Shadow Foreign Secretary

Last updated

Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
Official portrait of Rt Hon Priti Patel MP.jpg
Incumbent
Dame Priti Patel
since 4 November 2024
Shadow Cabinet
Appointer Leader of the Opposition
Inaugural holder Alfred Robens
Formation14 December 1955

The shadow secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, commonly called the shadow foreign secretary, is a position within the UK official opposition shadow cabinet that deals mainly with issues surrounding the Foreign Office. If elected, the person serving as shadow foreign secretary may be designated to serve as the new foreign secretary.

Contents

The current Shadow Secretary of State of foreign, commonwealth and development affairs is Priti Patel. The shadow secretary (usually with one or more junior shadow ministers) holds the secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs and other FCDO ministers to account in Parliament.

Although DFID and the role of international development secretary were abolished by the second Johnson government in 2020, the shadow secretary of state did not have responsibility for development until Lammy was appointed in November 2021. His predecessor, Lisa Nandy, served alongside the shadow secretary of state for international development, Preet Gill. This however is no longer the case after the November 2021 British shadow cabinet reshuffle.

List of shadow foreign secretaries

NamePortraitTerm of officePolitical partyShadow Cabinet
Alfred Robens Alfred Robens, Baron Robens of Woldingham.jpg 15 July 1955 [1] 27 November 1956LabourAttlee II
Gaitskell
Aneurin Bevan Aneurin Bevan (crop).jpg 27 November 1956 [2] 6 July 1960Labour
Denis Healey Denis Healey.jpg 7 July 196030 November 1961 [3] Labour
Harold Wilson Dodwilson.JPG 30 November 196122 February 1963Labour
Brown
Patrick Gordon Walker Patrick Gordon Walker.jpg 22 February 196315 October 1964Labour Wilson I
R. A. Butler RA Butler cropped.png 15 October 196416 February 1965 [4] Conservative Douglas-Home
Reginald Maudling Reginald Maudling, 1969 (Brightned) (cropped).jpg 16 February 1965 [4] 4 August 1965 [5] Conservative
Christopher Soames Christopher Soames.jpg 4 August 196513 April 1966Conservative Heath I
Alec Douglas-Home Alec Douglas-Home (c1963).jpg 13 April 196619 June 1970Conservative
Michael Stewart No image.svg 19 June 197024 July 1970Labour Wilson II
Denis Healey Denis Healey.jpg 24 July 197019 April 1972Labour
James Callaghan James Callaghan.JPG 19 April 19724 March 1974Labour
Alec Douglas-Home Alec Douglas-Home (c1963).jpg 4 March 1974August 1974Conservative Heath II
Geoffrey Rippon Geoffrey Rippon (1970).jpg August 197411 February 1975Conservative
Reginald Maudling Reginald Maudling, 1969 (Brightned) (cropped).jpg 11 February 197511 April 1976Conservative Thatcher
John Davies 11 April 19766 November 1978Conservative
Francis Pym [a] Francis Leslie Pym.jpg 6 November 19784 May 1979Conservative
David Owen Official portrait of Lord Owen crop 2.jpg 4 May 197914 July 1979Labour Callaghan
Peter Shore 14 July 19798 December 1980Labour
Denis Healey Denis Healey.jpg 8 December 198013 June 1987Labour Foot
Kinnock
Gerald Kaufman Kaufman.JPG 13 June 198724 July 1992Labour
Jack Cunningham No image.svg 24 July 199220 October 1994Labour Smith
Beckett
Robin Cook Robin Cook-close crop.jpg 20 October 19942 May 1997Labour Blair
John Major Major PM full.jpg 7 May 199711 June 1997Conservative Major
Michael Howard Official portrait of Lord Howard of Lympne crop 2.jpg 11 June 199715 June 1999Conservative Hague
John Maples 15 June 19992 February 2000Conservative
Francis Maude Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office.jpg 2 February 200018 September 2001Conservative
Michael Ancram Official portrait of The Marquess of Lothian crop 2.jpg 18 September 200110 May 2005Conservative Duncan Smith
Howard
Liam Fox Official portrait of Dr Liam Fox crop 2.jpg 10 May 20056 December 2005Conservative
William Hague William Hague Foreign Secretary (2010).jpg 6 December 200511 May 2010Conservative Cameron
David Miliband David Miliband 2.jpg 11 May 20108 October 2010Labour Harman I
Yvette Cooper Official portrait of Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP crop 2.jpg 8 October 201020 January 2011Labour Miliband
Douglas Alexander Douglas Alexander MP at Chatham House 2015 crop.jpg 20 January 201111 May 2015Labour
Hilary Benn Official portrait of Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP crop 2.jpg 11 May 2015 26 June 2016 Labour Harman II
Corbyn
Emily Thornberry Official portrait of Rt Hon Emily Thornberry MP crop 2.jpg 27 June 2016 5 April 2020Labour
Lisa Nandy Official portrait of Lisa Nandy MP crop 2.jpg 5 April 2020 29 November 2021 Labour Starmer
David Lammy Official portrait of Rt Hon David Lammy MP crop 5.jpg 29 November 2021 5 July 2024 Labour
Andrew Mitchell Official portrait of Andrew Mitchell MP crop 2, 2024.jpg 8 July 20244 November 2024Conservative Sunak
Dame Priti Patel Priti Patel Official Cabinet Portrait, September 2021 (cropped2).jpg 4 November 2024IncumbentConservative Badenoch

Notes

  1. ↑ Following Davies' resignation, it was announced that Pym would lead the two-day debate on Rhodesia for the Conservatives. [6] By approximately 20 November, Norman St John-Stevas had replaced him as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, and Pym continued as Shadow Foreign Secretary through the end of the Parliament in 1979.

References

  1. ↑ "McNeil is Not on Attlee's List". The Bulletin. 15 July 1955. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  2. ↑ "Bevan Ousts Robens as Foreign Chief". The Bulletin. 28 November 1956. p. 4. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  3. ↑ "Wilson - Foreign Spokesman". Evening Times. 30 November 1961. p. 1. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  4. 1 2 Baston, Lewis (2004). Reggie: The Life of Reginald Maudling. Sutton Publishing. p. 246. ISBN   0-7509-2924-3.
  5. ↑ "Party unify seen factor in Heath "cabinet" choices". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. London. Associated Press. 5 August 1965. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  6. ↑ Geoffrey Parkhouse (7 November 1978). "Pym favourite for top Thatcher post". The Glasgow Herald. p. 1.


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