Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union or, informally, Brexit Secretary, was the secretary of state responsible for the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union, informally referred to as "Brexit". The secretary was overseeing Brexit negotiations following a nationwide referendum on 23 June 2016, in which a majority voted in favour of exiting the EU. The office-holder was a member of the Cabinet.

The position was created at the outset of the premiership of Theresa May, who became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 13 July 2016. May reportedly ordered civil servants to find a building to house a new Department for Exiting the European Union, to be headed by the secretary of state. The headquarters of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) at Whitehall Place, which was to be vacated once the DECC was merged into the newly created Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, was viewed as a potential site for the department. The department later occupied 9 Downing Street.

The inaugural holder was David Davis MP, a longtime Eurosceptic who campaigned for the UK to leave the EU. Davis is a former chairman of the Conservative Party who served in the government of John Major as Minister of State for Europe (1994–97) and in the Shadow Cabinet of David Cameron as shadow home secretary.

Davis resigned on 8 July 2018 shortly before midnight; Dominic Raab was appointed on 9 July as his replacement and resigned on 15 November 2018. Stephen Barclay, who had been serving as Minister of State for Health, was selected as Raab's successor on 16 November 2018.

The minister of state for exiting the European Union deputised for the secretary of state.

This page also includes the portfolios of Chief Negotiator for Exiting the European Union and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union.

The position was shadowed in Parliament by the shadow secretary of state for exiting the European Union who was also a full member of Jeremy Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet.

The office was abolished on 31 January 2020, as the United Kingdom left the European Union.
Q14214
secretary of state
PER
Q458
European Union
ORG
Q7888194
Brexit
Concept
Q29077263
Brexit negotiations
Concept
Q21812812
nationwide referendum on 23 June 2016
Concept
Q112014
Cabinet
Concept
Q25814075
premiership
Concept
Q264766
Theresa May
PER
Q14211
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Concept
Q25907383
Department for Exiting the European Union
ORG
Q3044733
Department of Energy and Climate Change
ORG
Q25927629
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
ORG
Q4646402
9 Downing Street
LOC
Q300023
David Davis
PER
Q5413809
Eurosceptic
MEDIA
Q4122316
chairman of the Conservative Party
PER
Q27957665
government of John Major
Concept
Q6865827
Minister of State for Europe
PER
Q7460457
Shadow Cabinet of David Cameron
ORG
Q4976591
shadow home secretary
PER
Q268584
Dominic Raab
PER
Q260546
Stephen Barclay
PER
Q3273722
Minister of State for Health
PER
Q105162416
minister of state for exiting the European Union
UNK
Q11010
Parliament
Concept
Q27961995
shadow secretary of state for exiting the European Union
PER
Q291169
Jeremy Corbyn
PER
Q20970375
Shadow Cabinet
ORG
Q25860233
Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union
PER
Q25860233
Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union
PER
2016-06-23T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
23 June 2016
DATE
2016-07-13T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
13 July 2016
DATE
2018-07-08T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
8 July 2018
DATE
2018-11-15T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
15 November 2018
DATE
2018-11-16T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
16 November 2018
DATE
2020-01-31T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
31 January 2020
DATE
+9^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
9
NUMBER
+1994^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1994
NUMBER
+97^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
97
NUMBER
+9^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
9
NUMBER
subclass of
field of work
part of
office held by head of the organization
point in time
head of government
position held