Prime Ministers of Great Britain
political party
1721-42
Sir Robert Walpole - Restored confidence in the country following the South Sea Bubble financial crash of 1720. Dominated the political scene during the reigns of George I and George II. George II made Walpole a gift of 10 Downing Street. Walpole resigned as a consequence of his perceived mis-handling in dealing with the War of Jenkins' Ear .
Whig
1742-43
Earl of Wilmington - Suffering poor health for most of his time as Prime Minister, he died in office.
Whig
1743-54
Henry Pelham - During his time in the post he oversaw the the British involvement in the War of the Austrian Succession in 1744-48, the 1745 Jacobite Rising and the adoption of the Gregorian calender . He died in office.
Whig
1754-56
Thomas Pelham-Holles, Duke of Newcastle - Assumed the office of Prime Minister just 10 days after the death of his brother Henry Pelham. During the Seven Years' War, he was blamed for the loss of Minorca and was replaced by the Duke of Devonshire.
Whig
1756-57
William Cavendish, Duke of Devonshire - In a government effectively controlled by Pitt the Elder, Devonshire's administration was brought to end following the dismissal of Pitt by the king, it was replaced by the Second Newcastle Ministry.
Whig
1757-62
Thomas Pelham-Holles, Duke of Newcastle - Returning to office with Pitt the Elder as Southern Secretary, this government helped steer Britain to ultimate victory over France and Spain during the Seven Years' War.
Whig
1762-63
John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute - A favourite of George III, he was the first Scot to hold the top office. Unpopular with the 'great unwashed', he introduced a tax on cider in order to help pay for the Seven Years' War. He resigned following fierce criticism of his handling of the peace negotiations.
Tory
The Duke of Wellington, Sir Robert Peel, Viscount Melbourne
1828-30
Arthur Welleslley, 1st Duke of Wellington - The second Irish-born Prime Minister and second veteran general, perhaps more famous as a soldier of the Napoleonic Wars than a politician. Is said to have commented after his first Cabinet meeting: “An extraordinary affair. I gave them their orders and they wanted to stay and discuss them.” He introduced the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829, removing many of the restrictions on Catholics in the UK. Resigned after a vote of no confidence.
Tory
1830-34
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey - Famous for the blend of tea named after him, his political achievements included the Reform Act of 1832, which started the process of electoral change that we recognise today. His other legacies included the abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire and restrictions concerning the employment of children. He resigned after disagreements over his Irish policies.
Whig
1834
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne - The last Prime Minister to be dismissed by a Sovereign, King William IV.
Whig
1834-35
Sir Robert Peel 2nd Baronet - At the second time of asking, Peel accepted King William IV’s invitation to form a government. Head of a minority government, he resigned following a number of defeats in Parliament.
Whig
1835-41
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne - Returning to office for the second time, Melbourne found the new Queen Victoria much more agreeable than William IV. Tutoring the young queen in the ways of politics, they formed a close relationship. He resigned after a series of parliamentary defeats.
Whig
1841-46
Sir Robert Peel 2nd Baronet - Returning to office for the second time, Peel introduced important employment laws that banned women and children from working underground in mines, in addition The Factory Act of 1844 limited the hours of work for children and women. Unable to feed a starving Ireland, he finally succeeded in repealing the Corn Laws.
Conservative
1846-52
Lord John Russell, 1st Earl Russell - Russell was the last Whig Prime Minister. His Public Health Act of 1848 improved the sanitary conditions of towns and cities. He was in office at the time of The Great Exhibition of 1851 .
Whig
1852
Edward Smith Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby - Considered by many to be the father of the modern Conservative party, his government collapsed when the budget of his Chancellor, Benjamin Disraeli, was rejected by the house.
Conservative
1852-55
George Hamilton Gordon, Earl of Aberdeen - A cousin of the poet Lord Byron, his government was dominated by a war with Russia. He resigned after losing a vote of confidence into his handling of the Crimean War.
Peelite
1855-58
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston - An Irish peer, his India Bill of 1858 transferred control of the East India Company to the Crown.
Liberal
1858-59
Edward Smith Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby - Returning to office for the second time, his Jews Relief Act of 1858, removed barriers to Jews entering Parliament.
Conservative
1859-65
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston - Returning to office for the second time, his ministry was dominated by the American Civil War and the resulting suffering caused by the Lancashire Cotton Famine . Hale and hearty to the end, he died in office at the tender age of just 81.
Liberal
1865-66
Lord John Russell, 1st Earl Russell - Returning to office for the second time, after the untimely death of Palmerston.
Liberal
1866-68
Edward Smith Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby - Returning to office for the third and final time, his Reform Act of 1867 doubled the number of adult males that could vote in England and Wales.
Conservative
Lord Palmerston, Benjamin Disraeli, W E Gladstone
1868
Benjamin Disraeli - Just 10 years after the barriers to Jews entering Parliament had been removed, Britain has its first, and so far only, Jewish Prime Minister. In accepting the post, 'Dizzy' is said to have declared, “I have climbed to the top of the greasy pole”.
Conservative
1868-74
William Ewart Gladstone - Gladstone led the greatest reforming administrations of the 19th century. His policies were intended to improve individual liberty by scrapping barriers to freedom and personal advancement. A heavy defeat at the 1874 general election allowed his arch-rival Disraeli to once again reach the top of the greasy pole.
Liberal
1874-80
Benjamin Disraeli, the Earl of Beaconsfield - Returning to office for the second time at the age of 70, his policies introduced a large amount of social legislation, including providing housing for the poor and greatly improved sanitation. His relationship with Queen Victoria helped to return her to public life, proclaiming her Empress of India. Anglo-Zulu Wars .
Conservative
1880-85
William Ewart Gladstone - Gadstone's second administration suffered a number of set-backs in foreign policy, including a humiliating defeat in the First Boer War and failing to rescue General Gordon in Sudan.
Liberal
1885-86
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury - Salisbury became leader of the Conservative party following the death of Disraeli in 1881, he reluctantly became Prime Minister and formed a minority government.
Conservative
1886
William Ewart Gladstone - Now aged 76, Gladstone's introduction of a Home Rule Bill for Ireland split the Liberal Party.
Liberal
1886-92
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury - With the split in the Liberal Party, Salisbury attempted to contain the Irish problem by a combination of firm government and reform. Creation of Rhodesia , modern day Zimbabwe, with its capital city named Salisbury.
Conservative
1892-94
William Ewart Gladstone - Now well into his 80s, this 'Grand Old Man' of British politics was returned to office for a fourth term and once again introduced the Irish Home Rule Bill. Although passed by the House of Commons, the bill was rejected by the Lords. Gladstone submitted his fourth and final resignation.
Liberal
1894-95
Archibold Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery - Reluctantly accepted the post of Prime Minister following the resination of Gladstone. In a short lived administration plagued by Cabinet disputes, he resigned having achieved his lifes three ambitions... to marry an heiress, own a Derby winning horse and to be Prime Minister.
Liberal
1895-1902
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury - Returned to office for the third and final time. During his tenure the Boer War broke out in 1899, ending in 1902. He retired in favour of his nephew Balfour.
Conservative
Lord Salisbury, Arthur James Balfour, H H Asquith
1902-05
Arthur James Balfour - His Education Act of 1902 standardised the educational system of England and Wales, handing powers from school boards to Local Education Authorities (LEAs). His cabinet split on the issue of free trade policies.
Conservative
1905-08
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman - Glasgow born 'C-B' was the first in the top job to be given the official title of ‘Prime Minister’. Outspoken on the 'barbarities' of the Boer War, he restored independence to the Transvaal and Orange Free State in South Africa.
Liberal
1908-15
Herbert Henry Asquith - Asquith became Prime Minister following the resignation of 'CB'. He took charge in troubled times, with Irish Home Rule and Women’s Suffrage the burning issues of the day. The Old Age Pension Act of 1908 laid the foundation of the modern welfare state. This was followed by the National Insurance Act of 1911, that provided an income for working people suffering illness or unemployment. He also led Britain into the First World War .
Liberal
1915-16
Herbert Henry Asquith - In order to gain maximum support for the ongoing war Asquith formed a coalition government. The conflict however, was not going well and so with deadlock in the trenches, Asquith resigned.
coalition
1916-22
David Lloyd George - The only Prime Minister to have spoken Welsh as his first language, Lloyd George accepted an invitation to form a government following the resignation of his fellow Liberal, Asquith. A man of great energy and dynamism, he was widely touted as the man who had won the war and promised...  ‘a land fit for heroes’. The Anglo-Irish Treaty led to the establishment of the Irish Free State. The public outcry that followed his 'cash for honours' scandal saw him ousted from power.
coalition
1922-23
Andrew Bonar Law - After Lloyd George had been removed from office by the Conservative members of his cabinet, the king invited the Canadian-born Bonar Law to form a new government. He lasted just 209 days in office before resigning due to ill health and died just 6 months later.
Conservative
1923-24
Stanley Baldwin - Just a few months into office and much to the surprise of all around him, Baldwin called an early general election on the issue of protectionist trade tariffs. The policy was an attempt to resolve Britain's economic problems, it achieved however, the remarkable feat of reuniting the Liberals and letting Labour into power for the first time.
Conservative
1924
James Ramsay MacDonald - The very first Labour Prime Minister, MacDonald came from a Scottish working class background. As head of a minority government, he was reliant on the support of the Liberals. Frustrated by his inability to introduce meaningful legislation he called an early election.
Labour
1924-29
Stanley Baldwin - In his second term in office, Baldwin was responsible for several notable social achievements including extending the right to vote to women aged over 21. He amazed the political world by inviting Winston Churchill, who at that time was a Liberal MP, to be his Chancellor of the Exchequer. He successfully steered the country through the rocky waters of the General Strike of 1926.
Conservative
1929-31
Ramsey MacDonald - In his second minority government, MacDonald appointed the first ever female minister, Margaret Bondfield. Just a few months into his term however, the world was shaken by the Wall Street Crash of 1929,
Labour
1931-35
Ramsey MacDonald - With his Labour government divided on how to resolve an economic crisis that included the doubling of unemployment levels; MacDonald resigned but was reappointed at the head of a national coalition government (with support from the Conservative and Liberal parties). This move cost him the support of his own party and he once again resigned
national coalition
1935-37
Stanley Baldwin - Returning to office for the third time, his major achievement in this last phase of his career was to steer the country through the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936. Recognising the threat of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, Baldwin started a programme of re-arming the country. He was later criticised for not doing more to prepare.
Conservative
Lloyd George, Stanley Baldwin, Sir Winston Churchill
1937-40
Neville Chamberlain - When Baldwin retired after the coronation of George VI, Chamberlain was the obvious choice for leader of the party. Following a meeting with Adolf Hitler in Munich 1938, he famously returned declaring “I believe it is peace for our time”. Following the invasion of Poland, Chamberlain declared war on Germany on 3 September, 1939 .
Conservative
1940-45
Sir Winston Churchill - Following Chamberlain's resignation, Churchill was appointed as Prime Minister of an all-party coalition government. The speeches he made through his first summer in charge established a policy of 'no surrender', and the subsequent military alliances that he formed with both the USA and Soviet Union steered the Allies to victory in World War II. Shortly after VE Day , Churchill was surprisingly defeated in a General Election.  
coalition
1945-51
Clement Attlee - After leading Labour to a landslide victory, Attlee quickly set about implementing his parties manifesto pledges. With the country effectively bankrupt, he
Labour