Ministerial role

Leader of the House of Commons

Responsibilities

The Leader of the House is responsible for delivery of the government’s legislative programme and chairs the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Cabinet Committee.

The role involves managing the business of the House of Commons in close cooperation with the Chief Whip, making a weekly business statement to the House and facilitating motions and debate in the Chamber.

The Leader of the House acts as the government’s representative in the House (by statute sitting on the House of Commons Commission, Public Accounts Commission, and the Speaker’s Committee on the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority); and as the House’s representative in government, including by contributing to the civil service’s efforts to build parliamentary capability and by taking up members’ requests for help on ministerial correspondence and questions.

The Leader of the House also sits on the Members Estimate Committee.

Current role holder

The Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP

Penny Mordaunt was appointed Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons on 6 September 2022.

Previously she was Minister of State at the Department for International Trade from 16 September 2021 to 6 September 2022. She was the department’s ministerial disability champion.

Penny has been a Member of Parliament since 2010.

Her previous positions include:

  • Paymaster General (2020), leading resilience work overhauling how the UK prepares and responds to threats and has bolstered the UKs defensive cyber security
  • Secretary of State for Defence (2019), the first woman to hold the post
  • Secretary of State for International Development (2017)
  • Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work (2016)
  • Minister for the Armed Forces (2015), the first woman to hold this position
  • Minister of Local Government (2014)

She is also a former Governor at the World Bank.

More about this person

Previous holders of this role

  1. The Rt Hon Mark Spencer MP

    2022 to 2022

  2. The Rt Hon Jacob Rees-Mogg MP

    2019 to 2022

  3. The Rt Hon Mel Stride MP

    2019 to 2019

  4. The Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP

    2017 to 2019

  5. The Rt Hon David Lidington CBE

    2016 to 2017

  6. The Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP

    2015 to 2016

  7. The Rt Hon William Hague

    2014 to 2015