Foreign Secretary from 1807, he resigned in 1809 after a disagreement with his rival Castlereagh over a disastrous expedition in the Napoleonic Wars, but returned to office following Castlereagh’s suicide in 1822. During this ministry he presided over a reversal of Britain’s hitherto conservative foreign policy, being particularly responsible for the support of nationalist movements in various parts of Europe. He succeeded Lord Liverpool as Prime Minister in 1827, but died shortly afterwards.