Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

The Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, previously Shadow Secretary of State for National Heritage, is a post in the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet and, when the party is in opposition, the Liberal Democrat Frontbench Team. The Shadow Secretary helps hold the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport and junior ministers to account and is the lead spokesperson for his or her party on culture, media and sport issues, including obvious ones, such as art funding, and more unexpected ones, like keeping up the Royal Estate. Should the relevant party take office, the Shadow Secretary would be a likely candidate to become Culture Secretary.

The post became necessary when John Major created the Department of National Heritage in 1992. When the Coalition Government took office, they merged the office of Culture Secretary with that of Minister for the Olympics (Jeremy Hunt had shadowed both roles in Opposition). Labour retained as its Olympics spokesperson Tessa Jowell, who had been Olympics Minister from the inception of the office. Because it never merged the responsibilities, it has retained the name "Culture, Olympics and Sport" (as has indeed the Department for Culture, Media and Sport).

Official Opposition

Shadow Secretary Took office Left office Political party Shadow Cabinet
Bryan Gould MP 18 July 1992 29 September 1992 Labour John Smith
Ann Clwyd MP 29 September 1992 21 October 1993 Labour
Mo Mowlam MP 21 October 1993 21 July 1994 Labour
Chris Smith MP 21 July 1994 19 October 1995 Labour Tony Blair
Jack Cunningham MP 19 October 1995 2 May 1997 Labour
The Rt Hon Virginia Bottomley MP 2 May 1997 11 June 1997 Conservative John Major
Shadow Secretary Took office Left office Political party Shadow Cabinet
The Rt Hon Francis Maude MP 11 June 1997 1 June 1998 Conservative William Hague
Peter Ainsworth MP 1 June 1998 18 September 2001 Conservative
Tim Yeo MP 18 September 2001 23 July 2002 Conservative Iain Duncan Smith
John Whittingdale OBE MP 23 July 2002 6 November 2003 Conservative
Julie Kirkbride MP 6 November 2003 19 June 2004 Conservative Michael Howard
John Whittingdale OBE MP 19 June 2004 6 May 2005 Conservative
The Rt Hon Theresa May MP 6 May 2005 8 December 2005 Conservative
Hugo Swire MP 8 December 2005 2 July 2007 Conservative David Cameron
Jeremy Hunt MP 2 July 2007 11 May 2010 Conservative
The Rt Hon Ben Bradshaw MP 11 May 2010 8 October 2010 Labour Harriet Harman
Ivan Lewis MP 8 October 2010 7 October 2011 Labour Ed Miliband
The Rt. Hon. Harriet Harman QC MP 7 October 2011 Incumbent Labour

Liberal Democrats

Name Took office Left office Party Leader
The Rt Hon Robert Maclennan MP 13 May 1997 15 October 1999 Paddy Ashdown
Don Foster MP 15 October 1999 11 May 2010 Charles Kennedy
Menzies Campbell
Vince Cable
Nick Clegg
Since May 2010, the Liberal Democrats have been in a coalition government.

See also