Foreign Secretaries

The Foreign Secretary is responsible for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and a senior member of Her Majesty's Government. Responsible for foreign affairs, with an emphasis on policy strategy, Whitehall liaison, honours and cyber-security. The position was created in 1782, when a Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs handled relations with foreign (non-Commonwealth) countries, while relations with Commonwealth countries and colonies were handled by the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs. In 1968, the two positions were merged into a single Department of State.