minister without portfolio

noun

plural

ministers without portfolios 

1. a minister of state who is not appointed to any specific department in a government.

Word History and Origins

Origin of minister without portfolio¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

In 1997 their work paid off, and following the landslide victory, Mandelson was given the job of minister without portfolio and then trade secretary.

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Anna Turley has been promoted from the Whips Office to minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office, and will attend cabinet.

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Saar will serve as a minister without portfolio with a seat in the Security Cabinet, the body overseeing the management of the war against Israel’s regional enemies.

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Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labour's shadow minister without portfolio, said the decision marked "another important victory" for the victims of the scandal.

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He may attend cabinet and will essentially act as minister without portfolio and have various responsibilities.

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