Britain’s Cabinet and Munitions
A Coalition Ministry with Lloyd George in a New
Office
The formation of a British coalition Cabinet was announced on May 25, 1915, with the creation of a new office of Minister of Munitions, to which Lloyd George was transferred from the Chancellorship of the Exchequer. Below is given the official list of the new Ministers and their offices. In the third column are indicated the same offices as held under the late Liberal Administration. The eight members of the Opposition included in the new Cabinet are indicated by an asterisk:
| Coalition Cabinet. | Late Liberal Cabinet. | |
| Prime Minister | Mr. Asquith | Mr. Asquith. |
| Minister without portfolio | Lord Lansdowne* | —— |
| Lord Chancellor | Sir S. Buckmaster | Lord Haldane. |
| President of Council | Lord Crewe | Lord Beauchamp. |
| Lord Privy Seal | Lord Curzon* | Lord Crewe. |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Mr. McKenna | Mr. Lloyd George. |
| Home Secretary | Sir J. Simon | Mr. McKenna. |
| Foreign Minister | Sir E. Grey | Sir E. Grey. |
| Colonial Secretary | Mr. Bonar Law* | Mr. Harcourt. |
| India Office | Mr. Chamberlain* | Lord Crewe. |
| War Office | Lord Kitchener | Lord Kitchener. |
| Minister of Munitions (new) | Mr. Lloyd George | —— |
| Admiralty | Mr. Balfour* | Mr. Churchill. |
| Board of Trade | Mr. Runciman | Mr. Runciman. |
| Local Government Board | Mr. Long* | Mr. H. Samuel. |
| Duchy of Lancaster | Mr. Churchill | Hon. E. Montagu. |
| Irish Secretary | Mr. Birrell | Mr. Birrell. |
| Scottish Office | Mr. McKinnon Wood | Mr. McKinnon Wood. |
| Agriculture | Lord Selborne* | Lord Lucas. |
| Works Office | Mr. Harcourt | Lord Emmott. |
| Education Board | Mr. A. Henderson | Mr. J.A. Pease. |
| Attorney General | Sir E. Carson* | Sir John Simon. |
THE NEW BRITISH COALITION CABINET
|
EARL KITCHENER Secretary of State for War SIR EDWARD GREY Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs BARON BUCKMASTER Lord High Chancellor |
MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE Minister Without Portfolio H.H. ASQUITH Prime Minister ARTHUR J. BALFOUR First Lord of the Admiralty WALTER HUME LONG President of the Local Government Board |
DAVID LLOYD GEORGE Minister of Munitions ANDREW BONAR LAW Secretary for the Colonies WINSTON S. CHURCHILL Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster |
|
AUGUSTINE BIRRELL Chief Secretary for Ireland SIR EDWARD CARSON Attorney General THOMAS McK. WOOD Secretary for Scotland REGINALD McKENNA Chancellor of the Exchequer |
AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN Secretary for India LEWIS HARCOURT First Commissioner of Works WALTER RUNCIMAN President of the Board of Trade EARL OF SELBORNE President of the Board of Agriculture |
MARQUESS OF CREWE Lord President of the Council SIR JOHN SIMON Secretary of State for Home Affairs ARTHUR HENDERSON President of the Board of Education EARL CURZON Lord Privy Seal |
The reconstruction of the Liberal Ministry that had ruled the British Empire for ten years was announced by Prime Minister Asquith in the following statement in the House of Commons on May 19: