Paymaster General

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UK government ministerial position

title: "Paymaster General" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["paymasters-general-of-the-united-kingdom", "ministerial-offices-in-the-united-kingdom", "1836-establishments-in-the-united-kingdom"] description: "UK government ministerial position" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paymaster_General" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary UK government ministerial position ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox Political post"]

FieldValue
postUnited Kingdom
His Majesty's Paymaster General
insigniaCoat of arms of the United Kingdom (2022, lesser arms).svg
insigniasize140px
insigniacaptionRoyal Arms of His Majesty's Government
departmentCabinet Office
imageNick Thomas Symonds official portrait 7 Jul 2024 (cropped 2).jpg
incumbentNick Thomas-Symonds
incumbentsince8 July 2024
stylePaymaster General (informal)
The Right Honourable (formal; within the UK and Commonwealth)
appointerThe King
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
inauguralHenry Parnell
formation27 April 1836
website
::

| post = United Kingdom His Majesty's Paymaster General | insignia = Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (2022, lesser arms).svg | insigniasize = 140px | insigniacaption = Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government | department = Cabinet Office | image = Nick Thomas Symonds official portrait 7 Jul 2024 (cropped 2).jpg | incumbent = Nick Thomas-Symonds | incumbentsince = 8 July 2024 | style = Paymaster General (informal) The Right Honourable (formal; within the UK and Commonwealth) | appointer = The King (on the advice of the Prime Minister) | inaugural = Henry Parnell | formation = 27 April 1836 | website = His Majesty's Paymaster General or HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. The position is currently held by Nick Thomas-Symonds of the Labour Party.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/36_Whitehall_(geograph_5346102).jpg" caption="date=1998}}"] ::

The post was created in 1836 by the merger of the positions of the offices of the Paymaster of the Forces (1661–1836), the Treasurer of the Navy (1546–1835), the Paymaster and Treasurer of Chelsea Hospital (responsible for Army pensions) (1681–1835) and the Treasurer of the Ordnance (1670–1835).

Initially, the Paymaster General only had responsibilities in relation to the armed services but in 1848 two more offices were merged into that of Paymaster General: the Paymaster of Exchequer Bills (1723–1848) and the Paymaster of the Civil Service (1834–1848), the latter followed by its Irish counterpart in 1861. They thus became 'the principal paying agent of the government and the banker for all government departments except the revenue departments and the National Debt Office'.

From 1848 to 1868, the post was held concurrently with that of Vice-President of the Board of Trade.

The longest-serving holder of the post was Dawn Primarolo, whose portfolio covered HM Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue (which during her tenure became merged as HM Revenue and Customs) and who served from 1999 to 2007.

Role

Today, the Paymaster General is usually a minister without portfolio available for any duties which the government of the day may designate. The post may be combined with another office, or may be left unfilled.

Though the Paymaster General was titular head of the Paymaster General's Office, their executive functions were delegated to the Assistant Paymaster General, a permanent civil servant who (though acting in the name of the Paymaster General) was answerable to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Office of HM Paymaster General

The Paymaster General was formerly in nominal charge (and at one time in actual charge) of the Office of HM Paymaster General (OPG), which held accounts at the Bank of England on behalf of government departments and selected other public bodies. Funds which were made available from the Consolidated Fund were then channelled into OPG accounts, from where they were used by the relevant body. OPG operated a full range of accounts and banking transaction services, including cheque and credit, BACS and CHAPS services for its customers via an electronic banking system. Integration of OPG accounts held with commercial banks was provided by the private company Xafinity Paymaster which is now part of the Equiniti group.

However, in 2008, the government announced that the Office of the Paymaster General would be incorporated into a new body, the Government Banking Service, which also provides banking operations for HM Revenue & Customs and National Savings and Investments. Following the Bank of England's decision to withdraw from providing retail banking services, retail banking and payment services for the GBS are provided by a range of financial institutions including Barclays, Citibank, NatWest, and Worldpay, although the Bank of England still plays a role in managing the government's higher level accounts.

List of paymasters general

19th century

20th century

::data[format=table]

Paymaster GeneralTerm of officeConcurrent office(s)Political partyPrime Minister
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Frederick Lindemann (cropped).jpg75px]]Frederick Lindemann
Viscount Cherwell30 October 195111 November 1953
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:10thEarl of Selkirk.jpg75px]]George Douglas-Hamilton
Earl of Selkirk11 November 195320 October 1955
Office vacant20 October 195518 October 1956Conservative Party (UK)}}"
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Walter Monckton cropped.png75px]]Walter Monckton
MP for Bristol West18 October 195616 January 1957
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Reginald Maudling, 1969 (Brightned) (cropped).jpg100x100px]]Reginald Maudling
MP for Barnet16 January 195714 October 1959
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Blank.png75px]]Percy Mills
Viscount Mills14 October 19599 October 1961
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Henry Brooke 1950.jpg75px]]Henry Brooke
MP for Hampstead9 October 196113 July 1962
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Blank.png75px]]John Boyd-Carpenter
MP for Kingston-upon-Thames13 July 196219 October 1964
Labour Party (UK)}}"[[File:Blank.png75px]]George Wigg
MP for Dudley19 October 196412 November 1967
Office vacant12 November 19676 April 1968Labour Party (UK)}}"
Labour Party (UK)}}"[[File:Blank.png75px]]Edward Shackleton
Baron Shackleton6 April 19681 November 1968
Labour Party (UK)}}"[[File:Blank.png75px]]Judith Hart
MP for Clydesdale1 November 19686 October 1969
Labour Party (UK)}}"[[File:Blank.png75px]]Harold Lever
MP for Manchester Cheetham6 October 196923 June 1970
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Blank.png75px]]David Eccles
Viscount Eccles23 June 19702 December 1973
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Blank.png75px]]Maurice Macmillan
MP for Farnham2 December 19734 March 1974
Labour Party (UK)}}"[[File:Dell, Edmund cropped, Bestanddeelnr 930-1791.jpg75px]]Edmund Dell
MP for Birkenhead4 March 197410 September 1976
Labour Party (UK)}}"[[File:Shirley Williams, 1984.jpg75px]]Shirley Williams
MP for Hitchin10 September 19764 May 1979
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Blank.png75px]]Angus Maude
MP for Stratford-on-Avon4 May 19795 January 1981
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Francis Leslie Pym.jpg75px]]Francis Pym
MP for Cambridgeshire5 January 198114 September 1981
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Blank.png75px]]Cecil Parkinson
MP for South Hertfordshire14 September 198111 June 1983
Office vacant11 June 198311 September 1984Conservative Party (UK)}}"
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:John GUMMER 1991.jpg100x100px]]John Gummer
MP for Suffolk Coastal11 September 19841 September 1985
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Kenneth Clarke (cropped) (cropped).gif100x100px]]Kenneth Clarke
MP for Rushcliffe2 September 198513 July 1987
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Blank.png75px]]Peter Brooke
MP for City of London and Westminster South13 July 198724 July 1989
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Official portrait of The Earl of Caithness crop 2.jpg75px]]Malcolm Sinclair
Earl of Caithness25 July 198914 July 1990
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Official portrait of Lord Ryder of Wensum crop 2.1.jpg75px]]Richard Ryder
MP for Mid Norfolk14 July 199028 November 1990
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Blank.png75px]]John Ganzoni
Baron Belstead28 November 199011 April 1992
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Official portrait of Lord Cope of Berkeley crop 2.jpg100x100px]]John Cope
MP for Northavon14 April 199220 July 1994
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:David Heathcoat-Amery.JPG75px]]David Heathcoat-Amory
MP for Wells20 July 199420 July 1996
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Official portrait of Lord Willetts crop 2.jpg75px]]David Willetts
MP for Havant20 July 199621 November 1996
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Lord Bates (cropped).jpg120x120px]]Michael Bates
MP for Langbaurgh21 November 19962 May 1997
Labour Party (UK)}}"[[File:Official portrait of Mr Geoffrey Robinson crop 2.jpg75px]]Geoffrey Robinson
MP for Coventry North West2 May 199723 December 1998
::

21st century

::data[format=table]

Paymaster GeneralTerm of officeConcurrent office(s)Political partyPrime Minister
Labour Party (UK)}}"[[File:Dawn Primarolo.jpg75px]]Dawn Primarolo
MP for Bristol South4 January 199928 June 2007
Labour Party (UK)}}"[[File:Tessa Jowell Cropped.jpgframeless109x109px]]
MP for Dulwich and West Norwood28 June 200711 May 2010
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office.jpg94x94px]]Francis Maude
MP for Horsham12 May 201011 May 2015
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Mhancock.jpg112x112px]]Matt Hancock
MP for West Suffolk11 May 201514 July 2016
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Ben Gummer 2016.jpg75px]]Ben Gummer
MP for Ipswich14 July 201613 June 2017
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Official portrait of Mel Stride crop 2.jpg75px]]Mel Stride
MP for Central Devon13 June 201723 May 2019
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Official portrait of Jesse Norman crop 2.jpg75px]]Jesse Norman
MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire23 May 201924 July 2019
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Official portrait of Oliver Dowden crop 2.jpg75px]]Oliver Dowden
MP for Hertsmere24 July 201913 February 2020
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Rt_Hon_Penny_Mordaunt.jpg100x100px]]Penny Mordaunt
MP for Portsmouth North13 February 202016 September 2021
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:G7 Interior and Security Minister's Meeting (cropped).jpgalt=100x100px]]
MP for Northampton North16 September 20216 September 2022
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Edward Argar Official Cabinet Portrait, September 2022 (cropped).jpgalt=99x99px]]
MP for Charnwood6 September 202214 October 2022
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Chris Philp Official Cabinet Portrait, September 2022 (cropped).jpgalt=99x99px]]
MP for Croydon South14 October 202225 October 2022
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Jeremy Quin Official Cabinet Portrait, October 2022 (cropped).jpgalt=100x100px]]
MP for Horsham25 October 202213 November 2023
Conservative Party (UK)}}"[[File:Official portrait of John Glen MP crop 2, 2024.jpgalt=100x100px]]
MP for Salisbury13 November 20235 July 2024
Labour Party (UK)}}"[[File:Nick Thomas Symonds official portrait 7 Jul 2024 (cropped).jpgalt=99x99px]]
MP for Torfaen8 July 2024
::

List of shadow paymasters general

::data[format=table] | Shadow Paymaster general | Term of office | Party | Shadow Cabinet | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | Labour Party (UK)}}" | | Labour Party (UK)}}" | | Labour Party (UK)}}" | | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | [[File:Richard Ottaway MP.jpg|75x75px]] | Richard Ottaway | 1 June 2000 | 1 June 2001 | Conservative | Hague | | | | | | | | | [[File:Stephen O'Brien Official.jpg|88x88px]] | Stephen O'Brien | 1 June 2002 | 1 June 2003 | Conservative | Duncan Smith | | | | | | | | | [[File:Lord Tyrie.jpg|80x80px]] | Andrew Tyrie | 1 June 2004 | 1 June 2005 | Conservative | Howard | | | | | | | | | [[File:Official portrait of Mr Mark Francois crop 2.jpg|80x80px]] | Mark Francois | 10 May 2005 | 3 July 2007 | Conservative | | | | | | | | | | Cameron | | | | | | | | | | | | | | [[File:Official_portrait_of_Jack_Dromey_MP_crop_2.jpg|80x80px]] | Jack Dromey | 14 May 2021 | 4 December 2021 | Labour | Starmer | | | | | | | | | [[File:Official portrait of Fleur Anderson MP crop 2.jpg|80x80px]] | Fleur Anderson | 4 December 2021 | 4 September 2023 | Labour | | | | | | | | | | [[File:Official portrait of Jonathan Ashworth MP crop 2.jpg|80x80px]] | Jonathan Ashworth | 4 September 2023 | 5 July 2024 | Labour | | | | | | | | | | [[File:Official portrait of John Glen MP crop 2, 2024.jpg|75x75px]] | John Glen | 8 July 2024 | 8 November 2024 | Conservative | Sunak | | | | | | | | | [[File:Richard Holden Official Cabinet Portrait, November 2023 (cropped).jpg|75x75px]] | Richard Holden | 8 November 2024 | Incumbent | Conservative | Badenoch | | | | | | | | ::

References

References

  1. Roper, Michael. (1998). "The Records of the War Office and Related Departments, 1660-1964". Public Record Office.
  2. "Records of the Paymaster General's Office and predecessors".
  3. (1935). "Office of the Paymaster-General". London County Council.
  4. (22 May 2008). "Press Release: Angela Eagle launches the Government Banking Service". HM Treasury.
  5. "Important changes to banking arrangements for the Insolvency Services Account". The [[Insolvency Service]].
  6. "Government Banking". gov.uk.
  7. "Government Banking Service". [[Department for Work and Pensions]].

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paymasters-general-of-the-united-kingdomministerial-offices-in-the-united-kingdom1836-establishments-in-the-united-kingdom