Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury | |
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Royal Arms as used by Her Majesty's Government
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| HM Treasury | |
| Appointer | The British Monarch on advice of the Prime Minister |
| Inaugural holder | Sir Philip Warwick |
| Formation | 1660 |
| Website | HM Treasury |
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury is a junior ministerial position in the British Government. However, the office is now attached to the Treasury in name only. The holder is usually the Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons. The office can be seen as a sinecure, allowing the Chief Whip to draw a government salary, attend Cabinet, and use a Downing Street residence.
The incumbent as of July 2016 is Gavin Williamson MP.
The position of Secretary to the Treasury was created in 1660. Until 1711 there was only one Secretary to the Treasury however in 1711 to help deal with the increasing workload a second position was created this new position was known as the Junior Secretary to the Treasury while the existing post was known as the Senior Secretary to the Treasury. Initially when the position of Senior Secretary to the Treasury became vacant not as the result of an election of change of government the Junior Secretary was usually automatically promoted to the senior role. Over time however, the roles of the Senior and Junior Secretaries began to diverge with the Senior Secretary post being used as a sinecure post for the Chief Whip, with no formal responsibilities to the Treasury. The Junior Secretary however remained a substantive position working in the Treasury. As such the Senior Secretary became known as the 'Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury' while the Junior Secretary became known as the 'Financial Secretary to the Treasury' and the 'automatic' promotion from Junior to Senior ceased. While the exact date this change occurred is disputed it is agreed that by 1830 the distinction was complete.
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