# Shadow Foreign Secretary

The shadow secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, commonly called the shadow foreign secretary, is a position within the UK official opposition shadow cabinet that deals mainly with issues surrounding the Foreign Office. If elected, the person serving as shadow foreign secretary may be designated to serve as the new foreign secretary.
The current Shadow Secretary of State of foreign, commonwealth and development affairs is Priti Patel. The shadow secretary (usually with one or more junior shadow ministers) holds the secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs and other FCDO ministers to account in Parliament.
Although DFID and the role of international development secretary were abolished by the second Johnson government in 2020, the shadow secretary of state did not have responsibility for development until Lammy was appointed in November 2021. His predecessor, Lisa Nandy, served alongside the shadow secretary of state for international development, Preet Gill. This however is no longer the case after the November 2021 British shadow cabinet reshuffle.

## List of shadow foreign secretaries

| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Shadow Cabinet |
| Alfred Robens | 14 December 1955 | 6 November 1956 | Labour | Gaitskell |
| Aneurin Bevan | 6 November 1956 | 11 October 1959 | Labour | Gaitskell |
| Denis Healey | 11 October 1959 | 2 November 1961 | Labour | Gaitskell |
| Harold Wilson | 2 November 1961 | 14 February 1963 | Labour | Gaitskell |
| Patrick Gordon Walker | 14 February 1963 | 15 October 1964 | Labour | Wilson I |
| R. A. Butler | 15 October 1964 | 16 February 1965 | Conservative | Douglas-Home |
| Reginald Maudling | 16 February 1965 | 11 November 1965 | Conservative | Heath I |
| Christopher Soames | 11 November 1965 | 13 April 1966 | Conservative | Heath I |
| Alec Douglas-Home | 13 April 1966 | 18 June 1970 | Conservative | Heath I |
| Denis Healey | 20 June 1970 | 19 April 1972 | Labour | Wilson II |
| James Callaghan | 19 April 1972 | 4 March 1974 | Labour | Wilson II |
| Geoffrey Rippon | 4 March 1974 | 11 February 1975 | Conservative | Heath II |
| Reginald Maudling | 11 February 1975 | 11 April 1976 | Conservative | Thatcher |
| John Davies | 11 April 1976 | 6 November 1978 | Conservative | Thatcher |
| Francis Pym | 6 November 1978 | 4 May 1979 | Conservative | Thatcher |
| David Owen | 4 May 1979 | 14 July 1979 | Labour | Callaghan |
| Peter Shore | 14 July 1979 | 8 December 1980 | Labour | Callaghan |
| Denis Healey | 8 December 1980 | 13 June 1987 | Labour | Foot |
| Denis Healey | 8 December 1980 | 13 June 1987 | Labour | Kinnock |
| Gerald Kaufman | 13 June 1987 | 24 July 1992 | Labour | Kinnock |
| Jack Cunningham | 24 July 1992 | 20 October 1994 | Labour | Smith |
| Jack Cunningham | 24 July 1992 | 20 October 1994 | Labour | Beckett |
| Robin Cook | 20 October 1994 | 2 May 1997 | Labour | Blair |
| John Major | 7 May 1997 | 11 June 1997 | Conservative | Major |
| Michael Howard | 11 June 1997 | 15 June 1999 | Conservative | Hague |
| John Maples | 15 June 1999 | 2 February 2000 | Conservative | Hague |
| Francis Maude | 2 February 2000 | 18 September 2001 | Conservative | Hague |
| Michael Ancram | 18 September 2001 | 10 May 2005 | Conservative | Duncan Smith |
| Michael Ancram | 18 September 2001 | 10 May 2005 | Conservative | Howard |
| Liam Fox | 10 May 2005 | 6 December 2005 | Conservative | Howard |
| William Hague | 6 December 2005 | 11 May 2010 | Conservative | Cameron |
| David Miliband | 11 May 2010 | 8 October 2010 | Labour | Harman I |
| Yvette Cooper | 8 October 2010 | 20 January 2011 | Labour | Miliband |
| Douglas Alexander | 20 January 2011 | 11 May 2015 | Labour | Miliband |
| Hilary Benn | 11 May 2015 | 26 June 2016 | Labour | Harman II |
| Hilary Benn | 11 May 2015 | 26 June 2016 | Labour | Corbyn |
| Emily Thornberry | 27 June 2016 | 5 April 2020 | Labour | Corbyn |
| Lisa Nandy | 5 April 2020 | 29 November 2021 | Labour | Starmer |
| David Lammy | 29 November 2021 | 5 July 2024 | Labour | Starmer |
| Andrew Mitchell | 8 July 2024 | 4 November 2024 | Conservative | Sunak |
| Dame Priti Patel | 4 November 2024 | Incumbent | Conservative | Badenoch |