This is a list of people who have shadowed one of the Great Offices of State in the United Kingdom's Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet. Since the Hugh Gaitskell Shadow Cabinet of 1955, the top five positions in the Shadow Cabinet have been held as follows:
| Government | Party of Opposition |
Leader of the Opposition | Shadow Chancellor | Shadow Foreign Secretary | Shadow Home Secretary | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative (Eden) |
Labour | Hugh Gaitskell 14 Dec 1955– 18 Jan 1963† |
Harold Wilson 14 Dec 1955– 2 Nov 1961 |
Alfred Robens 14 Dec 1955– 22 July 1956 |
Kenneth Younger 14 Dec 1955– 13 May 1957 |
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| Aneurin Bevan 22 July 1956– 11 Oct 1959 |
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| Conservative (Macmillan) |
Patrick Gordon Walker 13 May 1957– 12 Mar 1962 |
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| Denis Healey 11 Oct 1959– 2 Nov 1961 |
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| James Callaghan 2 Nov 1961– 15 Oct 1964 |
Harold Wilson 2 Nov 1961– 14 Feb 1963 |
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| George Brown 12 Mar 1962– 15 Feb 1963 |
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| Conservative (Douglas- Home) |
Harold Wilson 14 Feb 1963– 16 Oct 1964 |
Patrick Gordon Walker 14 Feb 1963– 15 Oct 1964 |
Frank Soskice 15 Feb 1963– 15 Oct 1964 |
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| Labour (Wilson I) |
Conservative | Sir Alec Douglas-Home 16 Oct 1964– 28 July 1965 |
Reginald Maudling 15 Oct 1964– 1965 |
R. A. Butler 15 Oct 1964– 1965 |
Edward Boyle 15 Oct 1964– 1965 |
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| Edward Heath 1965– 11 Nov 1965 |
Reginald Maudling 1965– 11 Nov 1965 |
Peter Thorneycroft 1965– 13 Apr 1966 |
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| Edward Heath 28 July 1965– 18 June 1970 |
Iain Macleod 11 Nov 1965– 20 June 1970 |
Christopher Soames 11 Nov 1965– 13 Apr 1966 |
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| Sir Alec Douglas-Home 13 Apr 1966– 18 June 1970 |
Quinten McGarel Hogg 13 Apr 1966– 18 June 1970 |
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| Conservative (Heath) |
Labour | Harold Wilson 19 June 1970– 4 Mar 1974 |
Roy Jenkins 20 June 1970– 19 Apr 1972 |
Denis Healey 20 June 1970– 19 Apr 1972 |
James Callaghan 18 June 1970– 19 Oct 1971 |
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| Shirley Williams 19 Oct 1971– 4 May 1973 |
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| Denis Healey 19 Apr 1972– 28 Feb 1974 |
James Callaghan 19 Apr 1972– 28 Feb 1974 |
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| Roy Jenkins 4 May 1973– 4 Mar 1974 |
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| Labour (Wilson II) |
Conservative | Edward Heath 4 Mar 1974– 11 Feb 1975 |
Robert Carr 28 Feb 1974– 11 Feb 1975 |
Geoffrey Rippon 28 Feb 1974– 11 Feb 1975 |
Keith Joseph 4 Mar 1974– 11 Feb 1975 |
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| Margaret Thatcher 11 Feb 1975– 4 May 1979 |
Sir Geoffrey Howe 11 Feb 1975– 4 May 1979 |
Reginald Maudling 11 Feb 1975– 11 Apr 1976 |
Ian Gilmour 11 Feb 1975– 11 Apr 1976 |
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| Labour (Callaghan) |
John Davies 11 Apr 1976– 23 Sep 1978 |
William Whitelaw 11 Apr 1976– 4 May 1979 |
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| Francis Pym 23 Sep 1978– 4 May 1979 |
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| Conservative (Thatcher) |
Labour | James Callaghan 4 May 1979– 10 Nov 1980 |
Denis Healey 4 May 1979– 4 Nov 1980 |
Peter Shore 4 May 1979– 4 Nov 1980 |
Merlyn Rees 4 May 1979– 4 Nov 1980 |
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| Michael Foot 10 Nov 1980– 2 Oct 1983 |
Peter Shore 4 Nov 1980– 9 June 1983 |
Denis Healey 4 Nov 1980– 13 June 1987 |
Roy Hattersley 4 Nov 1980– 2 Oct 1983 |
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| Neil Kinnock 2 Oct 1983– 18 July 1992 |
Roy Hattersley 9 June 1983– 11 June 1987 |
Gerald Kaufman 2 Oct 1983– 13 June 1987 |
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| John Smith 11 June 1987– 18 July 1992 |
Gerald Kaufman 11 June 1987– 19 July 1992 |
Roy Hattersley 13 June 1987– 19 July 1992 |
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| Conservative (Major) |
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| Labour (Smith) |
John Smith 18 July 1992– 12 May 1994† |
Gordon Brown 18 July 1992– 2 May 1997 |
Jack Cunningham 11 Apr 1992– 22 July 1994 |
Tony Blair 19 July 1992– 22 July 1994 |
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| Labour (Beckett) |
Margaret Beckett‡ 12 May 1994– 21 July 1994 |
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| Labour (Blair) |
Tony Blair 21 July 1994– 2 May 1997 |
Robin Cook 22 July 1994– 2 May 1997 |
Jack Straw 22 July 1994– 2 May 1997 |
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| Labour (Blair) |
Conservative (Major) |
John Major 7 May 1997– 11 June 1997 |
Kenneth Clarke 2 May 1997– 11 June 1997 |
John Major 7 May 1997– 11 June 1997 |
Michael Howard 2 May 1997– 11 June 1997 |
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| Conservative (Hague) |
William Hague 19 June 1997– 18 Dec 2001 |
Peter Lilley 11 June 1997– 2 June 1998 |
Michael Howard 11 June 1997– 15 June 1999 |
Brian Mawhinney 11 June 1997– 2 June 1998 |
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| Francis Maude 2 June 1998– 1 Feb 2000 |
Norman Fowler 2 June 1998– 15 June 1999 |
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| John Maples 15 June 1999– 2 Feb 2000 |
Ann Widdecombe 15 June 1999– 18 Sep 2001 |
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| Michael Portillo 1 Feb 2000– 18 Sep 2001 |
Francis Maude 2 Feb 2000– 18 Sep 2001 |
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| Conservative (Duncan Smith) |
Iain Duncan Smith 18 Sep 2001– 6 Nov 2003 |
Michael Howard 18 Sep 2001– 6 Nov 2003 |
Michael Ancram 18 Sep 2001– 10 May 2005 |
Oliver Letwin 18 Sep 2001– 6 Nov 2003 |
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| Conservative (Howard) |
Michael Howard 6 Nov 2003– 6 Dec 2005 |
Oliver Letwin 6 Nov 2003– 5 May 2005 |
David Davis 6 Nov 2003– 12 June 2008 |
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| George Osborne 5 May 2005– 6 May 2010 |
Liam Fox 10 May 2005– 6 Dec 2005 |
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| Conservative (Cameron) |
David Cameron 6 Dec 2005– 6 May 2010 |
William Hague 6 Dec 2005– 6 May 2010 |
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| Labour (Brown) |
Dominic Grieve 12 June 2008– 19 Jan 2009 |
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| Chris Grayling 19 Jan 2009– 6 May 2010 |
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| Conservative / Liberal Democrats (Cameron) |
Labour (Harman) |
Harriet Harman‡ 11 May 2010– 25 Sep 2010 |
Alistair Darling 11 May 2010– 8 Oct 2010 |
David Miliband 11 May 2010– 8 Oct 2010 |
Alan Johnson 11 May 2010– 8 Oct 2010 |
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| Labour (Miliband) |
Ed Miliband 25 Sep 2010– |
Alan Johnson 8 Oct 2010– 20 Jan 2011 |
Yvette Cooper 8 Oct 2010– 20 Jan 2011 |
Ed Balls 8 Oct 2010– 20 Jan 2011 |
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| Ed Balls 20 Jan 2011– |
Douglas Alexander 20 Jan 2011– |
Yvette Cooper 20 Jan 2011– |
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