Minister of Defence (United Kingdom)

Minister of Defence
Royal Arms of Her Majesty's Government
Longest serving Winston Churchill 10 May 1940 – 27 July 1945
Ministry of Defence (1947–1964)
Status	Abolished
Member of	Cabinet
Reports to	Prime Minister
Precursor	Minister for Co-ordination of Defence
Formation	10 May 1940
First holder	Winston Churchill
Final holder	Peter Thorneycroft
Abolished	1 April 1964
Succession	Secretary of State for Defence

The post of Minister of Defence was responsible for co-ordination of defence and security from its creation in 1940 until its abolition in 1964. The post was a Cabinet-level post and generally ranked above the three service ministers, some of whom, however, continued to also serve in Cabinet.

The Ministry of Defence was created in 1947.^[1]