List of shadow holders of the Great Offices of State

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[]

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)
				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
				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)
				Labour (Starmer)	Sir Keir Starmer 4 April 2020 –		Anneliese Dodds 5 April 2020 – 9 May 2021		Lisa Nandy 5 April 2020 –		Nick Thomas-Symonds 5 April 2020 – 29 November 2021
							Rachel Reeves 9 May 2021 –
									David Lammy 29 November 2021 –		Yvette Cooper 29 November 2021 –

†Died in office

‡Served as interim leader

See also[]

• Official Opposition (United Kingdom)
• Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom)
• Official Opposition frontbench
• List of British shadow cabinets