Leader of the House of Lords

Leader of the House of Lords is a function in the British government that is always held in combination with a formal Cabinet position, most often Lord Privy Seal or Lord President of the Council.

The Leader of the House of Lords takes charge of the government's business in the House, and has some responsibility for determining the order of speakers.

Unless (very rarely) the Leader is also a departmental minister, being Leader constitutes the bulk of his government responsibilities, but it has never been an independent salaried office. The position is of comparatively recent origin, and Prime Ministers who sat in the Lords sometimes carried out its duties personally. The first female Leader of the Lords was Baroness Young in 1981-1983..

Leaders of the House of Lords since 1902

incomplete

• Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire 1902-03
• Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, 6th Earl of Kerry 1903-05
• George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon 1905-08
• Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Earl of Crewe 1908-16
• George Nathaniel Curzon, Earl Curzon of Kedleston (Marquess from 1921) 1916-24
• Lord Parmoor 1924
• George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston 1924-25
• Arthur James Balfour, Earl Balfour 1925-29
• Charles Cripps, 1st Lord Parmoor 1929-31
• ? 1931-35
• Viscount Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax 1935-38
• ? 1938-40
• Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax 1940
• ? 1940-41
• Walter Edward Guinness, Lord Moyne 1941-42
• Robert Arthur James Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne 1942-45
• Viscount Addison 1945-51
• Robert Arthur James Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury 1951-57
• Earl of Home 1957-60
• Quintin McGarel Hogg, 2nd Viscount Hailsham 1960-63
• Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington 1963-64
• Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford 1964-68
• Lord Shackleton 1968-70
• George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe 1970-72
• Lord Windlesham 1972-74
• Malcolm Shepherd, 2nd Lord Shepherd 1974-76
• Fred Peart, Lord Peart of Workington 1976-79
• Arthur Christopher Soames, Lord Soames 1979-81
• Janet Young, Baroness Young of Farnworth 1981-83
• Viscount Whitelaw of Penrith 1983-88
• Lord Belstead 1988-90
• David Waddington, Lord Waddington of Read 1990-92
• John Wakeham, Lord Wakeham of Maldon 1992-94
• Viscount Cranborne 1994-97
• Ivor Richard, Lord Richard of Ammanford 1997-98
• Margaret Jay, Baroness Jay of Paddington 1998-2001
• Gareth Wyn Williams, Lord Williams of Mostyn 2001-03
• Valerie Ann Amos, Baroness Amos 2003 onwards