Lord President

The Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP was appointed as Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons in September 2022.

Prior to this appointment, she served as Minister of State at the Department for International Trade between September 2021 and September 2022. Her previous ministerial positions include:

  • Paymaster General (2020), leading resilience work overhauling how the UK prepares and responds to threats and has bolstered the UK’s defensive cyber security
  • Secretary of State for Defence (2019)
  • Minister for Women and Equalities (2018)
  • Secretary of State for International Development (2017)
  • Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work (2016)
  • Minister for the Armed Forces (2015)
  • Minister of Local Government (2014)

The role and responsibilities

The Lord President:

  • presides at Privy Council meetings, including any Emergency Privy Councils
  • considers for approval a number of Statutory Orders concerning Health Care, Veterinary, and Scottish Higher Education matters
  • as a member of the Privy Council Committee for the Affairs of Jersey and Guernsey, reviews Laws and Orders relating to the Islands, and makes recommendations to His Majesty concerning their approval
  • deals with Ministerial correspondence and Parliamentary Questions relating to Privy Council Business
  • determines cases, where the Lord President acts as University Visitor, in a private capacity.