The minister for civil society was a position within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in the Government of the United Kingdom. It concerned and directly supported charities, volunteering and social enterprise.

The office was established during the third Blair ministry as Minister for the Third Sector. The office was renamed to support the Big Society manifesto-committed agenda of the first and second Cameron ministries. Before the new commitments and Cabinet reshuffle on formation of the May Ministry in 2016 the Office for Civil Society supporting the Minister was part of the Cabinet Office. Some responsibilities were moved to the office of Minister for Sport and Civil Society following the 2017 general election.

List of ministers

NamePortraitTook officeLeft officePolitical partyPrime Minister
Minister for the Third Sector
Ed Miliband MP for Doncaster North6 May 200628 June 2007LabourTony Blair
Phil Hope MP for Corby28 June 20075 October 2008LabourGordon Brown
Kevin Brennan MP for Cardiff West5 October 20088 June 2009Labour
Minister of State for the Third Sector
Angela Smith MP for Basildon8 June 200911 May 2010LabourGordon Brown
Minister for Civil Society
Nick Hurd MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner15 May 201014 July 2014ConservativeDavid Cameron
Brooks Newmark MP for Braintree15 July 201427 September 2014Conservative
Rob Wilson MP for Reading East27 September 20148 June 2017Conservative
Theresa May
Henry Ashton Hereditary peer8 June 201726 July 2019Conservative
Diana Barran Life peer26 July 201917 September 2021ConservativeBoris Johnson
Role merged into Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Civil Society Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Civil Society, Heritage, Tourism and Growth
Syed Kamall Life peer20 September 202228 October 2022ConservativeLiz Truss
Role merged into Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism and Civil Society

Shadow Ministers for Civil Society

Shadow MinisterTerm of officePartyOpposition Leader
Shadow Minister for Civil Society
Roberta Blackman-Woods MP for City of Durham8 October 20107 October 2011LabourEd Miliband
Gareth Thomas MP for Harrow West7 October 20117 October 2013LabourEd Miliband
Lisa Nandy MP for Wigan7 October 201314 September 2015LabourEd Miliband
Anna Turley MP for Redcar18 September 201527 June 2016LabourJeremy Corbyn
Shadow Minister for Trade Unions and Civil Society
Ian Lavery MP for Wansbeck18 September 20157 October 2016LabourJeremy Corbyn
Shadow Minister for Civil Society
Steve Reed MP for Croydon North3 October 201624 June 2019LabourJeremy Corbyn
Vicky Foxcroft MP for Lewisham Deptford24 June 201910 April 2020LabourJeremy Corbyn
Shadow Minister for Voluntary Sector and Charities
Rachael Maskell MP for York Central10 April 20204 December 2021LabourKeir Starmer
Shadow Minister for Arts, Civil Society and Youth
Rachael Maskell MP for York Central4 December 202114 December 2021LabourKeir Starmer
Shadow Minister for Arts and Civil Society
Barbara Keeley MP for Worsley and Eccles South11 March 2022IncumbentLabourKeir Starmer