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Labour Government
22 January 1924 - 3 November 1924
No party won an overall majority in the general election of December 1923, with the Conservatives taking 258 seats, Labour 191 and the Liberals 159. The Conservatives kept power, but lost a vote of confidence in the House of Commons in January 1924. This prompted King George V to ask Ramsay MacDonald to form the first Labour government, but it was short-lived as MacDonald was reliant on the support of opposition parties. The Liberals took the decision to bring down the government and were punished by voters in the October 1924 election, losing a massive number of seats. This contributed to the demise of the Liberal Party as a parliamentary force. The brevity of MacDonald's government meant he had had little time to affect any change.
| Position | Name | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister | R. MacDonald | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| Lord President of the Council | Lord Parmoor | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| Lord Chancellor | Viscount Haldane | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| Lord Privy Seal | J. Clynes | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | P. Snowden | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | R. MacDonald | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| Secretary of State for Home Affairs | A. Henderson | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| First Lord of the Admiralty | Viscount Chelmsford | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries | N. Buxton | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| Secretary of State for Air | Lord Thomson | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| Secretary of State for the Colonies | J. Thomas | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| President of the Board of Education | C. Trevelyan | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| Minister of Health | J. Wheatley | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| Secretary of State for India | Lord Olivier | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| Minister for Labour | T. Shaw | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | J. Wedgwood | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| Postmaster-General | V. Hartshorn | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| Secretary for Scotland | W. Adamson | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| President of the Board of Trade | S. Webb | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| Secretary of State for War | S. Walsh | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
| First Commissioner of Works | F. Jowett | 22 Jan 24 - 3 Nov 24 |
Note:
The First Commissioner of Works was a new Cabinet post created by the incoming Labour government.
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