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.
| Government | Party of Opposition | Leader of the Opposition | Shadow Chancellor | Shadow Foreign Secretary | Shadow 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