Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Incumbent Helen Whately since 5 November 2024
Member of	Opposition Shadow Cabinet
Appointer	Leader of the Opposition
Website

The Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is an office within British politics held by a member of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition. The duty of the office holder is to scrutinise the actions of the government's Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and develop alternative policies.

List of Shadow Secretaries

Name			Entered office	Left office	Political party	Shadow Cabinet
	Hilary Marquand		15 July 1955	16 November 1959	Labour	Clement Attlee
						Gaitskell
	Richard Crossman		16 November 1959 [1]	14 March 1960 [2]	Labour
	Douglas Houghton		14 March 1960	21 February 1963	Labour
						Brown
	Dick Mitchison		21 February 1963	16 October 1964	Labour	Wilson
	Richard Wood		16 October 1964	29 October 1964	Conservative	Douglas-Home
	Margaret Thatcher		29 October 1964 [3]	6 October 1965 [4]	Conservative
						Heath
	Charles Longbottom		6 October 1965	13 April 1966	Conservative
See Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Services
	Michael Meacher		2 November 1989	18 July 1992	Labour	Kinnock
	Donald Dewar		18 July 1992	19 October 1995	Labour	Smith
						Beckett
						Blair
	Chris Smith		19 October 1995	1 July 1996	Labour
	Harriet Harman		1 July 1996	2 May 1997	Labour
	Peter Lilley		2 May 1997	19 June 1997	Conservative	Major
	Iain Duncan Smith		19 June 1997	15 June 1999	Conservative	Hague
	David Willetts		15 June 1999	14 September 2001	Conservative
	David Willetts		14 September 2001	6 May 2005	Conservative	Duncan Smith
						Howard
	Malcolm Rifkind		6 May 2005	6 December 2005	Conservative
	Philip Hammond		6 December 2005	2 July 2007	Conservative	Cameron
	Chris Grayling		2 July 2007	19 January 2009	Conservative
	Theresa May		19 January 2009	11 May 2010	Conservative
	Yvette Cooper		11 May 2010	8 October 2010	Labour	Harman I
	Douglas Alexander		8 October 2010	20 January 2011	Labour	Miliband
	Liam Byrne		20 January 2011	7 October 2013	Labour
	Rachel Reeves		7 October 2013	8 June 2015	Labour
	Stephen Timms Acting		8 June 2015	13 September 2015	Labour	Harman II
	Owen Smith		14 September 2015	27 June 2016	Labour	Corbyn
	Debbie Abrahams		27 June 2016	11 March 2018	Labour
	Margaret Greenwood		11 March 2018	6 April 2020	Labour
	Jonathan Reynolds		6 April 2020	29 November 2021	Labour & Co-op	Starmer
	Jonathan Ashworth		29 November 2021	4 September 2023	Labour & Co-op
	Liz Kendall		4 September 2023	5 July 2024	Labour
	Mel Stride		8 July 2024	4 November 2024	Conservative	Sunak
	Helen Whately		5 November 2024	Incumbent	Conservative	Badenoch

References

1. "Labor Shadow Cabinet Puts Young Members In Key Posts". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. London. Reuters. 16 November 1959. p. 12. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
2. "Front-Bench Crossman is Axed". The Bulletin. 15 March 1960. p. 1. Retrieved 11 May 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. "Heath's Second Team". The Glasgow Herald. 6 October 1965. p. 18. Retrieved 16 April 2025.