The frontbench of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition in the Parliament of the United Kingdom consists of the Shadow cabinet and other shadow ministers of the political party currently serving as the Official Opposition. Since 2024, His Majesty's Loyal Opposition is the Conservative Party, and the Leader of the Opposition is Kemi Badenoch. [1]
The full shadow cabinet was announced on 5 November 2024. [2] Junior appointments were made on 6 November. [3] On 18 November it was confirmed that all of the 26 new Conservative MPs elected at the 2024 general election were given positions in opposition. [4] [5] On 20 November, the full frontbench team was confirmed. [6]
| Sits in the House of Commons | |
| Sits in the House of Lords | |
| Privy Counsellor | |
| Shadow Cabinet full members in bold | |
| Shadow Cabinet attendees in bold italics | |
| Office of the Leader of the Opposition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader of the Opposition Leader of the Conservative Party | Kemi Badenoch | November 2024 –present | ||
| Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition | Julia Lopez | November 2024 –present | ||
| Cabinet Office | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Alex Burghart | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Paymaster General | Richard Holden | November 2024 –present | ||
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Charlie Dewhirst | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office | Mike Wood | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | The Baroness Finn | November 2024 –present | ||
| Equalities Office | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Minister for Equalities | Claire Coutinho | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister for Women | Mims Davies | November 2024 –present | ||
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Shivani Raja | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | The Baroness Stedman-Scott | November 2024 –present | ||
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs | Priti Patel | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs | Wendy Morton | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs | Andrew Rosindell | November 2024 - present | ||
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Lincoln Jopp | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs | The Lord Callanan | September 2024 –present | ||
| Defence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Defence | James Cartlidge | July 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister for Defence | Mark Francois | November 2024 –present | ||
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | David Reed | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister for Defence | The Baroness Goldie | September 2024 – present | ||
| Shadow Minister for Defence | The Earl of Minto | September 2024 – present | ||
| Home Department | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Home Secretary | Chris Philp | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | Matt Vickers | July 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | Alicia Kearns | November 2024 –present | ||
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Sarah Bool | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | The Lord Murray of Blidworth | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | The Lord Davies of Gower | November 2024 –present | ||
| Justice | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Justice | Robert Jenrick | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister of State | Kieran Mullan | November 2024 –present | ||
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Jack Rankin | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | The Lord Keen of Ellie | September 2024 –present | ||
| Attorney General's Office | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales Shadow Advocate General for Northern Ireland | The Lord Wolfson of Tredegar | November 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Advocate General for Scotland | The Lord Keen of Ellie | November 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Solicitor General | Helen Grant | November 2024 –present | |
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Sarah Bool | November 2024 –present | |
| Treasury | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer | Mel Stride | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury | Richard Fuller | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Gareth Davies | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury | James Wild | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury | Mark Garnier | November 2024 –present | ||
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Blake Stephenson | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | The Baroness Neville-Rolfe | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | The Lord Altrincham | September 2024 –present | ||
| Business and Trade | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade | Andrew Griffith | November 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Minister of State | Harriett Baldwin | November 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary of State | Greg Smith | July 2024 –present | |
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Alison Griffiths | November 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Minister | The Lord Sharpe of Epsom | September 2024 –present | |
| Science, Innovation and Technology | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology | Alan Mak | November 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Minister of State | Ben Spencer | July 2024 –present | |
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Peter Fortune | November 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Minister | The Viscount Camrose | September 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Minister | The Lord Markham | September 2024 –present | |
| Education | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Education | Laura Trott | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | Neil O'Brien | November 2024 –present | ||
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Patrick Spencer | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | The Baroness Barran | September 2024 –present | ||
| Health and Social Care | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care | Edward Argar | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | Caroline Johnson | July 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | Luke Evans | November 2024 –present | ||
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Neil Shastri-Hurst | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | The Lord Kamall | September 2024 –present | ||
| Work and Pensions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions | Helen Whately | November 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Minister | Danny Kruger | November 2024 –present | |
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Peter Bedford | November 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Minister | The Viscount Younger of Leckie | September 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Minister | The Baroness Stedman-Scott | September 2024 –present | |
| Energy Security and Net Zero | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero | Claire Coutinho | July 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | Andrew Bowie | November 2024 –present | ||
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Bradley Thomas | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | The Lord Offord of Garvel | September 2024 –present | ||
| Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Victoria Atkins | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | Robbie Moore | July 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | Neil Hudson | November 2024 –present | ||
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Aphra Brandreth | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | The Lord Roborough | September 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | The Lord Blencathra | September 2024 –present | ||
| Culture, Media and Sport | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport | Stuart Andrew | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | Saqib Bhatti | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Parliamentary Secretary | Louie French | November 2024 –present | ||
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Joe Robertson | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | The Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay | September 2024 –present | ||
| Transport | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Transport | Gareth Bacon | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister of State | Jerome Mayhew | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Minister | The Lord Moylan | September 2024 –present | ||
| Housing, Communities and Local Government | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government | Kevin Hollinrake | November 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Minister | David Simmonds | November 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Minister | Paul Holmes | November 2024 –present | |
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Lewis Cocking | November 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Minister | The Lord Jamieson | November 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Minister | The Baroness Scott of Bybrook | November 2024 –present | |
| Northern Ireland | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | Alex Burghart | July 2024 –present | |
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | Charlie Dewhirst | November 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Minister | The Lord Caine | September 2024 –present | |
| Scotland | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland | Andrew Bowie | November 2024 –present | |
| Parliamentary Private Secretary | John Cooper | November 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Minister | The Lord Cameron of Lochie | September 2024 –present | |
| Wales | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Secretary of State for Wales | Mims Davies | November 2024 –present | |
| Shadow Minister | The Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist | November 2024 –present | |
| House Leaders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Leader of the House of Commons | Jesse Norman | November 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Leader of the House of Lords | The Lord True | July 2024 –present | ||
| Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords | The Earl Howe | July 2024 –present | ||
| House of Commons Whips | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Chief Whip | Rebecca Harris | November 2024 –present | |
| Opposition Deputy Chief Whip | Gagan Mohindra | November 2024 –present | |
| Joy Morrissey | |||
| Senior Opposition Whip | Mike Wood | November 2024 –present | |
| Greg Smith | November 2024 –present | ||
| Alicia Kearns | November 2024 –present | ||
| Paul Holmes | November 2024 –present | ||
| David Simmonds | November 2024 –present | ||
| James Wild | November 2024 –present | ||
| Jerome Mayhew | November 2024 –present | ||
| Richard Holden | November 2024 –present | ||
| Junior Opposition Whip | Nick Timothy | November 2024 –present | |
| Katie Lam | November 2024 –present | ||
| Harriet Cross | November 2024 –present | ||
| Ben Obese-Jecty | November 2024 –present | ||
| Rebecca Paul | November 2024 –present | ||
| Rebecca Smith | November 2024 –present | ||
| Greg Stafford | November 2024 –present | ||
| Ashley Fox | November 2024 –present | ||
| Andrew Snowden | November 2024 –present | ||
| House of Lords Whips | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Lords | Baroness Williams of Old Trafford | July 2024 –present | ||
| Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords | The Earl of Courtown | September 2024 –present | ||
| Opposition Lords Whip | The Earl of Effingham | September 2024 –present | ||
| The Lord Sandhurst | September 2024 –present | |||
| The Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist | September 2024 –present | |||
| The Baroness Stedman-Scott | November 2024 –present | |||
| The Lord Jamieson | November 2024 –present | |||
The shadow cabinet or shadow ministry is a feature of the Westminster system of government. It consists of a senior group of opposition spokespeople who, under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition, form an alternative cabinet to that of the government, and whose members shadow or mirror the positions of each individual member of the Cabinet. Their areas of responsibility, in parallel with the ruling party's ministries, may be referred to as a shadow portfolio. Members of a shadow cabinet have no executive power. It is the shadow cabinet's responsibility to scrutinise the policies and actions of the government, as well as to offer alternative policies. The shadow cabinet makes up the majority of the Official Opposition frontbench, as part of frontbenchers to the parliament. Smaller opposition parties in Britain and Ireland have Frontbench Teams.
The Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet, or His Majesty’s Most Loyal Opposition Shadow Cabinet, but usually simply the Shadow Cabinet, is the committee of senior members of the Official Opposition who scrutinise the work of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. Each Shadow Cabinet member is typically given a position which corresponds to that of a government minister in Cabinet.
The leader of the Conservative Party is the highest position within the United Kingdom's Conservative Party. The current holder of the position is Kemi Badenoch, who was elected to the position on 2 November 2024, following her victory against Robert Jenrick in the party's leadership election.
The frontbench of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition in the Parliament of the United Kingdom consists of the Shadow Cabinet and other official shadow ministers of the political party currently serving as the Official Opposition. The Opposition front bench provide Parliamentary opposition to the British Government frontbench and has been the Conservative Party since 5 July 2024. The current Leader of the Opposition is Kemi Badenoch, following her victory in the 2024 Conservative Party Leadership Election.
Dame Elizabeth Rebecca Scott Harris is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Castle Point since 2010. She was the Comptroller of the Household from 2022 to 2024. In that role, she took part in the 2023 Coronation. In November 2024 she assumed the role of Opposition Chief Whip, replacing Stuart Andrew in the role.
Melvyn John Stride is a British politician who has served as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in Kemi Badenoch’s Shadow Cabinet since November 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Central Devon since 2010.
Nigel Paul Huddleston is a British politician who has served as co-chairman of the Conservative Party since November 2024, serving alongside The Lord Johnson of Lainston. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Droitwich and Evesham, previously Mid Worcestershire, since 2015 and was Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury from July to November 2024. He served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury from November 2023 to July 2024. He previously served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from 2020 to 2022 and as Minister of State for International Trade from February to November 2023.
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Faversham and Mid Kent since 2015 and Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions since November 2024. She was Shadow Secretary of State for Transport from July to November 2024 and Minister of State for Social Care from October 2022 to July 2024, as too previously from 2020 to 2021. She also served as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury from 2021 to 2022.
Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke Badenoch is a British politician who has served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Conservative Party since November 2024. The first Black person to hold those offices, Badenoch previously served in the Cabinet under Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak from 2022 to 2024. She has been Member of Parliament (MP) for North West Essex, previously Saffron Walden, since 2017.
His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition, commonly known as the Official Opposition in the United Kingdom, is the main political opposition to His Majesty's Government. This is usually the political party with the second-largest number of seats in the House of Commons, as the largest party will usually form the government.
Michael Alex Burghart is a British politician, academic and former teacher who has served as Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland since 8 July 2024, and Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster since 5 November 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Brentwood and Ongar since 2017.
Julia Louise Lopez is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hornchurch and Upminster since 2017. She has served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition since November 2024, having previously served as Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in Rishi Sunak's Caretaker Shadow Cabinet.
Lee Benjamin Rowley is a British politician and former management consultant who has served as Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Opposition since November 2024. He previously served as Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Building Safety from November 2023 to July 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Derbyshire from 2017 to being voted out in 2024. He previously served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government and Building Safety between October 2022 and November 2023.
Joyce Rebekah "Joy" Morrissey is an American-born British Conservative Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Beaconsfield since 2019. She was a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from November 2023 until July 2024. She has been Opposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons since November 2024, serving alongside Gagan Mohindra.
Richard John Holden is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Basildon and Billericay and Shadow Paymaster General since 2024. A member of the Conservative party, he was previously the Member of Parliament for North West Durham from 2019 to 2024. Holden served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio from November 2023 to July 2024, and as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Roads and Local Transport from 2022 to 2023.
Gagan Mohindra is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Hertfordshire since 2019. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been Opposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons since November 2024, serving alongside Joy Morrissey.
James Oliver Wild is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for North West Norfolk since 2019. He has been Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury since November 2024, and was Shadow Minister for Education from July to November 2024.
Rishi Sunak was Leader of the Opposition as Leader of the Conservative Party from 5 July to 2 November 2024, following his resignation as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the aftermath of the Conservative Party's defeat in the 2024 general election. He formed his shadow cabinet on 8 July 2024. Sunak served as Leader of the Opposition in a caretaker capacity until his successor was elected in the 2024 Conservative leadership election; the result was announced on 2 November.
The frontbench of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition in the Parliament of the United Kingdom consists of the Shadow cabinet and other shadow ministers of the political party which served as His Majesty's Official Opposition was the Conservative Party from 5 July 2024 to 2 November 2024. The Leader of the Opposition was Rishi Sunak.
Kemi Badenoch has served as the Leader of the Opposition as Leader of the Conservative Party since 2 November 2024, following her victory in the 2024 Conservative Leadership election. The election was triggered by Rishi Sunak's resignation as party leader following the 2024 general election, which the Labour Party under Keir Starmer won.
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