Appointer Elizabeth II Formation 3 October 2008 Abolished 14 July 2016 | Inaugural holder Ed Miliband Final holder Amber Rudd | |
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Style The Right Honourable
(Formal prefix)
Energy Secretary | ||
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change was a British government cabinet position from 2008 to 2016. The Department for Energy and Climate Change was created on 3 October 2008 when former Prime Minister Gordon Brown reshuffled his Cabinet.
The Energy and Climate Change Secretary revived the earlier post of the Secretary of State for Energy as head of the Department of Energy, existing from 1974 to 1992. After which, the Department of Energy was merged into the Department of Trade and Industry under the Conservative government of Sir John Major in 1992.
Sixteen years later, and immediately prior to the creation of the new department, energy policy was the responsibility of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (itself now a defunct government department, superseded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills).
In 2010, Lord Marland was made Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State.
On 3 February 2012, Chris Huhne resigned from the post after it was announced that he would be prosecuted for perverting the course of justice, in relation to accusations that he passed on speeding penalties to his ex-wife to avoid losing his own licence. The post was taken over by Ed Davey on the same day.
The post was formed into the new Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in July 2016.
Secretaries of State
Colour key
Conservative Labour Liberal Democrats