Ministerial role

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury

Organisations: HM Treasury
Current role holder: James Murray MP

Responsibilities

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (XST) is responsible for:

  • The UK tax system including:
    • Direct, indirect, business, property, and personal taxation (except for taxes covered by EST)
    • European and other international tax issues
    • Customs and VAT at the border
    • The Finance Bill and the National Insurance Bill
    • Indirect taxes, including stakeholder engagement on excise duties and excise fraud and law enforcement.
  • Tax administration policy
  • Input to Investment Zones and Freeports focussing on tax and customs elements
  • Taxation of charities, the voluntary sector and gift aid
  • Energy, environment and climate taxes (including transport taxes)
  • Energy profits Levy

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury is the departmental Minister for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Valuation Office Agency, and the Government’s Actuary’s Department.

Current role holder

James Murray MP

James Murray has served as the Member of Parliament for Ealing North since 2019.

He has held the office of Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury since 9 July 2024, having been shadow Financial Secretary for three and a half years before that.

He is a member of the Labour and Co-operative parties and served as the Deputy Mayor of London for Housing and Residential Development from 2016 to 2019.

Prior to being appointed Deputy Mayor, he served as a councillor for a decade, including six years as executive member for housing and development from 2010 to 2016.

Earlier in his career, he worked in a management consultancy.

More about this person

Previous holders of this role

  1. Gareth Davies MP

    2023 to 2024

  2. James Cartlidge MP

    2022 to 2023

  3. Felicity Buchan

    2022 to 2022

  4. Alan Mak MP

    2022 to 2022

  5. Helen Whately MP

    2021 to 2022

  6. The Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP

    2020 to 2021

  7. The Rt Hon Simon Clarke

    2019 to 2020

  8. The Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP

    2018 to 2019

  9. Andrew Jones

    2017 to 2018

  10. The Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP

    2015 to 2016

  11. The Rt Hon Priti Patel MP

    2014 to 2015

  12. The Rt Hon David Gauke

    2010 to 2014