Ministerial role

Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs

Organisations: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Current role holder: The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP

Responsibilities

The Secretary of State has overall responsibility for all Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office business, including:

  • overarching responsibility for FCDO and ministerial team
  • foreign policy
  • National Security Council
  • intelligence policy
  • honours

Current role holder

The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP

Yvette Cooper was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on 5 September 2025. She was previously Secretary of State for the Home Department from 5 July 2024 to 5 September 2025.

She was elected as the MP for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley in July 2024.

More about this person

Previous holders of this role

  1. The Rt Hon David Lammy MP

    2024 to 2025

  2. The Rt Hon Lord Cameron

    2023 to 2024

  3. The Rt Hon James Cleverly MP

    2022 to 2023

  4. The Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss

    2021 to 2022

  5. The Rt Hon Dominic Raab

    2020 to 2021