List of shadow holders of the Great Offices of State explained

This is a list shadow holders of the Great Offices of State in the United Kingdom's Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet since Hugh Gaitskell's Shadow Cabinet of 1955. The purpose of the Shadow Cabinet is to scrutinise the opposing ministers, develop alternate policies, and hold the government to account for its actions in a form of checks and balances. The Opposition Shadow Cabinet is made up of about 20 ministers from the largest opposition party.

List

GovernmentParty of
Opposition
Leader of the OppositionShadow ChancellorShadow Foreign SecretaryShadow Home Secretary
Conservative
(Eden)
Labour
(Gaitskell)
Hugh Gaitskell
14 December 1955 –
18 January 1963†
Harold Wilson
14 December 1955 –
2 November 1961
Alfred Robens
14 December 1955 –
22 July 1956
Kenneth Younger
14 December 1955 –
13 May 1957
Aneurin Bevan
22 July 1956 –
11 October 1959
Conservative
(Macmillan)
Patrick Gordon Walker
13 May 1957 –
12 March 1962
Denis Healey
11 October 1959 –
2 November 1961
James Callaghan
2 November 1961 –
15 October 1964
Harold Wilson
2 November 1961 –
14 February 1963
George Brown
12 March 1962 –
15 February 1963
Conservative
(Douglas-
Home)
Labour
(Wilson I)
Harold Wilson
14 February 1963 –
16 October 1964
Patrick Gordon Walker
14 February 1963 –
15 October 1964
Frank Soskice
15 February 1963 –
15 October 1964
Labour
(Wilson I - II)
Conservative
(Douglas-Home)
Sir Alec Douglas-Home
16 October 1964 –
28 July 1965
Reginald Maudling
15 October 1964 –
16 February 1965
R. A. Butler
15 October 1964 –
16 February 1965
Edward Boyle
15 October 1964 –
1965
Edward Heath
16 February 1965 –
11 November 1965
Reginald Maudling
16 February 1965 –
11 November 1965
Peter Thorneycroft
1965 –
13 April 1966
Conservative
(Heath I)
Edward Heath
28 July 1965 –
18 June 1970
Iain Macleod
11 November 1965 –
20 June 1970
Christopher Soames
11 November 1965 –
13 April 1966
Sir Alec Douglas-Home
13 April 1966 –
18 June 1970
Quintin Hogg
13 April 1966 –
18 June 1970
Conservative
(Heath)
Labour
(Wilson II)
Harold Wilson
19 June 1970 –
4 March 1974
Roy Jenkins
20 June 1970 –
19 April 1972
Denis Healey
20 June 1970 –
19 April 1972
James Callaghan
18 June 1970 –
19 October 1971
Shirley Williams
19 October 1971 –
4 May 1973
Denis Healey
19 April 1972 –
28 February 1974
James Callaghan
19 April 1972 –
28 February 1974
Roy Jenkins
4 May 1973 –
4 March 1974
Labour
(Wilson III - IV)
Conservative
(Heath II)
Edward Heath
4 March 1974 –
11 February 1975
Robert Carr
28 February 1974 –
11 February 1975
Geoffrey Rippon
28 February 1974 –
11 February 1975
Keith Joseph
4 March 1974 –
11 February 1975
Conservative
(Thatcher)
Margaret Thatcher
11 February 1975 –
4 May 1979
Sir Geoffrey Howe
11 February 1975 –
4 May 1979
Reginald Maudling
11 February 1975 –
11 April 1976
Ian Gilmour
11 February 1975 –
11 April 1976
Labour
(Callaghan)
John Davies
11 April 1976 –
23 September 1978
William Whitelaw
11 April 1976 –
4 May 1979
Francis Pym
23 September 1978 –
4 May 1979
Conservative
(Thatcher)
Labour
(Callaghan)
James Callaghan
4 May 1979 –
10 November 1980
Denis Healey
4 May 1979 –
4 November 1980
Peter Shore
4 May 1979 –
4 November 1980
Merlyn Rees
4 May 1979 –
4 November 1980
Labour
(Foot)
Michael Foot
10 November 1980 –
2 October 1983
Peter Shore
4 November 1980 –
9 June 1983
Denis Healey
4 November 1980 –
13 June 1987
Roy Hattersley
4 November 1980 –
2 October 1983
Labour
(Kinnock)
Neil Kinnock
2 October 1983 –
18 July 1992
Roy Hattersley
9 June 1983 –
11 June 1987
Gerald Kaufman
2 October 1983 –
13 June 1987
John Smith
11 June 1987 –
18 July 1992
Gerald Kaufman
11 June 1987 –
19 July 1992
Roy Hattersley
13 June 1987 –
19 July 1992
Conservative
(Major<
--intentional link to DAB page-->)
Labour
(Smith)
John Smith
18 July 1992 –
12 May 1994†
Gordon Brown
18 July 1992 –
2 May 1997
Jack Cunningham
11 April 1992 –
22 July 1994
Tony Blair
19 July 1992 –
22 July 1994
Labour
(Beckett)
Margaret Beckett
12 May 1994 –
21 July 1994
Labour
(Blair)
Tony Blair
21 July 1994 –
2 May 1997
Robin Cook
22 July 1994 –
2 May 1997
Jack Straw
22 July 1994 –
2 May 1997
Labour
(Blair)
Conservative
(Major)
John Major
7 May 1997 –
11 June 1997
Kenneth Clarke
2 May 1997 –
11 June 1997
John Major
7 May 1997 –
11 June 1997
Michael Howard
2 May 1997 –
11 June 1997
Conservative
(Hague)
William Hague
19 June 1997 –
18 December 2001
Peter Lilley
11 June 1997 –
2 June 1998
Michael Howard
11 June 1997 –
15 June 1999
Brian Mawhinney
11 June 1997 –
2 June 1998
Francis Maude
2 June 1998 –
1 February 2000
Norman Fowler
2 June 1998 –
15 June 1999
John Maples
15 June 1999 –
2 February 2000
Ann Widdecombe
15 June 1999 –
18 September 2001
Michael Portillo
1 February 2000 –
18 September 2001
Francis Maude
2 February 2000 –
18 September 2001
Conservative
(Duncan Smith)
Iain Duncan Smith
18 September 2001 –
6 November 2003
Michael Howard
18 September 2001 –
6 November 2003
Michael Ancram
18 September 2001 –
10 May 2005
Oliver Letwin
18 September 2001 –
6 November 2003
Conservative
(Howard)
Michael Howard
6 November 2003 –
6 December 2005
Oliver Letwin
6 November 2003 –
5 May 2005
David Davis
6 November 2003 –
12 June 2008
George Osborne
5 May 2005 –
6 May 2010
Liam Fox
10 May 2005 –
6 December 2005
height=15 style="background-color: " Conservative
(Cameron)
David Cameron
6 December 2005 –
6 May 2010
William Hague
6 December 2005 –
6 May 2010
Labour
(Brown)
Dominic Grieve
12 June 2008 –
19 January 2009
Chris Grayling
19 January 2009 –
6 May 2010
Conservative -
Liberal
Democrat

(Cameron–Clegg)
Labour
(Harman I)
Harriet Harman‡
11 May 2010 –
25 September 2010
Alistair Darling
11 May 2010 –
8 October 2010
David Miliband
11 May 2010 –
8 October 2010
Alan Johnson
11 May 2010 –
8 October 2010
Labour
(Miliband)
Ed Miliband
25 September 2010 –
8 May 2015
Alan Johnson
8 October 2010 –
20 January 2011
Yvette Cooper
8 October 2010 –
20 January 2011
Ed Balls
8 October 2010 –
20 January 2011
Ed Balls
20 January 2011 –
11 May 2015
Douglas Alexander
20 January 2011 –
11 May 2015
Yvette Cooper
20 January 2011 –
12 September 2015
Conservative
(Cameron II)
Labour
(Harman II)
Harriet Harman‡
8 May 2015 –
12 September 2015
Chris Leslie
11 May 2015 –
12 September 2015
Hilary Benn
11 May 2015 –
26 June 2016
Labour
(Corbyn)
Jeremy Corbyn
12 September 2015 –
4 April 2020
John McDonnell
13 September 2015 –
5 April 2020
Andy Burnham
13 September 2015 –
28 September 2016
Conservative
(May)
Emily Thornberry
27 June 2016 –
5 April 2020
Diane Abbott
6 October 2016 –
5 April 2020
Conservative
(Johnson<
--intentional link to DAB page-->)
Labour
(Starmer)
Sir Keir Starmer
4 April 2020 –
5 July 2024
Anneliese Dodds
5 April 2020 –
9 May 2021
Lisa Nandy
5 April 2020 –
29 November 2021
Nick Thomas-Symonds
5 April 2020 –
29 November 2021
Rachel Reeves
9 May 2021 –
5 July 2024
David Lammy
29 November 2021 –
5 July 2024
Yvette Cooper
29 November 2021 –
5 July 2024
Conservative
(Truss)
Conservative
(Sunak)
Labour
(Starmer<
--intentional link to DAB page-->)Conservative
(Sunak)
Rishi Sunak
5 July 2024 –
Jeremy Hunt
8 July 2024 –
Andrew Mitchell
8 July 2024 –
James Cleverly
8 July 2024 –

†Died in office

‡Served as interim leader

See also