Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations

The secretary of state for Commonwealth relations was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for dealing with the United Kingdom's relations with members of the Commonwealth of Nations (its former colonies). The minister's department was the Commonwealth Relations Office (CRO).

The position was created in 1947 out of the old positions of Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs and Secretary of State for India. In 1966, the position was merged with that of the Secretary of State for the Colonies to form that of Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs, which was in turn merged with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in 1968 to create the new position of Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. The equivalent position today is the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.

Secretaries of state for Commonwealth relations, 1947–1966

Portrait		Name	Term of office		Political party	Ministry
		Christopher Addison The Viscount Addison	7 July 1947	7 October 1947	Labour		Attlee (I & II)
		Philip Noel-Baker MP for Derby	7 October 1947	28 February 1950	Labour
		Patrick Gordon Walker MP for Smethwick	28 February 1950	26 October 1951	Labour
		General Hastings Ismay The Lord Ismay	28 October 1951	12 March 1952	–		Churchill III
		Robert Gascoyne-Cecil The Marquess of Salisbury	12 March 1952	24 November 1952	Conservative
		Philip Cunliffe-Lister The Viscount Swinton	24 November 1952	7 April 1955	Conservative
		Alec Douglas-Home The Earl of Home	7 April 1955	27 July 1960	Conservative		Eden
							Macmillan (I & II)
		Duncan Sandys MP for Streatham	27 July 1960	16 October 1964	Conservative
							Douglas-Home
		Arthur Bottomley MP for Middlesbrough East	18 October 1964	1 August 1966	Labour		Wilson (I & II)

Shadow secretaries of state for commonwealth relations

Name			Entered office	Left office	Political party	Shadow Cabinet
	Patrick Gordon Walker		15 July 1955	15 February 1956	Labour	Attlee
						Gaitskell
	Arthur Creech Jones		15 February 1956	24 January 1958	Labour
	Arthur Bottomley		24 January 1958[1]	November 1959	Labour
	Hilary Marquand		November 1959	November 1961	Labour
	John Strachey		November 1961	15 July 1963	Labour
						Brown
						Wilson
	Unknown		15 July 1963	16 October 1964	Labour
	Duncan Sandys		16 October 1964	5 August 1965	Conservative	Douglas-Home
	Selwyn Lloyd		5 August 1965	19 April 1966	Conservative	Heath
	Reginald Maudling		19 April 1966	1 August 1966	Conservative