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Fact File: British Prime Ministers
Nick Arnott
April 25, 2025 • 7 minutes
Category:
Brain Health
Fact File: British Prime Ministers
Our latest fact file covers British Prime Ministers. Learn these facts and you’ll soon be shouting the correct answers at the TV when watching your favourite quiz show!
General Facts
There have been 58 prime ministers in total including the current one Keir Starmer. Below are some interesting facts about them all.
Robert Walpole was the first and longest serving British Prime Minister leading for over 20 years from 1721.
The shortest serving was Liz Truss in 2022 for just 44 days.
Official PM residence is 10 Downing Street and Chequers (Buckinghamshire) is the country house.
William Pitt the Younger became Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 making him the youngest.
William Ewart Gladstone was 84 when he began his final term as PM in 1892, making him the oldest PM.
Spencer Perceval remains the only British Prime Minister to be assassinated, shot in the House of Commons in 1812.
Listing of 20th and 21st Century Prime Ministers
Prime Minister | Term(s) in Office | Party |
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil | 1895-1902 | Conservative |
Marquess of Salisbury - Oversaw the latter part of the Second Boer War and British Empire expansion. | ||
Arthur Balfour | 1902-1905 | Conservative |
Introduced the Education Act 1902 reforming secondary education. | ||
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman | 1905-1908 | Liberal |
Initiated social reforms and self-government in Transvaal and Orange River Colony. | ||
H. H. Asquith | 1908-1916 | Liberal |
Introduced the National Insurance Act 1911; led Britain into WWI. | ||
David Lloyd George | 1916-1922 | Liberal |
Led Britain to victory in WWI; key in Treaty of Versailles negotiations. | ||
Andrew Bonar Law | 1922-1923 | Conservative |
Managed post-war economic challenges; Irish Free State establishment. | ||
Stanley Baldwin | 1923-1924, 1924-1929, 1935-1937 | Conservative |
Addressed the General Strike 1926; handled abdication crisis of Edward VIII. | ||
Ramsay MacDonald | 1924, 1929-1935 | Labour |
First Labour PM; formed National Government during the Great Depression. | ||
Neville Chamberlain | 1937-1940 | Conservative |
Known for appeasement policy; declared war on Germany in 1939. | ||
Winston Churchill | 1940-1945, 1951-1955 | Conservative |
Led Britain to WWII victory; initiated post-war recovery reforms. | ||
Clement Attlee | 1945-1951 | Labour |
Established NHS; nationalized key industries. | ||
Anthony Eden | 1955-1957 | Conservative |
Known for Suez Crisis, leading to resignation. | ||
Harold Macmillan | 1957-1963 | Conservative |
Promoted decolonization; improved UK-US relations. | ||
Alec Douglas-Home | 1963-1964 | Conservative |
Focused on domestic issues. | ||
Harold Wilson | 1964-1970, 1974-1976 | Labour |
Implemented major social reforms, including capital punishment abolition. | ||
Edward Heath | 1970-1974 | Conservative |
Took UK into European Economic Community in 1973. | ||
James Callaghan | 1976-1979 | Labour |
Faced economic challenges and industrial unrest ('Winter of Discontent'). | ||
Margaret Thatcher | 1979-1990 | Conservative |
First female PM; led during Falklands War; implemented free-market policies. | ||
John Major | 1990-1997 | Conservative |
Oversaw Maastricht Treaty; started Northern Ireland peace process. | ||
Tony Blair | 1997-2007 | Labour |
Introduced devolution; involved UK in Iraq War. | ||
Gordon Brown | 2007-2010 | Labour |
Managed UK's response to global financial crisis. | ||
David Cameron | 2010-2016 | Conservative |
Held EU referendum leading to Brexit. | ||
Theresa May | 2016-2019 | Conservative |
Negotiated Brexit terms; faced parliamentary challenges. | ||
Boris Johnson | 2019-2022 | Conservative |
Finalized Brexit; led UK through COVID-19 pandemic. | ||
Liz Truss | 2022 | Conservative |
Shortest-serving PM; resigned amid economic turmoil. | ||
Rishi Sunak | 2022-2024 | Conservative |
First British Asian PM; focused on post-Brexit policies. | ||
Kier Starmer | 2024- | Labour |