Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

The deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom is an honorific title given to a minister of the Crown and a member of the British Cabinet, normally to signify a very senior minister, the deputy leader of the governing party, or a key political ally of the prime minister.

It does not entail any specific legal or constitutional responsibilities, though the holder will normally be assigned some duties by the prime minister and in recent times this has typically always included deputising for the prime minister in the House of Commons, domestically and abroad. Appointment to the position is usually paired with appointment to a departmental secretary of state position. The title is not always in use and prime ministers have been known to appoint deputies with title first secretary of state or informal deputies without any honorific title.

The office is currently vacant, and was most recently held by David Lammy who served under Keir Starmer from 5 September 2025 until 20 July 2026. Lammy succeeded Starmer's first deputy, Angela Rayner, in a cabinet reshuffle following her resignation due to her involvement in a tax scandal.