# Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

The shadow secretary of state for culture, media and sport (DCMS), previously the shadow secretary of state for national heritage and shadow secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, is a position in the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet.
The shadow secretary of state is the opposite number to the secretary of state for culture, media and sport, holding them and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to account. They are the lead opposition spokesperson on culture, media and sport issues.
The post was created in 1992 after John Major established the Department of National Heritage and secretary of state for national heritage. The National Heritage Department, and therefore the portfolio and title of the secretary of state and shadow secretary of state, was replaced by Culture, Media and Sport in 1997.
In 2010, the government merged the offices of the shadow secretary of state for culture, media and sport and minister for the Olympics, establishing the secretary of state for culture, olympics, media and sport. Nevertheless, the opposition retained the shadow minister for the Olympics and left the shadow secretary of state portfolio and title unchanged. The department and secretary of state changed their titles to Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in 2017, and the opposition followed suit. The department reverted to the name Culture, Media and Sport in February 2023.

## List of shadow secretaries of state
### Shadow secretaries of state for national heritage (1992–97)

| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Shadow Cabinet |
| Bryan Gould | 18 July 1992 | 29 September 1992 | Labour | Smith |
| Ann Clwyd | 29 September 1992 | 21 October 1993 | Labour | Smith |
| Mo Mowlam | 21 October 1993 | 21 July 1994 | Labour | Smith |
| Mo Mowlam | 21 October 1993 | 21 July 1994 | Labour | Beckett |
| Chris Smith | 21 July 1994 | 19 October 1995 | Labour | Blair |
| Jack Cunningham | 19 October 1995 | 2 May 1997 | Labour | Blair |
| Virginia Bottomley | 2 May 1997 | 11 June 1997 | Conservative | Major |

### Shadow secretaries of state for culture, media and sport (1997–2017)

| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Shadow Cabinet |
| Francis Maude | 11 June 1997 | 1 June 1998 | Conservative | Hague |
| Peter Ainsworth | 1 June 1998 | 18 September 2001 | Conservative | Hague |
| Tim Yeo | 18 September 2001 | 23 July 2002 | Conservative | Duncan Smith |
| John Whittingdale | 23 July 2002 | 6 November 2003 | Conservative | Duncan Smith |
| Julie Kirkbride | 6 November 2003 | 19 June 2004 | Conservative | Howard |
| John Whittingdale | 19 June 2004 | 6 May 2005 | Conservative | Howard |
| Theresa May | 6 May 2005 | 8 December 2005 | Conservative | Howard |
| Hugo Swire | 8 December 2005 | 2 July 2007 | Conservative | Cameron |
| Jeremy Hunt | 2 July 2007 | 11 May 2010 | Conservative | Cameron |
| Ben Bradshaw | 11 May 2010 | 8 October 2010 | Labour | Harman I |
| Ivan Lewis | 8 October 2010 | 7 October 2011 | Labour | Miliband |
| Harriet Harman | 7 October 2011 | 11 May 2015 | Labour | Miliband |
| Chris Bryant | 11 May 2015 | 13 September 2015 | Labour | Harman II |
| Michael Dugher | 13 September 2015 | 5 January 2016 | Labour | Corbyn |
| Maria Eagle | 6 January 2016 | 27 June 2016 | Labour | Corbyn |
| Kelvin Hopkins | 28 June 2016 | 7 October 2016 | Labour | Corbyn |
| Tom Watson | 7 October 2016 | 3 July 2017 | Labour | Corbyn |

### Shadow secretaries of state for digital, culture, media and sport (2017–2023)

| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Shadow Cabinet |
| Tom Watson | 3 July 2017 | 12 December 2019 | Labour | Corbyn |
| Tracy Brabin | 7 January 2020 | 6 April 2020 | Labour | Corbyn |
| Jo Stevens | 6 April 2020 | 29 November 2021 | Labour | Starmer |
| Lucy Powell | 29 November 2021 | 4 September 2023 | Labour | Starmer |

### Shadow secretaries of state for culture, media and sport (2023–present)

| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Shadow Cabinet |
| Thangam Debbonaire | 4 September 2023 | 5 July 2024 | Labour | Starmer |
| Julia Lopez | 8 July 2024 | 5 November 2024 | Conservative | Sunak |
| Stuart Andrew | 5 November 2024 | Incumbent | Conservative | Badenoch |