# Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom)

The Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet, or His Majesty’s Most Loyal Opposition Shadow Cabinet, but usually simply the Shadow Cabinet, is the committee of senior members of the Official Opposition who scrutinise the work of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. Each Shadow Cabinet member is typically given a position which corresponds to that of a government minister in Cabinet.

## Composition

Shadow Cabinet members, commonly known as shadow ministers, are usually appointed by the leader of the Opposition (currently Kemi Badenoch). The roles of shadow ministers are to develop alternative policies, hold the government to account for its actions and responses, and act as spokespeople for the opposition party in their own specific policy areas. By convention, shadow ministers are drawn either from serving members of the House of Commons or the House of Lords, with most chosen from the former. Since July 2024, the Conservative Party has been the Official 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 they number around twenty).
The leader of the Opposition, the Opposition chief whip and Opposition deputy chief whip are the only members of the Official Opposition in the House of Commons to be paid 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.
Other parties may also form frontbench teams of spokespeople which may be referred to as shadow cabinets by the party (e.g. the Liberal Democrats in 2019), but these are not part of the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet.

## Current Shadow Cabinet

As of November 2024, the members of the shadow cabinet are:
His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition Shadow Cabinet :
| Shadow Minister Constituency | Shadow Minister Constituency | Office(s) | Shadows |
| Shadow Cabinet ministers |||||
| | Kemi Badenoch MP for North West Essex | Leader of the Opposition | Prime Minister |
| | Mel Stride MP for Central Devon | Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer | Chancellor of the Exchequer |
| | Priti Patel MP for Witham | Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs | Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs |
| | Chris Philp MP for Croydon South | Shadow Home Secretary | Home Secretary |
| | James Cartlidge MP for South Suffolk | Shadow Secretary of State for Defence | Secretary of State for Defence |
| | Robert Jenrick MP for Newark | Shadow Secretary of State for Justice | Secretary of State for Justice |
| | Alan Mak MP for Havant | Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology | Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology |
| | Edward Argar MP for Melton and Syston | Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care | Secretary of State for Health and Social Care |
| | Kevin Hollinrake MP for Thirsk and Malton | Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government | Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government |
| | Victoria Atkins MP for Louth and Horncastle | Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
| | Jesse Norman MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire | Shadow Leader of the House of Commons | Leader of the House of Commons |
| | The Lord True | Shadow Leader of the House of Lords | Leader of the House of Lords |
| | Andrew Griffith MP for Arundel and South Downs | Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade | Secretary of State for Business and Trade |
| | Claire Coutinho MP for East Surrey | Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Shadow Minister for Equalities | Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Minister for Women and Equalities |
| | Helen Whately MP for Faversham and Mid Kent | Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions | Secretary of State for Work and Pensions |
| | Laura Trott MP for Sevenoaks | Shadow Secretary of State for Education | Secretary of State for Education |
| | Gareth Bacon MP for Orpington | Shadow Secretary of State for Transport | Secretary of State for Transport |
| | Stuart Andrew MP for Daventry | Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport | Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport |
| | Alex Burghart MP for Brentwood and Ongar | Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster |
| | Andrew Bowie MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland | Secretary of State for Scotland |
| | Mims Davies MP for East Grinstead and Uckfield | Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Shadow Minister for Women | Secretary of State for Wales Minister for Women and Equalities |
| | Rebecca Harris MP for Castle Point | Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Commons | Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury |
| | Richard Fuller MP for North East Bedfordshire | Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury | Chief Secretary to the Treasury |
| | Richard Holden MP for Basildon and Billericay | Shadow Paymaster General | Paymaster General |