Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom)

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In British parliamentary practice, the Official Loyal Opposition Shadow Cabinet (usually known simply as 'The Shadow Cabinet') is a group of members from Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition who scrutinise their corresponding office holders in government, and develop alternative policies.^[1] Since 1997, the Conservative Party has been Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, and its leadership therefore forms the current Shadow Cabinet.^[2]

Not every Conservative frontbench spokesperson is a member of the Shadow Cabinet, which is composed of the most senior spokespersons only (usually around 20).^[3]

The Leader of the Opposition and the Opposition Chief Whip are the only members of the opposition front bench to draw a salary in addition to their salaries as MPs.

Contents 1 The Shadow Cabinet 2 References 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] The Shadow Cabinet

As of July 2007, the shadow cabinet is:^[4]

Portfolio	Shadow Minister
Leader of the Opposition	David Cameron MP
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer and General Election Campaign Coordinator	George Osborne MP
Shadow Foreign Secretary Senior Member of the Shadow Cabinet	William Hague MP
Shadow Home Secretary	David Davis MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence	Liam Fox MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families	Michael Gove MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills	David Willetts MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Health	Andrew Lansley MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport	Theresa Villiers MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Justice	Nick Herbert MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions	Chris Grayling MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	Peter Ainsworth MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government	Eric Pickles MP
Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion	Baroness Warsi
Shadow Minister for Security	Baroness Neville-Jones
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport	Jeremy Hunt MP
Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	Francis Maude MP
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons	Theresa May MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform	Alan Duncan MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland	Owen Paterson MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Wales	Cheryl Gillan MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland	David Mundell MP
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development	Andrew Mitchell MP
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury	Philip Hammond MP
Shadow Leader of the House of Lords	Lord Strathclyde
Chairman of the Conservative Party	Caroline Spelman MP
Chairman of the Policy Review and Chairman of the Conservative Research Department	Oliver Letwin MP
Opposition Chief Whip Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury	Patrick McLoughlin MP

Also attending the Shadow Cabinet:

Portfolio	Shadow Minister
Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Lords	Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Shadow Minister for Housing	Grant Shapps MP
Shadow Foreign Office Minister	David Lidington MP

[edit] References

1. ^ the Shadow Cabinet, Explore.parliament.uk. Retrieved March 16, 2007.
2. ^ Monstersandcritics.com (March 16, 2007), Budget shows 'balanced' economy, says Brown. Retrieved March 16, 2007.
3. ^ Compare Official Shadow Ministers list with the Official Shadow Cabinet, Conservatives.com. Retrieved March 16, 2007.
4. ^ Conservative Shadow Cabinet

[edit] See also

• Official opposition frontbench (UK)
• Official Opposition (UK)
• UK Shadow Cabinet 1997-2001
• UK Shadow Cabinet 2001-2003
• Cabinet of the United Kingdom
• Liberal Democrat Frontbench Team

[edit] External links

• Conservative Party - Shadow Cabinet
• Conservative front bench BBC News