First Secretary of State

First Secretary of State is an office that is sometimes held by a minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom held by the most senior secretary of state. The office is not always in use, but is usually the designated deputy of the prime minister making them the second highest ranking minister, unless a Deputy Prime Minister has been appointed.

The office frequently serves the same political functions as that of Deputy Prime Minister, and while there have been occasions when the two titles have existed at the same time, Prime Ministers historically have tended to designate one or the other (or neither). As of July 2026, the office is held by Louise Haigh, last having been held by Dominic Raab from 2019 to 2021, which ended when the title was swapped for Deputy Prime Minister in 2021.