List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom by length of tenure

20 years and 314 days: Robert Walpole (1721–1742)

18 years and 343 days: William Pitt the Younger (1783–1801 and 1804–1806)

144 days: Viscount Goderich (1827–1828)

119 days: George Canning (1827)

1 year, 360 days: Liz Truss (2022–2022)

This article lists each prime minister of the United Kingdom in order of term length. This is based on the difference between dates; if counted by number of calendar days, figures would be one day greater for each term served.

Of the 56 prime ministers, nine served more than 10 years while eight served less than a year.

Robert Walpole is the only person to have served as Prime Minister for more than two decades.

List of office holders by tenure

In this table:

• "Length" is the total time served as Prime Minister
• "Terms" is the number of separate, discontiguous periods served as Prime Minister
• "Exit" is the reason for the end of a Prime Minister's final term

Rank	Prime Minister	Length	Terms	Party	Start	Exit
1	Sir Robert Walpole	20 years, 314 days	1	Whig	1721	Resigned
2	William Pitt the Younger	18 years, 343 days	2	Tory (Pittite)	1783	Died
3	The Earl of Liverpool	14 years, 305 days	1	Tory (Pittite)	1812	Illness
4	The Marquess of Salisbury	13 years, 252 days	3	Conservative	1885	Illness
5	William Ewart Gladstone	12 years, 126 days	4	Liberal	1868	Resigned
6	Lord North	12 years, 58 days	1	Tory (Northite)	1770	Resigned
7	Margaret Thatcher	11 years, 208 days	1	Conservative	1979	Resigned
8	Henry Pelham	10 years, 191 days	1	Whig	1743	Died
9	Tony Blair	10 years, 56 days	1	Labour	1997	Resigned
10	The Viscount Palmerston	9 years, 141 days	2	Whig / Liberal	1855	Died
11	H. H. Asquith	8 years, 244 days	1	Liberal	1908	Resigned
12	Sir Winston Churchill	8 years, 239 days	2	Conservative	1940	Illness
13	Harold Wilson	7 years, 279 days	2	Labour	1964	Resigned
14	The Duke of Newcastle	7 years, 205 days	2	Whig	1754	Replaced
15	Stanley Baldwin	7 years, 82 days	3	Conservative	1923	Resigned
16	Benjamin Disraeli	6 years, 339 days	2	Conservative	1868	Election
17	Ramsay MacDonald	6 years, 289 days	2	Labour / National Labour	1924	Illness
18	Harold Macmillan	6 years, 281 days	1	Conservative	1957	Resigned
19	The Viscount Melbourne	6 years, 255 days	2	Whig	1834	Resigned
20	John Major	6 years, 155 days	1	Conservative	1990	Election
21	Lord John Russell	6 years, 110 days	2	Whig / Liberal	1846	Election
22	Clement Attlee	6 years, 92 days	1	Labour	1945	Election
23	David Cameron	6 years, 63 days	1	Conservative	2010	Resigned
24	David Lloyd George	5 years, 317 days	1	Liberal	1916	Resigned
25	Sir Robert Peel	5 years, 57 days	2	Conservative	1834	Resigned
26	The Earl of Derby	3 years, 280 days	3	Conservative	1852	Illness
27	Edward Heath	3 years, 259 days	1	Conservative	1970	Election
28	The Earl Grey	3 years, 229 days	1	Whig	1830	Resigned
29	Arthur Balfour	3 years, 145 days	1	Conservative	1902	Resigned
30	The Duke of Portland	3 years, 82 days	2	Whig / Tory (Pittite)	1783	Illness
31	Henry Addington	3 years, 54 days	1	Tory (Pittite)	1801	Replaced
32	Boris Johnson	3 years, 44 days	1	Conservative	2019	Resigned
33	James Callaghan	3 years, 29 days	1	Labour	1976	Election
34	Theresa May	3 years, 11 days	1	Conservative	2016	Resigned
35	Neville Chamberlain	2 years, 348 days	1	Conservative	1937	Resigned
36	The Duke of Wellington	2 years, 320 days	2	Tory	1828	Replaced
37	Gordon Brown	2 years, 318 days	1	Labour	2007	Election
38	Spencer Perceval	2 years, 221 days	1	Tory (Pittite)	1809	Assassinated
39	Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman	2 years, 122 days	1	Liberal	1905	Illness
40	George Grenville	2 years, 85 days	1	Whig (Grenvillite)	1763	Replaced
41	The Earl of Chatham	2 years, 76 days	1	Whig (Chathamite)	1766	Illness
42	The Earl of Aberdeen	2 years, 42 days	1	Peelite	1852	Resigned
43	Sir Anthony Eden	1 year, 279 days	1	Conservative	1955	Illness
44	The Earl of Wilmington	1 year, 119 days	1	Whig	1742	Died
45	The Marquess of Rockingham	1 year, 113 days	2	Whig (Rockinghamite)	1765	Died
46	The Earl of Rosebery	1 year, 109 days	1	Liberal	1894	Election
47	The Duke of Grafton	1 year, 106 days	1	Whig (Chathamite)	1768	Resigned
48	The Lord Grenville	1 year, 42 days	1	Whig	1806	Replaced
49	Sir Alec Douglas-Home	363 days	1	Conservative (Scot. Unionist)	1963	Election
50	The Earl of Bute	317 days	1	Tory	1762	Resigned
51	The Earl of Shelburne	266 days	1	Whig (Chathamite)	1782	Replaced
52	The Duke of Devonshire	225 days	1	Whig	1756	Replaced
53	Bonar Law	211 days	1	Conservative (Scot. Unionist)	1922	Illness
54	The Viscount Goderich	144 days	1	Tory (Canningite)	1827	Replaced
55	George Canning	119 days	1	Tory (Canningite)	1827	Died
56	Liz Truss	45 days	1	Conservative	2022	Resigned

Disputed

Rank	Prime Minister	Length served	Terms in office	Party	Start	Exit
57	The Earl Waldegrave	4 days	0	Whig	1757	Unsupported
58	The Earl of Bath	2 days	0	Whig	1746	Unsupported

See also

• List of leaders of the opposition of the United Kingdom by length of tenure
• List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
• List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom by age
• List of prime ministers of Australia by time in office
• List of prime ministers of Canada by time in office
• List of prime ministers of New Zealand by time in office

External links

• "Past Prime Ministers". gov.uk. Government of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 25 August 2008.