Cabinet rank
Encyclopedia
A person who is of Cabinet rank holds a ministerial position in a government. They sit in Cabinet
and form the highest body of leadership in a government.
are the Chancellor
, Foreign Secretary
and Home Secretary
. In that order these 4 positions are referred to as the Great Offices of State
, the most prestigious positions in government. However the high prestige of these positions has not always run with Cabinet rank. In the modern political era Cabinet rank is often a gift of the Prime Minister who releases a list detailing the seniority of all Cabinet ministers. Sometimes positions that one would not expect to be as high ranking as say, the post of Foreign Secretary can in fact be placed higher than a Great Office of State. This is best displayed during the premiership of Gordon Brown
when after a reshuffle of his Cabinet Peter Mandelson
, the Business Secretary was ranked the 3rd most senior minister out of 23 and outranked all Great Offices of State except the Prime Minister himself.
Just as traditionally lower Cabinet jobs can be placed high so can traditionally higher positions be placed low in the rankings such as when Bob Ainsworth
(then Secretary of State for Defence, a very important job) was ranked the 3rd lowest ranking minister in Gordon Brown's Cabinet.
After the UK General Election of 2010 Cabinet rankings have gone back to a more traditional pattern, with the highest ranking ministers being those holding the Great Offices of State and holding quite important posts, for example the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
the ranking of members of the Cabinet forms a part of the presidential line of succession
. Typically more senior members sit closer to the President
when seated in the Cabinet room.
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
and form the highest body of leadership in a government.
United Kingdom
In the UK, tradition holds that the top three Ministers after the Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
are the Chancellor
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
, Foreign Secretary
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
and Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
. In that order these 4 positions are referred to as the Great Offices of State
Great Offices of State
The Great Offices of State in the United Kingdom are the four most senior and prestigious posts in the British parliamentary system of government. They are the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Foreign Secretary and the Home Secretary. Since 11 May 2010 these posts have been...
, the most prestigious positions in government. However the high prestige of these positions has not always run with Cabinet rank. In the modern political era Cabinet rank is often a gift of the Prime Minister who releases a list detailing the seniority of all Cabinet ministers. Sometimes positions that one would not expect to be as high ranking as say, the post of Foreign Secretary can in fact be placed higher than a Great Office of State. This is best displayed during the premiership of Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
when after a reshuffle of his Cabinet Peter Mandelson
Peter Mandelson
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, served in a number of Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and was a European Commissioner...
, the Business Secretary was ranked the 3rd most senior minister out of 23 and outranked all Great Offices of State except the Prime Minister himself.
Just as traditionally lower Cabinet jobs can be placed high so can traditionally higher positions be placed low in the rankings such as when Bob Ainsworth
Bob Ainsworth
Robert William Ainsworth is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Coventry North East since 1992, and was the Secretary of State for Defence from 2009 to 2010...
(then Secretary of State for Defence, a very important job) was ranked the 3rd lowest ranking minister in Gordon Brown's Cabinet.
After the UK General Election of 2010 Cabinet rankings have gone back to a more traditional pattern, with the highest ranking ministers being those holding the Great Offices of State and holding quite important posts, for example the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
United States of America
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
the ranking of members of the Cabinet forms a part of the presidential line of succession
United States presidential line of succession
The United States presidential line of succession defines who may become or act as President of the United States upon the incapacity, death, resignation, or removal from office of a sitting president or a president-elect.- Current order :This is a list of the current presidential line of...
. Typically more senior members sit closer to the President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
when seated in the Cabinet room.