Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom)

United Kingdom
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of the United Kingdom
Constitution Constitution Cabinet Manual Erskine May Taxation European Communities Act 1972
The Crown British Monarchy Monarch Queen Elizabeth II Heir apparent The Prince of Wales Royal family Succession to the British throne Royal prerogative
Executive HM Government Prime Minister Theresa May Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond Cabinet Current ministry Her Majesty's Civil Service Departments Executive agencies Public bodies List of current heads of government in the United Kingdom and dependencies Privy Council Crown-in-Council Queen Elizabeth II
Legislature Parliament (56th Parliament) Crown-in-Parliament Queen Elizabeth II House of Lords Lord Speaker The Lord Fowler House of Commons Speaker John Bercow Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition Shadow Cabinet Member of Parliament (MP) State Opening of Parliament Prime Minister's Questions Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament relating to the EU Statutory Instruments English Grand Committee Scottish Grand Committee Welsh Grand Committee Northern Ireland Grand Committee English law Reserved matters
Judiciary Supreme Court President The Baroness Hale of Richmond Deputy President The Lord Mance Judges of the Supreme Court Courts of the United Kingdom Courts of England and Wales Courts of Scotland Courts of Northern Ireland
Pound Sterling Bank of England Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney Deputy Governor of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee Chief Cashier of the Bank of England Royal Mint
Devolution Joint Ministerial Committee Legislative consent motions Scotland Government Parliament Act of the Scottish Parliament Scottish statutory instrument Scottish law Wales Government National Assembly Act of the National Assembly for Wales Welsh law Northern Ireland Executive Assembly Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly Northern Ireland law England Governance of England English votes for English laws Greater London Authority Executive Mayor Mayoral cabinet Assembly London Plan Combined authorities Metro mayors Cornwall Council
Administrative Geography England Subdivisions of England Local government in England Scotland Subdivisions of Scotland Local government in Scotland Wales Local government in Wales Northern Ireland Local government in Northern Ireland
Elections Parliamentry constituencies Political parties Last election Next election Referendums
Crown Dependencies  Guernsey  Alderney  Sark  Herm  Isle of Man  Jersey Common Travel Area
Overseas Territories  Akrotiri and Dhekelia  Anguilla  Bermuda  British Antarctic Territory  British Indian Ocean Territory  British Virgin Islands  Cayman Islands  Falkland Islands  Gibraltar  Montserrat  Pitcairn Islands  Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha  Saint Helena  Ascension Island  Tristan da Cunha  South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands  Turks and Caicos Islands British Overseas Territories citizen Visa requirements for British Overseas Territories citizens
Foreign relations Foreign policy History Australia–United Kingdom relations Canada-United Kingdom relations European Union–United Kingdom relations France–United Kingdom relations Ireland-United Kingdom relations New Zealand-United Kingdom relations United Kingdom–United States relations Politics of the European Union The Commonwealth Member states of the Commonwealth United Kingdom and the United Nations United Nations Security Council P5 G7 G20
United Kingdom portal Other countries Atlas

The Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (usually known simply as the Shadow Cabinet) is, in British parliamentary practice, senior members of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition who scrutinise their corresponding Government ministers, develop alternative policies, and hold the Government to account for its actions and responses. Since May 2010, the Labour Party has been Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, and its leadership therefore forms the current Shadow Cabinet.

Not all Opposition frontbenchers are members of the Shadow Cabinet, which is composed of the most senior Opposition Members (usually around twenty).

The Leader of the Opposition, the Opposition Chief Whip and Opposition Deputy Chief Whip are the only Members of the Official Opposition to draw remuneration for their Opposition roles in addition to their salaries as Members of Parliament. The Leader of the Opposition and the Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Lords also receive a salary.

Members

A Shadow Cabinet was announced by the Leader of the Opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, following a small reshuffle in January 2016. Following the 2016 referendum in which Britain voted to leave the European Union, a large number of Shadow Cabinet ministers resigned. In the early hours of Sunday 26 June, Corbyn sacked Hilary Benn (the shadow foreign secretary) for apparently leading a coup against him. This was quickly followed by a string of Labour MPs resigning their Shadow Cabinet positions.^[1] By mid-afternoon on 27 June 2016, 23 of the Labour Party's 31 Shadow Cabinet members had resigned, as did seven parliamentary private secretaries. Corbyn soon filled some of the vacancies and endeavoured to fill the others.^[2]

See also

• Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition (United Kingdom)
• List of British shadow cabinets
• Official Opposition frontbench
• List of shadow holders of the Great Offices of State
• Cabinet of the United Kingdom
• British Government frontbench
• Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election, 2010
• Liberal Democrat frontbench team

References

External links

• Government & opposition – official UK Parliament webpage