Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Responsibilities
The Secretary of State is responsible for the work of the Department of Health and Social Care, including:
- overall financial control and oversight of NHS delivery and performance
- oversight of social care policy
Current role holder
The Rt Hon James Murray MP
James Murray has served as the Member of Parliament for Ealing North since 2019.
He was appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on 14 May 2026. He was previously Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 1 September 2025 to 14 May 2026. 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.
Previous holders of this role
The Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP
2024 to 2026
The Rt Hon Victoria Atkins MP
2023 to 2024
The Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP
2022 to 2023
The Rt Hon Thérèse Coffey
2022 to 2022
The Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP
2022 to 2022
The Rt Hon Sajid Javid
2021 to 2022
The Rt Hon Matt Hancock
2018 to 2021
The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP
2018 to 2018