The Secretary of State for Economic Affairs was briefly an office of Her Majesty's government in the United Kingdom. It was established by

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...

in October 1964. Wilson had been impressed by the six-week experiment of a Minister for Economic Affairs in 1947, an office occupied by

Stafford Cripps Sir Richard Stafford Cripps (24 April 1889 – 21 April 1952) was a British Labour Party politician, barrister, and diplomat. A wealthy lawyer by background, he first entered Parliament at a by-election in 1931, and was one of a handful of La ...

before he was appointed

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

. The office was revived for eight months in 1950 and held by

Hugh Gaitskell Hugh Todd Naylor Gaitskell (9 April 1906 – 18 January 1963) was a British politician who served as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1955 until his death in 1963. An economics lecturer and wartime civil servant, h ...

. After a Conservative victory at the 1951 election,

Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

also appointed a Minister of Economic Affairs, Arthur Salter, in the period 1951–52. Wilson's advisers

Patrick Blackett Patrick Maynard Stuart Blackett, Baron Blackett (18 November 1897 – 13 July 1974) was a British experimental physicist known for his work on cloud chambers, cosmic rays, and paleomagnetism, winning the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1948. ...

and Thomas Balogh advised him to create a new ministry, to be called the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), in order to drive through his economic plan. Wilson wanted to divide the functions of the Treasury in two, in part to reduce its power. The DEA, as it soon became known, would undertake long-term planning of the economy and industry, while the Treasury would determine short-term revenue raising and financial management. The DEA was therefore tasked with the preparation of a National Plan for the economy, which was published in September 1965. Critics of Wilson's approach, including Douglas Jay, suspected the main reason for the Department was to appease

George Brown George Brown may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter * George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist * George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor * G ...

, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. The story (which was true) that Brown finally accepted the job while riding in a taxi with Wilson tended to lend credence to this analysis. Under Brown, the Department had a reasonable degree of influence. However, Brown was moved to the Foreign Office in August 1966, and the two succeeding secretaries of state were not of his rank. The Treasury was able to claw back its power and the Department had become moribund long before it was wound up in 1969. The Department of Economic Affairs was the model for the fictional Department of Administrative Affairs in the television series '' Yes Minister''.

Department of Economic Affairs (1947; 1950 and 1951-52)

Minister for Economic Affairs

Colour key (for political parties):

Department of Economic Affairs (1964–1969)

Secretaries of State for Economic Affairs

Colour key (for political parties):

Ministers of State for Economic Affairs

* Anthony Crosland (20 October 1964 – 22 January 1965) Nominally Economic Secretary to the Treasury until 22 December 1964 *

Austen Albu Austen Harry Albu (21 September 1903 – 23 November 1994) was a British Labour Member of Parliament for Edmonton for 25 years. Personal life Albu was born in London in 1903 to Ferdinand and Beatrice Albu. He was educated at Tonbridge Schoo ...

(27 January 1965 – 7 January 1967) * Thomas Urwin (6 April 1968 – 6 October 1969)

Under-Secretaries of State for Economic Affairs

* Maurice Foley (21 October 1964 – 6 April 1966) * Bill Rodgers (21 October 1964 – 7 January 1967) *

Harold Lever Norman Harold Lever, Baron Lever of Manchester, PC (15 January 19146 August 1995) was a British barrister and Labour Party politician. Early life He was born in Manchester, the son of a Jewish textile merchant from Lithuania, and was educate ...

(7 January 1967 – 29 August 1967) * Peter Shore (7 January 1967 – 29 August 1967) * Alan Williams (29 August 1967 – 6 October 1969) * Edmund Dell (29 August 1967 – 6 April 1968)

References

Source: D. Butler and G. Butler, Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900–2000 {{reflist Economic Affairs Defunct ministerial offices in the United Kingdom 1964 establishments in the United Kingdom 1969 disestablishments in the United Kingdom