The Welsh Shadow Cabinet is formed from members of the official opposition in the Senedd, the largest party not part of the Welsh Government, to scrutinise ministers in the Welsh Cabinet. It is led by the Leader of the Opposition, who typically appoints members of the Senedd (MSs) from their party as shadow ministers with portfolios which mirror ministerial posts in the Cabinet who scrutinise ministers and can propose their own alternative policies. Other opposition parties in the Senedd also appoint frontbench teams of spokespeople who perform the same function. These are also sometimes styled as "shadow cabinets" by their parties, though unlike the Shadow Cabinet they have no official recognition. Since 2021, the Shadow Cabinet has been formed from members of the Welsh Conservatives led by Andrew RT Davies, who have alternated with Plaid Cymru as the official opposition in the Senedd since its establishment as the National Assembly for Wales in 1999.
The first shadow cabinet of Wales was formed by Plaid Cymru's Dafydd Wigley in 1999. Its members were elected to shadow portfolios by members of the Plaid Cymru Group in the National Assembly for Wales. In 2000, Plaid Cymru's Ieuan Wyn Jones succeeded Wigley as Leader of the Opposition and formed a new shadow cabinet, this time personally appointing its members; since then, members of the Shadow Cabinet have usually been appointed by the Leader of the Opposition. Leaders may reshuffle their shadow cabinet, swapping members' portfolios and appointing new members to the Shadow Cabinet. The official opposition can also appoint party staff and spokespeople to the Shadow Cabinet who have no shadow ministerial portfolio.
The Shadow Cabinet presents itself as an alternative government-in-waiting. It is tasked with scrutinising government ministers, and its members are meant to lead the official opposition in challenging members of the Welsh Government and taking them to account. As party group spokespeople in the Senedd, shadow ministers are able to speak for their respective party and question their relevant ministerial counterparts at plenary sessions of the Senedd.
See main article: Fourth Shadow Cabinet of Andrew RT Davies.
| Portfolio | Name | Constituency | Term | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader of the OppositionLeader of the Welsh Conservatives | Andrew RT Davies MS | South Wales Central | 2021– | |||
| Shadow Minister for Finance and Local Government | Peter Fox MS | Monmouth | 2021– | |||
| Shadow Minister for Mid Wales and Deputy Whip | Russell George MS | Montgomeryshire | 2021– | |||
| Shadow Minister for West Wales | Paul Davies MS | Preseli Pembrokeshire | 2021– | |||
| Shadow Minister for Climate Change | Janet Finch-Saunders MS | Aberconwy | 2021– | |||
| Shadow Minister for Culture, Sport, Tourism and Social Justice | Laura Anne Jones MS | South Wales East | 2021– | |||
| Shadow Counsel General and Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning | Mark Isherwood MS | North Wales | 2021– | |||
| Shadow Minister for the Constitution and North Wales, Chief Whip and Business Manager | Darren Millar MS | Clwyd West | 2021– | |||
| Shadow Minister for Social Care | Altaf Hussain MS | South Wales West | 2021– | |||
| Shadow Minister for Economy | Samuel Kurtz MS | Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire | 2021– | |||
| Shadow Minister for Health | Sam Rowlands MS | North Wales | 2021– | |||
| Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs | James Evans MS | Brecon and Radnorshire | 2021– | |||
| Shadow Minister for Transport | Natasha Asghar MS | South Wales East | 2021– | |||
| Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Early Years | Gareth Davies MS | Vale of Clwyd | 2021– | |||
| Shadow Minister for Education and Welsh Language | Tom Giffard MS | South Wales West | 2021– | |||
| Shadow Minister for Social Partnership | Joel James MS | South Wales Central | 2021– | |||
Rhun ap Iorwerth was announced as a new leader of Plaid Cymru on the 16 June 2023.[1] He announced his shadow cabinet on the 27 June.[2]
| Portfolio | Name | Constituency or electoral region | Term | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader of Plaid CymruShadow Minister for the Constitution and International Affairs | Rhun ap Iorwerth MS | Ynys Môn | 2023 - | |||
| Deputy Leader and Shadow Minister for Climate Change | Delyth Jewell MS | South Wales East | 2023 - | |||
| Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Rural AffairsChair of the Senedd Group | Llyr Huws Gruffydd MS | North Wales | 2023 - | |||
| Shadow Minister for Finance, Welsh Language and CultureBusiness Manager | Heledd Fychan MS | South Wales Central | 2023 - | |||
| Shadow Minister for Health and Social CareChief Whip | Mabon ap Gwynfor MS | Dwyfor Meirionnydd | 2023 - | |||
| Shadow Minister for Justice and European AffairsSenedd Commissioner | Adam Price MS | Carmarthen East and Dinefwr | 2023 - | |||
| Shadow Minister for Local Government and Transport | Peredur Owen Griffiths MS | South Wales East | 2023 - | |||
| Shadow Minister for Social Justice and Early YearsDeputy Whip | Sioned Williams MS | South Wales West | 2023 - | |||
| Shadow Minister for the Economy and Energy | Luke Fletcher MS | South Wales West | 2023 - | |||
| Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning | Siân Gwenllian MS | Arfon | 2023 - | |||
| Shadow Minister for Education | Cefin Campbell MS | Mid and West Wales | 2023 - | |||
At the 2016 election, Plaid Cymru, led by Leanne Wood, won 12 seats to the Welsh Conservatives' 11, and thus became the largest party not in government. On 14 October 2016 Dafydd Elis-Thomas left Plaid Cymru to sit as an independent, so that Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Conservatives both held 11 seats. During this period, Wood was not referred to as Leader of the Opposition, but merely as leader of Plaid Cymru.[3] The Conservative group grew to 12 when Mark Reckless defected from UKIP to the Conservative group on 6 April 2017, and the Welsh Conservative leader, Andrew RT Davies at the time, was referred to as Leader of the Opposition once more.[4]