Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

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Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Official portrait of Claire Coutinho MP, 2024.jpg
Incumbent
Claire Coutinho
since 8 July 2024
Appointer Leader of the Opposition

The shadow secretary of state for energy security and net zero is a post in the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet. The shadow secretary originally helped hold the secretary of state for energy and climate change and junior ministers to account and is the lead spokesperson on energy and climate change issues for their party. The post currently holds the secretary of state for energy security and net zero to account in Parliament.

Contents

A previous Official Opposition post of shadow secretary of state for energy existed until the Department of Energy was merged into the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in 1992. In 2008, the Department for Energy and Climate Change was split from the DTI's successor department, effectively reviving the former department and the need for an Opposition shadow.

Following Theresa May's appointment as Prime Minister in July 2016, the department was disbanded and merged with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to form the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with the consequent ending of this shadow post.

It was revived during the Shadow Cabinet of Keir Starmer and given to Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader, who was then serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy before his appointment.

List of shadow secretaries for energy

Shadow Minister for Power

NameTook officeLeft officePolitical partyShadow Cabinet
Philip Noel-Baker Philip Noel-Baker (cropped).jpg 15 July 195527 November 1956 Labour Attlee
Gaitskell
Harold Neal 3x4.svg 27 November 1956November 1959
Frederick Lee 3x4.svg November 1959November 1960
Ray Gunter 3x4.svg November 19606 December 1961 [1]
Tom Fraser 3x4.svg 6 December 196116 October 1964
Brown
Wilson
Frederick Erroll Frederick Erroll, 1st Baron Erroll of Hale (cropped).jpg 16 October 196429 October 1964Conservative Douglas-Home
John Peyton 3x4.svg 29 October 196419 April 1966
Heath
Anthony Barber 3x4.svg 19 April 196623 February 1967
Keith Joseph 3x4.svg 23 February 196710 October 1967
Margaret Thatcher Margaret Thatcher in September 1975.jpg 10 October 196714 November 1968
John Eden 3x4.svg 14 November 196819 June 1970

Shadow Minister for Fuel and Power

NameTook officeLeft officePolitical partyShadow Cabinet
Michael Foot Michael Foot (1981).jpg 22 July 197016 December 1971Labour Wilson II
Harold Lever 3x4.svg 16 December 197111 April 1972
Eric Varley 3x4.svg 11 April 19724 March 1974

Shadow Secretary of State for Energy

NameTook officeLeft officePolitical partyShadow Cabinet
Patrick Jenkin 3x4.svg 12 March 197415 January 1976 Conservative Heath II
Thatcher
John Biffen 3x4.svg 15 January 197619 November 1976
Tom King Official portrait of Lord King of Bridgwater crop 2.jpg 19 November 19764 May 1979
Tony Benn 11.12.67 Presentation officielle du Concorde (1967) - 53Fi1748 (Tony Benn).jpg 4 May 197914 July 1979 Labour Callaghan
David Owen David Owen-1.jpg 14 July 19794 November 1980
Merlyn Rees Merlyn Rees appearing on After Dark , 16 July 1988 - (cropped).jpg 4 November 198024 November 1982 Michael Foot
John Smith 3x4.svg 24 November 19822 October 1983
Stan Orme Stanley Orme.jpg 2 October 198313 July 1987 Kinnock
John Prescott John Prescott official portrait (cropped).jpg 13 July 198723 November 1988
Tony Blair Tony Blair in 1995.jpg 23 November 19882 November 1989
Frank Dobson Frank Dobson, Secretary of State for Health (cropped).jpg 2 November 198918 July 1992

Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change

NameTook officeLeft officePolitical partyShadow Cabinet
Greg Clark Official portrait of Rt Hon Greg Clark MP crop 2.jpg 6 October 200811 May 2010Conservative Cameron
Ed Miliband Official portrait of Rt Hon Edward Miliband MP crop 2.jpg 11 May 20108 October 2010Labour Harman
Meg Hillier Official portrait of Meg Hillier MP crop 2.jpg 8 October 20107 October 2011 Miliband
Caroline Flint Official portrait of Caroline Flint crop 2.jpg 7 October 201114 September 2015
Harman II
Lisa Nandy Official portrait of Lisa Nandy MP crop 2.jpg 14 September 2015 27 June 2016 Corbyn
Barry Gardiner Official portrait of Barry Gardiner MP crop 2.jpg 27 June 2016 8 October 2016

Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero

NameTook officeLeft officePolitical partyShadow Cabinet
Ed Miliband Official portrait of Rt Hon Edward Miliband MP crop 2.jpg 29 November 2021 4 September 2023Labour Starmer

Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

NameTook officeLeft officePolitical partyShadow Cabinet
Ed Miliband Official portrait of Rt Hon Edward Miliband MP crop 2.jpg 4 September 2023 5 July 2024 Labour Starmer
Claire Coutinho Official portrait of Claire Coutinho MP crop 2, 2024.jpg 8 July 2024IncumbentConservative Sunak

See also

References

  1. "New Labour Spokesman On Power". The Glasgow Herald. Westminister: The Glasgow Herald. 7 December 1961. p. 1. Retrieved 27 April 2025.