1955
	R. A. Butler	20 December 1955
Chancellor of the Exchequer	R. A. Butler	April 1955
	Harold Macmillan	20 December 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury	Patrick Buchan-Hepburn	April 1955
	Edward Heath	30 December 1955
Financial Secretary to the Treasury	Henry Brooke	April 1955
Economic Secretary to the Treasury	Sir Edward Boyle	7 April 1955
	Derek Walker-Smith	11 November 1956
Lords of the Treasury	Edward Heath	April 1955 –  20 December 1955
	Hendrie Oakshott	April 1955 –  13 June 1955
	Martin Redmayne	April 1955 –  9 January 1957
	Richard Thompson	April 1955 –  8 April 1956
	Gerard Wills	April 1955 –  9 January 1957
	Hon. Peter Legh	13 June 1955 –  9 January 1957
	Edward Wakefield	24 January 1956 –  9 January 1957
	Harwood Harrison	8 April 1956 –  9 January 1957
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	Harold Macmillan	7 April 1955
	Selwyn Lloyd	20 December 1955
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs	Marquess of Reading	April 1955 –  9 January 1957
	Anthony Nutting	April 1955 –  3 November 1956
	Allan Noble	9 November 1956 –  9 January 1957
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	Robin Turton	April 1955 –  20 December 1955
	Douglas Dodds-Parker	20 December 1955 –  9 January 1957
	Lord John Hope	April 1955 –  9 November 1956
	Hon. David Ormsby-Gore	9 November 1956 –  9 January 1957
Secretary of State for the Home Department and Welsh Affairs	Hon. Gwilym Lloyd-George	April 1955
Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department	Sir Hugh Lucas-Tooth	April 1955 –  20 December 1955
	The Lord Mancroft	April 1955 –  9 January 1957
First Lord of the Admiralty	James Thomas[lower-alpha 1]	April 19551
	The Viscount Hailsham	2 September 1956
Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty	Allan Noble	April 1955
	Hon. George Ward	20 December 1955
Civil Lord of the Admiralty	Simon Wingfield Digby	April 1955
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries	Derick Heathcoat-Amory[lower-alpha 2]	April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries	Richard Nugent	April 1955 –  9 January 1957
	The Earl St Aldwyn	April 1955 –  9 January 1957
	Harmar Nicholls	7 April 1955 –  9 January 1957
	William Deedes	20 December 1955 –  9 January 1957
Secretary of State for Air	The Lord de L'Isle and Dudley	April 1955
	Nigel Birch	20 December 1955
Under-Secretary of State for Air	Hon. George Ward	April 1955
	Christopher Soames	20 December 1955
Secretary of State for the Colonies	Alan Lennox-Boyd	April 1955
Minister of State for the Colonies	Henry Hopkinson	April 1955
	John Hare	20 December 1955
	John Maclay	18 October 1956
Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies	The Lord Lloyd	April 1955
Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations	The Earl of Home	7 April 1955
Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations	Douglas Dodds-Parker	April 1955
	Allan Noble	20 December 1955
	Lord John Hope	9 November 1956
Minister of Defence	Selwyn Lloyd	7 April 1955
	Sir Walter Monckton	20 December 1955
	Anthony Head	18 October 1956
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence	The Lord Carrington	April 1955
	The Earl of Gosford	26 May 1956
Minister of Education	Sir David Eccles	April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Education	Dennis Vosper	April 1955
Minister of Food	Derick Heathcoat-Amory[lower-alpha 3]	April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Food	Charles Hill	April 1955
Minister of Fuel and Power	Geoffrey Lloyd	April 1955
	Aubrey Jones	20 December 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fuel and Power	Hon. Lancelot Joynson-Hicks	April 1955
	David Lockhart-Mure Renton	20 December 1955
Minister of Health	Iain Macleod	April 1955
	Robin Turton	20 December 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health	Patricia Hornsby-Smith	April 1955
Minister of Housing and Local Government	Duncan Sandys	April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Local Government	William Deedes	April 1955
	Enoch Powell	20 December 1955
Minister of Labour and National Service	Sir Walter Monckton	April 1955
	Iain Macleod	20 December 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour	Harold Watkinson	April 1955
	Robert Carr	20 December 1955
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	The Lord Woolton	April 1955
	The Earl of Selkirk	20 December 1955
Minister without Portfolio	The Earl of Munster	April 1955 –  8 January 1957
Paymaster General	Earl of Selkirk	April 1955
	Vacant	20 December 1955
	Sir Walter Monckton	18 October 1956
Minister of Pensions	Osbert Peake	April 1955
	John Boyd-Carpenter	20 December 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Pensions	John George Smyth	April 1955 –  20 December 1955
	Ernest Marples	April 1955 –  20 December 1955
	Edith Pitt	20 December 1955 –  9 January 1957
	Hon. Richard Wood	20 December 1955 –  9 January 1957
Postmaster-General	Charles Hill	7 April 1955
Assistant Postmaster-General	David Gammans	April 1955
	Cuthbert Alport	20 December 1955
Secretary of State for Scotland	Hon. James Stuart	April 1955
Minister of State for Scotland	Tom Galbraith[lower-alpha 4]	7 April 1955
Under-Secretary of State for Scotland	William McNair Snadden	April 1955 –  3 June 1955
	James Henderson Stewart	April 1955 –  9 January 1957
	Jack Nixon Browne	7 April 1955 –  9 January 1957
	Niall Macpherson	13 June 1955 –  9 January 1957
Minister of Supply	Reginald Maudling	7 April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Supply	Frederick Erroll	7 April 1955
	Ian Harvey	11 November 1956
President of the Board of Trade	Peter Thorneycroft	April 1955
Minister of State for Trade	Derick Heathcoat-Amory	April 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade	Donald Kaberry	7 April 1955
	Derek Walker-Smith	19 October 1955
	Frederick Erroll	11 November 1956
Minister of Transport	John Boyd-Carpenter	April 1955
	Harold Watkinson	20 December 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport	John Profumo	April 1955 –  9 January 1957
	High Molson	April 1955 –  9 January 1957
Secretary of State for War	Anthony Head	April 1955
	Hon. John Hare	18 October 1956
Under-Secretary of State and Financial Secretary for War	Fitzroy Maclean	April 1955
Minister of Works	Nigel Birch	April 1955
	Patrick Buchan-Hepburn	20 December 1955
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Works	Reginald Bevins	April 1955
Attorney General	Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller	April 1955
Solicitor General	Sir Harry Hylton-Foster	April 1955
Lord Advocate	William Rankine Milligan	April 1955
Solicitor General for Scotland	William Grant	April 1955
Treasurer of the Household	Cedric Drewe[lower-alpha 5]	April 1955
	Tam Galbraith	13 June 1955
Comptroller of the Household	Tam Galbraith	April 1955
	Hendrie Oakshott	13 June 1955
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household	Henry Studholme	April 1955
	Richard Thompson	8 April 1956
Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms	The Earl Fortescue	April 1955
Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard	The Earl of Onslow	April 1955
Lords in Waiting	The Lord Hawke	April 1955 –  9 January 1957
	The Lord Fairfax of Cameron	April 1955 –  9 January 1957
	The Lord Chesham	April 1955 –  9 January 1957

Notes

1. Viscount Cilcennin.
2. Combined with Minister of Food.
3. Combined with Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries.
4. Created Baron Strathclyde in 1955.
5. Knighted.

References

Notes

1. Rab Butler did not acquire the title of Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom under Eden. He did however serve as Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party.

Sources

1. Rothwell, Victor (1992). Anthony Eden: A Political Biography, 1931-57. Manchester University Press. pp. 165–66. ISBN 9780719032424.
2. Johnston, Robert Lowell (1963). The Prime Ministership of Sir Anthony Eden: A Study of the Man and the Office. University of California. p. 431.
3. David Butler; Gareth Butler (2016). Twentieth-Century British Political Facts, 1900-2000. Springer. p. 24. ISBN 134962733X.

Preceded by Third Churchill ministry	Government of the United Kingdom 1955–1957	Succeeded by First Macmillan ministry