Secretary of State for International Trade
The Secretary of State for International Trade, also referred to as the International Trade Secretary,[1] is a senior Minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of the Department for International Trade. The office forms part of the British Cabinet. Since it was created, the International Trade Secretary also holds the office of President of the Board of Trade in conjunction.[2][3]
 Secretary of State for International Trade | |
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| Department for International Trade | |
| Style | International Trade Secretary (informal) The Right Honourable (UK and the Commonwealth) |
| Status | Minister of the Crown |
| Member of | Cabinet Privy Council Board of Trade |
| Reports to | The Prime Minister |
| Seat | Westminster |
| Appointer | The Crown on advice of the Prime Minister |
| Term length | At Her Majesty's Pleasure |
| Formation | 13 July 2016 |
| First holder | Liam Fox |
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| Part of a series of articles on |
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Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union Glossary of terms |
 EU portal · UK portal |
The current Secretary of State for International Trade is Liz Truss, MP since her appointment by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in February 2020.
Responsibilities
Corresponding to what is generally known as a commerce minister in many other countries, the International Trade Secretary's remit includes:
- Forming new Free trade agreements of the United Kingdom
- Managing the development of freeports across Britain
- Maintaining current trade agreements with other countries
- Supporting British businesses with international trade[4]
History
The office was created by Prime Minister Theresa May shortly after she took office on 13 July 2016, following the 2016 EU referendum. The office's powers were taken from the trade functions of the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills,[5] which was recreated as the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy[6] as part of a wider government reorganisation.
List of Secretaries of State for International Trade
Colour key (for political parties):
Conservative
| Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Length of term | Party | Ministry | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
The Right Honourable Liam Fox MP for North Somerset (born 1961) |
13 July 2016 |
24 July 2019 |
3 years and 11 days | Conservative | May I | |
| | May II | ||||||
 |
The Right Honourable Liz Truss MP for South West Norfolk (born 1975) |
24 July 2019 |
Incumbent | 1 year, 6 months and 16 days* | Conservative | Johnson I | |
| Johnson II | |||||||
* Incumbent's length of term last updated: 9 February 2021.
See also
References
- "International Trade Secretary WTO address". GOV.UK. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
International Trade Secretary Liz Truss' first WTO address, at the International Chamber of Commerce Global Dialogue on Trade Reform
- "Liam Fox ridiculed for being only member of new UK board of trade". The Guardian. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
- "Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade". GOV.UK. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/secretary-of-state-for-international-trade
- The Secretaries of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for International Trade and for Exiting the European Union and the Transfer of Functions (Education and Skills) Order 2016 Article 9(1).
- The Secretaries of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for International Trade and for Exiting the European Union and the Transfer of Functions (Education and Skills) Order 2016 Article 3.
External links