Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union or, informally, Brexit Secretary, was a secretary of state in the

Government of the United Kingdom ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal coat of arms of t ...

, responsible for the business of the Department for Exiting the European Union, as well as for the UK's withdrawal from the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

(EU), informally referred to as "

Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...

". The secretary of state oversaw

Brexit negotiations Between 2017 and 2019, representatives of the United Kingdom and the European Union negotiated the terms for Brexit, the planned withdrawal of the UK from the EU. These negotiations arose following the decision of the Parliament of the United ...

following a 2016 referendum, in which a majority voted in favour of exiting the EU. The officeholder was a member of the

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

. The position was created on 13 July 2016, at the outset of the

premiership of Theresa May Theresa May's term as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom began on 13 July 2016, when she accepted an invitation of Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II to form a government, following 2016 Conservative Party leadership election, the resignat ...

. The office was abolished on 31 January 2020, as the United Kingdom left the European Union. The

Minister of State for Exiting the European Union The Minister of State for Exiting the European Union was a position in the Department for Exiting the European Union in the Government of the United Kingdom. The minister deputised for the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union He ...

deputised for the secretary of state. The corresponding shadow minister was the Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union. The secretary of state was also scrutinised by the

Exiting the European Union Select Committee The Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union, commonly known as the Brexit Select Committee and formerly the Exiting the European Union Select Committee, was a select committee of the British House of Commons that examines matt ...

. This page also includes the portfolios of Chief Negotiator for Exiting the European Union and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union.

History

May reportedly ordered civil servants to find a building to house a new Department for Exiting the European Union, to be headed by the secretary of state. The headquarters of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) at Whitehall Place, which was to be vacated once the DECC was merged into the newly created

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is a department of His Majesty's Government. The department was formed during a machinery of government change on 14 July 2016, following Theresa May's appointment as Prime ...

, was viewed as a potential site for the department. The department later occupied

9 Downing Street 9 Downing Street is one of the buildings situated on Downing Street in the City of Westminster in London, England. It has been used as a separate address to the better known 10 Downing Street since 2001 for various government functions. Histo ...

. The inaugural holder was David Davis MP, a longtime

Eurosceptic Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies, and seek reform ...

who campaigned for the UK to leave the EU. Davis is a former chairman of the Conservative Party who served in the government of John Major as Minister of State for Europe (1994–97) and in the

Shadow Cabinet of David Cameron The list that follows are the Shadow Cabinets led by David Cameron from 2005 to 2010, before he became Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executi ...

as shadow home secretary. Davis resigned on 8 July 2018 shortly before midnight;

Dominic Raab Dominic Rennie Raab (; born 25 February 1974) is a British politician who has served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Secretary of State for Justice, and Lord Chancellor since October 2022, having previously served from 2021 to ...

was appointed on 9 July as his replacement and resigned on 15 November 2018. Steve Barclay, who had been serving as

Minister of State for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate Minister of Mental Health, ministers ...

, was selected as Raab's successor on 16 November 2018.

List of secretaries of state for exiting the European Union (Brexit Secretaries)

Colour key (for political parties):

List of Chief Negotiators for Exiting the European Union

Colour key (for political parties):

List of Ministers of State for Exiting the European Union

List of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for Exiting the European Union

Colour key (for political parties):

References

External links

Davis' resignation letter and May's reply in full, ''BBC News'', 9 July 2018

Department for Exiting the European Union
{{DEFAULTSORT:Secretary Of State For Exiting The European Union 2016 establishments in the United Kingdom 2020 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Brexit Consequences of the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum Lists of government ministers of the United Kingdom Ministerial offices in the United Kingdom Ministers and ministries responsible for European affairs * United Kingdom and the European Union Defunct ministerial offices in the United Kingdom

History

List of secretaries of state for exiting the European Union (Brexit Secretaries)

List of Chief Negotiators for Exiting the European Union

List of Ministers of State for Exiting the European Union

List of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for Exiting the European Union

See also

References

External links