List of shadow holders of the Great Offices of State

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 four 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
								Aneurin Bevan 22 July 1956– 11 Oct 1959
	Conservative (Macmillan)									Patrick Gordon Walker 13 May 1957– 12 Mar 1962
								Denis Healey 11 Oct 1959– 2 Nov 1961
						James Callaghan 2 Nov 1961– 15 Oct 1964		Harold Wilson 2 Nov 1961– 14 Feb 1963
										George Brown 12 Mar 1962– 15 Feb 1963
	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
	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
						Edward Heath 1965– 11 Nov 1965		Reginald Maudling 1965– 11 Nov 1965		Peter Thorneycroft 1965– 13 Apr 1966
			Conservative (Heath I)	Edward Heath 28 July 1965– 18 June 1970		Iain Macleod 11 Nov 1965– 20 June 1970		Christopher Soames 11 Nov 1965– 13 Apr 1966
								Sir Alec Douglas-Home 13 Apr 1966– 18 June 1970		Quintin Hogg 13 Apr 1966– 18 June 1970
	Conservative (Heath)		Labour (Wilson II)	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
										Shirley Williams 19 Oct 1971– 4 May 1973
						Denis Healey 19 Apr 1972– 28 Feb 1974		James Callaghan 19 Apr 1972– 28 Feb 1974
										Roy Jenkins 4 May 1973– 4 Mar 1974
	Labour (Wilson II)		Conservative (Heath II)	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
			Conservative (Thatcher)	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
	Labour (Callaghan)							John Davies 11 Apr 1976– 23 Sep 1978		William Whitelaw 11 Apr 1976– 4 May 1979
								Francis Pym 23 Sep 1978– 4 May 1979
	Conservative (Thatcher)		Labour (Callaghan)	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
			Labour (Foot)	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
			Labour (Kinnock)	Neil Kinnock 2 Oct 1983– 18 July 1992		Roy Hattersley 9 June 1983– 11 June 1987				Gerald Kaufman 2 Oct 1983– 13 June 1987
						John Smith 11 June 1987– 18 July 1992		Gerald Kaufman 11 June 1987– 19 July 1992		Roy Hattersley 13 June 1987– 19 July 1992
	Conservative (Major)
			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
			Labour (Beckett)	Margaret Beckett‡ 12 May 1994– 21 July 1994
			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
	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
			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
						Francis Maude 2 June 1998– 1 Feb 2000				Norman Fowler 2 June 1998– 15 June 1999
								John Maples 15 June 1999– 2 Feb 2000		Ann Widdecombe 15 June 1999– 18 Sep 2001
						Michael Portillo 1 Feb 2000– 18 Sep 2001		Francis Maude 2 Feb 2000– 18 Sep 2001
			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
			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
						George Osborne 5 May 2005– 6 May 2010		Liam Fox 10 May 2005– 6 Dec 2005
			Conservative (Cameron)	David Cameron 6 Dec 2005– 6 May 2010				William Hague 6 Dec 2005– 6 May 2010
	Labour (Brown)									Dominic Grieve 12 June 2008– 19 Jan 2009
										Chris Grayling 19 Jan 2009– 6 May 2010
	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
			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
						Ed Balls 20 Jan 2011–		Douglas Alexander 20 Jan 2011–		Yvette Cooper 20 Jan 2011–

†Died in office

‡Served as interim leader

See also

• Official Opposition (United Kingdom)
• Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom)
• Official Opposition frontbench