Shadow Minister for Employment

Shadow Secretary of State for Employment
Appointer	Leader of the Opposition

The office of Shadow Minister for Employment is a position on the United Kingdom's Official Opposition frontbench, and has occasionally been a position in the Shadow Cabinet. ^[1]

From 1970 to 1995, the duty of the office holder was to scrutinise the actions of the government's Secretary of State for Employment and develop alternative policies. From 1995, the office shadowed the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. In 2001, the office was replaced by that of Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions after the creation of the Department for Work and Pensions.

In 2019, the office was reformed in the Shadow Cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn as Shadow Minister for Labour; later renamed Secretary of State for Employment Rights and, in the Shadow Cabinet of Keir Starmer, Shadow Secretary of State for Employment Rights and Protections. The position was vacant after the resignation of Andy McDonald, who was replaced by Alison McGovern in the November 2021 reshuffle.

List of Shadow Secretaries

Shadow Minister			Took office	Left office	Political Party	Leader of the Opposition
	Aneurin Bevan		15 July 1955	15 February 1956	Labour	Clement Attlee
						Hugh Gaitskell
	George Brown		15 February 1956	27 November 1956	Labour
	Alfred Robens		27 November 1956	12 November 1959	Labour
Shadow Minister			Took office	Left office	Political Party	Leader of the Opposition
	Alfred Robens		12 November 1959	November 1960	Labour	Hugh Gaitskell
	Frederick Lee		November 1960	6 December 1961 [2]	Labour
	Ray Gunter		6 December 1961	16 October 1964	Labour
						Harold Wilson
	Joseph Godber		16 October 1964	5 August 1965	Conservative	Alec Douglas-Home
	Keith Joseph		5 August 1965	23 February 1967	Conservative	Edward Heath
	Robert Carr		23 February 1967	6 April 1968	Conservative
Shadow Secretary			Took office	Left office	Political Party	Leader of the Opposition
	Robert Carr		6 April 1968	19 June 1970	Conservative	Edward Heath
Shadow Secretary			Took office	Left office	Political Party	Leader of the Opposition
	Barbara Castle		19 June 1970	19 October 1971	Labour	Harold Wilson
	James Callaghan		19 October 1971	19 April 1972	Labour
	Reg Prentice		19 April 1972	4 March 1974	Labour
	William Whitelaw		4 March 1974	12 June 1974	Conservative	Edward Heath
	James Prior		12 June 1974	4 May 1979	Conservative
						Margaret Thatcher
	Albert Booth		4 May 1979	14 July 1979	Labour	James Callaghan
	Eric Varley		14 July 1979	31 October 1983	Labour
						Michael Foot
	John Smith		31 October 1983	26 October 1984	Labour	Neil Kinnock
	John Prescott		26 October 1984	13 July 1987	Labour
	Michael Meacher		13 July 1987	2 November 1989	Labour
	Tony Blair		2 November 1989	18 July 1992	Labour
	Frank Dobson		18 July 1992	21 October 1993	Labour	John Smith
	John Prescott		21 October 1993	20 October 1994	Labour
	Harriet Harman		20 October 1994	19 October 1995	Labour	Tony Blair
Shadow Secretary			Took office	Left office	Political Party	Leader of the Opposition
	David Blunkett		19 October 1995	2 May 1997	Labour	Tony Blair
	Gillian Shephard		2 May 1997	11 June 1997	Conservative	John Major
	Stephen Dorrell		11 June 1997	15 June 1998	Conservative	William Hague
	David Willetts		1 June 1998	15 June 1999	Conservative
	Theresa May		15 June 1999	18 September 2001	Conservative
Shadow Minister			Took office	Left office	Political Party	Leader of the Opposition
	Jack Dromey		10 October 2016	12 January 2018	Labour	Jeremy Corbyn
	Laura Pidcock		12 January 2018	10 September 2019	Labour
Shadow Secretary			Took office	Left office	Political Party	Leader of the Opposition
	Laura Pidcock		10 September 2019	12 December 2019	Labour	Jeremy Corbyn
	Rachael Maskell		7 January 2020	6 April 2020	Labour
Shadow Secretary			Took office	Left office	Political Party	Leader of the Opposition
	Andy McDonald		6 April 2020	27 September 2021	Labour	Keir Starmer
Shadow Minister			Took office	Left office	Political Party	Leader of the Opposition
	Alison McGovern		4 December 2021	8 July 2024	Labour	Keir Starmer

References

1. 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. ISBN   978-0-435-83734-1 . Retrieved 18 April 2025.
2. "New Labour Spokesman On Power". The Glasgow Herald. Westminister: The Glasgow Herald. 7 December 1961. p. 1. Retrieved 27 April 2025.