Shadow Home Secretary

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Shadow Home Secretary
Official portrait of Chris Philp MP, 2024.jpg
Incumbent
Chris Philp
since 5 November 2024
Appointer Leader of the Opposition
Inaugural holder Kenneth Younger
Formation15 July 1955

In British politics, the shadow home secretary (formally known as the shadow secretary of state for the home department) is the person within the shadow cabinet who shadows the home secretary; this effectively means scrutinising government policy on home affairs including policing, national security, and matters of citizenship. The shadow home secretary also formerly had responsibility for the criminal justice system and the prison service; these responsibilities are now held by the shadow justice secretary. If the opposition party is elected to government, the Shadow Home Secretary often becomes the new Home Secretary, though this is not always the case. The office is currently held by Chris Philp, a member of the Conservative shadow cabinet.

In recent decades, the positions of home secretary and shadow home secretary have alternated between the Conservative and Labour parties. The corresponding position for the Liberal Democrats is the Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson.

List of shadow home secretaries

NamePortraitEntered officeLeft officePartyShadow Cabinet
Kenneth Younger 3x4.svg 15 July 195524 January 1958 [1] Labour Attlee
Gaitskell
Patrick Gordon-Walker Patrick Gordon Walker.jpg 24 January 195830 November 1961 [2] Labour
George Brown George Brown, 1967.jpg 30 November 196116 October 1964 [3] Labour
Wilson
Henry Brooke Henry Brooke 1950.jpg 16 October 196429 October 1964 [4] Conservative Douglas-Home
Edward Boyle 3x4.svg 29 October 196416 February 1965 [5] Conservative
Peter Thorneycroft Peter Thorneycroft cropped.png 16 February 196513 April 1966Conservative
Heath
Quintin Hogg Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham Allan Warren.jpg 13 April 196618 June 1970Conservative
James Callaghan James Callaghan 1970 (cropped).jpg 18 June 197019 October 1971Labour Wilson II
Shirley Williams Shirley Williams, 1984.jpg 19 October 197125 November 1973Labour
Roy Jenkins Roy Jenkins 1977b.jpg 25 November 19734 March 1974Labour
Robert Carr Robert Carr2.jpg 4 March 197411 March 1974 [6] Conservative Heath II
Jim Prior 3x4.svg 11 March 197412 June 1974 [7] Conservative
Keith Joseph 3x4.svg 12 June 197411 February 1975Conservative
Ian Gilmour 3x4.svg 18 February 197515 January 1976Conservative Thatcher
William Whitelaw 3x4.svg 11 April 19764 May 1979Conservative
Merlyn Rees Merlyn Rees appearing on After Dark , 16 July 1988 - (cropped).jpg 4 May 19794 November 1980Labour Callaghan
Roy Hattersley Roy Hattersley 2012 cropped 2.jpg 4 November 198031 October 1983Labour Foot
Gerald Kaufman Kaufman.JPG 31 October 198313 July 1987Labour Kinnock
Roy Hattersley Roy Hattersley 2012 cropped 2.jpg 13 July 198724 July 1992Labour
Tony Blair Tony Blair in 1997.jpg 24 July 199221 July 1994Labour Smith
Beckett
Alun Michael Alun Michael official portrait.jpg 21 July 199420 October 1994Labour Blair
Jack Straw Jack Straw 2.jpg 20 October 19942 May 1997Labour
Michael Howard Official portrait of Lord Howard of Lympne crop 2.jpg 2 May 199711 June 1997Conservative Major
Brian Mawhinney 3x4.svg 11 June 19972 June 1998Conservative Hague
Norman Fowler Official portrait of Lord Fowler crop 2.jpg 2 June 199815 June 1999Conservative
Ann Widdecombe [8] Widdebookclub (cropped).jpg 15 June 199918 September 2001Conservative
Oliver Letwin [9] Oliver Letwin Official.jpg 18 September 200110 November 2003Conservative Duncan Smith
David Davis [10] Official portrait of Rt Hon David Davis MP crop 2.jpg 10 November 200312 June 2008Conservative Howard
Cameron
Dominic Grieve [11] Official portrait of Mr Dominic Grieve crop 2.jpg 12 June 200819 January 2009Conservative
Chris Grayling [12] Official portrait of Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP crop 2.jpg 19 January 20096 May 2010Conservative
Alan Johnson [13] Alan Johnson MP.jpg 12 May 20108 October 2010Labour Harman I
Ed Balls [14] Ed Balls 2.jpg 8 October 201020 January 2011Labour Miliband
Yvette Cooper [15] Official portrait of Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP crop 2.jpg 20 January 201114 September 2015Labour
Harman II
Andy Burnham [16] Andy Burnham2.jpg 14 September 20156 October 2016Labour Corbyn
Diane Abbott [17] [18] Official portrait of Ms Diane Abbott crop 2.jpg 6 October 20165 April 2020Labour
Nick Thomas-Symonds [19] Official portrait of Nick Thomas-Symonds crop 2.jpg 5 April 2020 29 November 2021 Labour Starmer
Yvette Cooper [15] [20] Official portrait of Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP crop 2.jpg 29 November 2021 5 July 2024Labour
James Cleverly Official portrait of James Cleverly MP crop 2, 2024.jpg 8 July 20245 November 2024Conservative Sunak
Chris Philp Official portrait of Chris Philp MP crop 2, 2024.jpg 5 November 2024IncumbentConservative Badenoch

References

  1. ↑ "Shadow Cabinet Changes". The Glasgow Herald. 24 January 1958. p. 9. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  2. ↑ "Wilson - Foreign Spokesman". Evening Times. 30 November 1961. p. 1. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  3. ↑ Robert Malcolm Punnett (1973). Front-bench opposition; the role of the Leader of the Opposition, the Shadow Cabinet and Shadow Government in British politics. London. pp. 458–467. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  4. ↑ "Sir Alec Picks His Front Bench". The Glasgow Herald. 29 October 1964. p. 1. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  5. ↑ "Sir Alec Reshuffles Shadow Cabinet". The Glasgow Herald. 17 February 1965. p. 1. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  6. ↑ "Barber Prepares to Quit". The Glasgow Herald. 12 March 1974. pp. 1, 30. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  7. ↑ "Whitelaw takes on key Tory post". The Glasgow Herald. 12 June 1974. p. 1. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  8. ↑ "Miss Ann Widdecombe". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  9. ↑ "Sir Oliver Letwin". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "Mr David Davis". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  11. ↑ "Mr Dominic Grieve". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "Chris Grayling". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  13. ↑ "Alan Johnson". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  14. ↑ "Ed Balls". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  15. 1 2 "Yvette Cooper". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  16. ↑ "Andy Burnham". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  17. ↑ "Ms Diane Abbott". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  18. ↑ "Labour reshuffle: Diane Abbott made shadow home secretary". BBC News. 7 October 2016.
  19. ↑ "Nick Thomas-Symonds". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  20. ↑ "Labour reshuffle: Yvette Cooper becomes shadow home secretary". BBC News. 30 November 2021.
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