The First Stanhope-Sunderland ministry was a period of British political history that lasted from 1717 to 1718, before the Townshend ministry and before the Second Stanhope-Sunderland ministry, during which time the Whig Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland served as chief minister.
Sunderland took over following the "Whig Split" and the ouster of Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend from the premiership. Sunderland and James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope jointly governed the country, although they frequently came under attack from Robert Walpole and his associates, who frequently found themselves voting alongside the Tories. In 1718, Sunderland and Stanhope changed positions, inaugurating a new ministry.