Ministerial role

Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Organisations: HM Treasury
Current role holder: James Murray MP

Responsibilities

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (CST) is responsible for public expenditure including spending reviews and strategic planning; in-year spending controls; and driving efficiency and value for money.

Specific areas of focus in relation to public expenditure includes:

  • Treasury’s interest in mission delivery and public service reform (noting that responsibility for the Growth Mission sits with the Chancellor of the Exchequer)

  • Public sector pay

  • Annual Managed Expenditure and welfare spending

  • Tax credits policy

  • Childcare, including tax free childcare

  • Infrastructure spending

  • Digital and technology spending

  • Treasury interest in devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

  • Public Works Loan Board

The CST also has responsibility for capital investment, driving private sector investment in infrastructure and value for money on large national infrastructure projects. This includes being the Treasury lead on housing, planning and infrastructure reform. The CST is the responsible minister for the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority.

Current role holder

James Murray MP

James Murray has served as the Member of Parliament for Ealing North since 2019.

He was appointed as Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 1 September 2025. He previously held the office of Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, having been shadow Financial Secretary for three and a half years before that.

He is a member of the Labour and Co-operative parties and served as the Deputy Mayor of London for Housing and Residential Development from 2016 to 2019.

Prior to being appointed Deputy Mayor, he served as a councillor for a decade, including six years as executive member for housing and development from 2010 to 2016.

Earlier in his career, he worked in a management consultancy.

More about this person

Previous holders of this role

  1. The Rt Hon Darren Jones MP

    2024 to 2025

  2. The Rt Hon Laura Trott MBE MP

    2023 to 2024

  3. The Rt Hon John Glen MP

    2022 to 2023

  4. The Rt Hon Edward Argar MP

    2022 to 2022

  5. The Rt Hon Chris Philp MP

    2022 to 2022

  6. The Rt Hon Simon Clarke

    2021 to 2022

  7. The Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP

    2020 to 2021

  8. The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP

    2019 to 2020

  9. The Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss

    2017 to 2019

  10. The Rt Hon David Gauke

    2016 to 2017

  11. The Rt Hon Greg Hands

    2015 to 2016

  12. The Rt Hon Danny Alexander

    2010 to 2015

  13. The Rt Hon David Laws

    2010 to 2010