In the United Kingdom there are at least six Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, serving as a commission for the ancient office of Treasurer of the Exchequer. The board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the Treasury, and four or more junior lords acting as whips in the House of Commons[1] to whom this title is usually applied.
It is commonly thought that the Lords Commissioners of HM Treasury serve as commissioners for exercising the office of Lord High Treasurer, however this is not true. The confusion arises because both offices used to be held by the same individual at the same time.[2][3]
Strictly they are commissioners for exercising the office of Treasurer of the Exchequer of Great Britain and Lord High Treasurer of Ireland[4] (similar to the status of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty exercising the office of Lord High Admiral until 1964, when the Queen resumed the office). These offices (excluding Lord High Treasurer of Ireland, which went into commission in 1817) have continually been in commission since the resignation in 1714 of Charles, Duke of Shrewsbury, who was appointed to the office by Queen Anne on her deathbed.[5]
Until the 19th century, this commission made most of the economic decisions of Great Britain (England, before the Act of Union 1707). However, starting during the 19th century, these positions became sinecure positions, with the First Lord serving almost invariably as Prime Minister, the Second Lord invariably as Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the junior lords serving as whips in Parliament.
As an office in commission, technically all Lords Commissioners of the Treasury are of equal rank, with their ordinal numbers connoting seniority rather than authority over their fellow Lords Commissioners. However, from at least the reign of Queen Anne, de facto power has rested with the top-numbered Lords.
^Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Treasury" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 228–229.
^Sainty, John Christopher (1972). Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 1, Treasury Officials 1660–1870. London: University of London. pp. 16–25. ISBN 0485171414. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
^Anson, Sir William Reynell (1892). The Law and Custom of the Constitution, Part 2. Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press. pp. 163–164. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
^"Consolidated Fund Act 1816". legislation.gov.uk. UK Government. p. Section 2. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
^Stuart Handley, ‘Talbot, Charles, duke of Shrewsbury (1660–1718)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008)[1], accessed 19 Aug 2008.
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