Minister of State for Defence Procurement (UK)
# Minister of State for Defence Procurement (UK)

The Minister of State for Defence Procurement is, as a Minister of State, a mid-level defence minister in the Ministry of Defence of the British Government. The current incumbent of the post, Conservative MP Alex Chalk, was appointed in October 2022.

## Origins

This ministerial post derives from that of two posts; the procurement aspects of this post were the responsibility of the Minister of Defence Procurement (either a Minister of State or the more junior, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State), while still the defence logistic aspects were the brief of the Minister of State for the Armed Forces.

This post was created in 2007 to reflect the establishment of the Defence Equipment and Support organisation of the UK Ministry of Defence. Lord Drayson was appointed as its first incumbent. Whilst Lord Drayson held the role as a Minister of State, all of his successors were Parliamentary Under-Secretaries, the most junior ministerial rank in the British Government, until the appointment of Jeremy Quin in 2020.

The post was retitled in 2010 as Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology. The current title of the post is unclear as it has been announced as both Minister for Defence Procurement and Minister for Defence Equipment, Technology and Support.

## Responsibilities

The Minister is responsible for:

* Delivery of the Equipment Plan
* nuclear enterprise
* Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) reform
* defence exports
* innovation
* defence science and technology including DSTL
* information computer technology
* the Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO)
* DIO estates and investment
* environment and sustainability in defence.

## List of Ministers

Ministers of Defence for Equipment, 1967–1970 :

| Minister | Minister | Minister | Entered office | Left office | Political party |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | | Roy Mason | 7 January 1967 | 16 April 1968 | Labour |
| | | John Morris | 16 April 1968 | 19 June 1970 | Labour |
| Minister of State for Defence, 1970–1972 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister | Minister | Minister | Entered office | Left office | Political party | Prime Minister |
| | | Lord Balniel | 23 June 1970 | 5 November 1972 | Conservative | Edward Heath |
| Minister for Defence Procurement, 1971–1972 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Name | Name | Portrait | Entered office | Left office | Political party |
| | | Ian Gilmour | 7 April 1971 | 5 November 1972 | Conservative |
| Ministers of State for Defence, 1972–1981 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Name | Name | Portrait | Entered office | Left office | Political party |
| | | Ian Gilmour | 5 November 1972 | 8 January 1974 | Conservative |
| | | George Younger | 8 January 1974 | 4 March 1974 | Conservative |
| | | William Rodgers | 4 March 1974 | 10 September 1976 | Labour |
| | | John Gilbert | 10 September 1976 | 4 May 1979 | Labour |
| | | Euan Howard | 6 May 1979 | 5 January 1981 | Conservative |
| | | Thomas Trenchard | 5 January 1981 | 29 May 1981 | Conservative |
| Ministers for Defence Procurement, 1981–2007 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister | Minister | Minister | Entered office | Left office | Political party | Prime Minister |
| | | Thomas Trenchard | 29 May 1981 | 6 January 1983 | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher |
| | | Geoffrey Pattie | 6 January 1983 | 11 September 1984 | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher |
| | | Adam Butler | 11 September 1984 | 2 September 1985 | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher |
| | | Norman Lamont | 2 September 1985 | 21 May 1986 | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher |
| | | David Trefgarne | 21 May 1986 | 24 July 1989 | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher |
| | | Alan Clark | 24 July 1989 | 14 April 1992 | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher |
| | | Alan Clark | 24 July 1989 | 14 April 1992 | Conservative | John Major |
| | | Jonathan Aitken | 14 April 1992 | 20 July 1994 | Conservative | John Major |
| | | Roger Freeman | 20 July 1994 | 6 July 1995 | Conservative | John Major |
| | | James Arbuthnot | 6 July 1995 | 1 May 1997 | Conservative | John Major |
| | | John Gilbert | 2 May 1997 | July 1999 | Labour | Tony Blair |
| | | Elizabeth Symons | July 1999 | 8 June 2001 | Labour | Tony Blair |
| | | William Bach | 8 June 2001 | 6 May 2005 | Labour | Tony Blair |
| | | Paul Drayson | 6 May 2005 | 6 March 2007 | Labour | Tony Blair |
| Ministers for Defence Equipment and Support, 2007–2012 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister | Minister | Minister | Entered office | Left office | Political party | Prime Minister |
| | | Paul Drayson | 6 March 2007 | 7 November 2007 | Labour | Tony Blair |
| | | Paul Drayson | 6 March 2007 | 7 November 2007 | Labour | Gordon Brown |
| | | Ann Taylor | 7 November 2007 | 5 October 2008 | Labour | Gordon Brown |
| | | Quentin Davies | 5 October 2008 | 12 May 2010 | Labour | Gordon Brown |
| | | Peter Luff | 9 June 2010 | 4 September 2012 | Conservative | David Cameron |
| Minister for Defence Procurement, 2012–present |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister | Minister | Minister | Entered office | Left office | Political party | Prime Minister |
| | | Philip Dunne | 4 September 2012 | 14 July 2016 | Conservative | David Cameron |
| | | Harriett Baldwin | 18 July 2016 | 9 January 2018 | Conservative | David Cameron |
| | | Harriett Baldwin | 18 July 2016 | 9 January 2018 | Conservative | Theresa May |
| | | Guto Bebb | 9 January 2018 | 16 July 2018 | Conservative | Theresa May |
| | | Stuart Andrew | 19 July 2018 | 27 July 2019 | Conservative | Theresa May |
| | | Anne-Marie Trevelyan | 27 July 2019 | 16 December 2019 | Conservative | Boris Johnson |
| | | James Heappey | 16 December 2019 | 13 February 2020 | Conservative | Boris Johnson |
| | | Jeremy Quin | 13 February 2020 | 7 September 2022 | Conservative | Boris Johnson |
| | | Alec Shelbrooke | 7 September 2022 | 26 October 2022 | Conservative | Liz Truss |
| | | Alex Chalk | 27 October 2022 | Incumbent | Conservative | Rishi Sunak |
