UK Government

The UK Government is led by the Prime Minister and is made up of the following departments:

  • Attorney General's Office (AGO)

  • Cabinet Office (CO)

  • Communities and Local Government (DCLG)

  • Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)

  • Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF)

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)

  • Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)

  • Department for International Development (DfID)

  • Department for Transport (DfT)

  • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

  • Department of Health (DH)

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)

  • Government Equalities Office (GEO)

  • Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT)

  • Home Office (HO)

  • Ministry of Defence (MoD)

  • Ministry of Justice (MoJ)

  • Scotland Office (SO)

  • Wales Office (WO)

  • Northern Ireland Office (NIO)

  • Office of the Leader of the House of Commons

Ministerial Departments are led politically by a Government Minister, normally a member of the Cabinet and cover matters that require direct political oversight. For most Departments, the Government Minister in question is known as a Secretary of State and is a member of the Cabinet. He or she is generally supported by a team of junior Ministers. The administrative management of the Department is led by a senior civil servant known as a Permanent Secretary.

The Cabinet meets on a regular basis, usually weekly on a Tuesday morning notionally to discuss the most important issues of government policy, and to make decisions. The length of meetings vary according to the style of the Prime Minister and political conditions, but today meetings can be as little as 30 minutes in length.

Click here for a list of UK Cabinet members, Departments of State and Ministers.