List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom by length of tenure

This is a list of prime ministers of the United Kingdom by length of tenure. This is based on the difference between dates; if counted by the number of calendar days, the figures would be one day greater for each term served.

The term "Prime Minister" appeared in the early eighteenth century as an unofficial title for the leader of the government, usually the head of the Treasury.[1] Jonathan Swift, for example, wrote that in 1713 there had been "those who are now commonly called Prime Minister among us", referring to Sidney Godolphin and Robert Harley, Queen Anne's Lord Treasurers and chief ministers.[2] Robert Walpole is regarded as the first prime minister; he became First Lord of the Treasury of Great Britain in 1721. This list includes all prime ministers of the Kingdom of Great Britain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the modern-day United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Notable lengths
A painting of Walpole in formal attire and a powdered wig
20 years and 314 days: Robert Walpole (1721–1742)
Longest term and longest total tenure
William Ewart Gladstone
12 years and 126 days: William Ewart Gladstone (1868–1874, 1880–1885, 1886, and 1892–1894)
Most non-consecutive terms
Portrait of Margaret Thatcher
11 years and 208 days: Margaret Thatcher (1979–1990)[3]
Longest-serving female prime minister
Portrait of Liz Truss
49 days: Liz Truss (2022)[4]
Shortest-serving British prime minister

Of the 56 past prime ministers, nine served more than 10 years while eight served less than a year.[5] Robert Walpole is the only person to have served as prime minister for more than two decades. Liz Truss is the shortest-serving former prime minister, resigning after seven weeks.[4][6][7] The previous shortest time served was George Canning, who served for less than four months before dying in office.[8] Margaret Thatcher, in office for 11 years and 288 days between 1979 and 1990, is the longest serving prime minister in modern history,[3] and the longest-serving prime minister officially referred to as such.[9][10] William Gladstone is the only person to have served four separate terms.

List of office holders by tenure
Note
In this table, "Terms" is the number of separate periods served as prime minister.
RankPrime MinisterTenure lengthTermsPartyStartReason
for exit		Ref.
1Sir Robert Walpole20 years, 314 days1Whig1721 Resigned [5]
2William Pitt the Younger18 years, 343 days2Tory (Pittite)1783 Died [5]
3The Earl of Liverpool14 years, 305 days1Tory (Pittite)1812 Resigned due to illness [11]
4The Marquess of Salisbury13 years, 252 days3Conservative1885 Resigned due to illness [11]
5William Ewart Gladstone12 years, 126 days4Liberal1868 Resigned [11]
6Lord North12 years, 58 days1Tory (Northite)1770 Resigned [11]
7Margaret Thatcher11 years, 208 days1Conservative1979 Resigned [11]
8Henry Pelham10 years, 191 days1Whig1743 Died [11]
9Tony Blair10 years, 56 days1Labour1997 Resigned [11]
10The Viscount Palmerston9 years, 141 days2Whig / Liberal1855 Died [5]
11H. H. Asquith8 years, 244 days1Liberal1908 Resigned [11]
12Sir Winston Churchill8 years, 239 days2Conservative1940 Resigned due to illness [5]
13Harold Wilson7 years, 279 days2Labour1964 Resigned [11]
14The Duke of Newcastle7 years, 205 days2Whig1754 Replaced [5]
15Stanley Baldwin7 years, 82 days3Conservative1923 Resigned [5]
16Benjamin Disraeli6 years, 339 days2Conservative1868 Election [5]
17Ramsay MacDonald6 years, 289 days2Labour / National Labour1924 Resigned due to illness [5]
18Harold Macmillan6 years, 281 days1Conservative1957 Resigned [11]
19The Viscount Melbourne6 years, 255 days2Whig1834 Resigned [5]
20John Major6 years, 155 days1Conservative1990 Election [5]
21Lord John Russell6 years, 110 days2Whig / Liberal1846 Election [5]
22Clement Attlee6 years, 92 days1Labour1945 Election [11]
23David Cameron6 years, 63 days1Conservative2010 Resigned [11]
24David Lloyd George5 years, 317 days1Liberal1916 Resigned [5]
25Sir Robert Peel5 years, 57 days2Conservative1834 Resigned [11]
26The Earl of Derby3 years, 280 days3Conservative 1852 Resigned due to illness [11]
27Edward Heath3 years, 259 days1Conservative1970 Election [11]
28The Earl Grey3 years, 229 days1Whig1830 Resigned [5]
29Arthur Balfour3 years, 145 days1Conservative1902 Resigned [5]
30The Duke of Portland3 years, 82 days2Whig / Tory (Pittite)1783 Resigned due to illness [11]
31Henry Addington3 years, 54 days1Tory (Pittite)1801 Replaced [11]
32Boris Johnson3 years, 44 days1Conservative2019 Resigned [11]
33James Callaghan3 years, 29 days1Labour1976 Election [5]
34Theresa May3 years, 11 days1Conservative2016 Resigned [11]
35Neville Chamberlain2 years, 348 days1Conservative1937 Resigned [5]
36The Duke of Wellington2 years, 320 days2Tory1828 Replaced [5]
37Gordon Brown2 years, 318 days1Labour2007 Election [5]
38Spencer Perceval2 years, 221 days1Tory (Pittite)1809 Assassinated [5]
39Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman2 years, 122 days1Liberal1905 Resigned due to illness [5]
40George Grenville2 years, 85 days1Whig (Grenvillite)1763 Replaced [11]
41The Earl of Chatham2 years, 76 days1Whig (Chathamite)1766 Resigned due to illness [11]
42The Earl of Aberdeen2 years, 42 days1Peelite1852 Resigned [5]
43Sir Anthony Eden1 year, 279 days1Conservative1955 Resigned due to illness [11]
44The Earl of Wilmington1 year, 119 days1Whig1742 Died [11]
45The Marquess of Rockingham1 year, 113 days2Whig (Rockinghamite)1765 Died [5]
46The Earl of Rosebery1 year, 109 days1Liberal1894 Election [11]
47The Duke of Grafton1 year, 106 days1Whig (Chathamite)1768 Resigned [5]
48The Lord Grenville1 year, 42 days1Whig1806 Replaced [11]
49Rishi Sunak1 year, 3 days
1Conservative2022 Incumbent [11]
50Sir Alec Douglas-Home363 days1Conservative (Scot. Unionist)1963 Election [11]
51The Earl of Bute317 days1Tory1762 Resigned [5]
52The Earl of Shelburne266 days1Whig (Chathamite)1782 Replaced [11]
53The Duke of Devonshire225 days1Whig1756 Replaced [5]
54Andrew Bonar Law211 days1Conservative (Scot. Unionist)1922 Resigned due to illness [5]
55The Viscount Goderich144 days1Tory (Canningite)1827 Replaced [5]
56George Canning119 days1Tory (Canningite)1827 Died [11]
57Liz Truss49 days1Conservative2022 Resigned [4][11]

Disputed
Prime MinisterLength servedTerms in officePartyStart and endReason for exit
The Earl Waldegrave4 days0Whig1757 Unsupported
The Earl of Bath2 days0Whig1746 Unsupported

See also

References
  1. Dodd, A. H. (1956). The Growth of Responsible Government from James the First to Victoria. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. p. 50.
  2. Marriott, J. A. R. (1925). English Political Institutions. Oxford University Press, Oxford. p. 87.
  3. "Baroness Margaret Thatcher: Conservative 1979 to 1990". GOV.UK. Crown. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  4. "Liz Truss doubles down on disastrous 'growth' plan in farewell speech". The Independent. 2022-10-25. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  5. "Past Prime Ministers". gov.uk. Government of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008.
  6. Marx, Willem (20 October 2022). "British Prime Minister Liz Truss resigns after weeks of criticism and turmoil". NPR. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  7. Landler, Mark; Castle, Stephen (20 October 2022). "Here is the latest on the political turmoil in Britain". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  8. Fortescue, Ali (20 October 2022). "The divided Tories won't find it easy choosing a new PM". Sky News. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  9. Mackay, Robert (28 December 1987). "Thatcher longest serving British prime minister". United Press International. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  10. Marriott, John (1923). English Political Institutions: An Introductory Study (2nd ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 83. OL 17361473W.
  11. "British Prime Ministers | University of Oxford". www.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
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