Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom) facts for kids

The Shadow Cabinet is a special team of senior politicians from the main opposition party in the United Kingdom. Think of them as a "shadow" government. Their main job is to keep a close eye on what the actual government is doing.

Each person in the Shadow Cabinet has a role that matches a minister in the real government. For example, there's a Shadow Secretary of State for Education who watches over the Secretary of State for Education.

Who is in the Shadow Cabinet?

The members of the Shadow Cabinet are usually chosen by the leader of the Opposition. Right now, that's Kemi Badenoch.

These "shadow ministers" have important jobs:

• They come up with different ideas and plans for how the country could be run.
• They challenge the government and ask tough questions about their decisions.
• They speak for their party on specific topics, like health, education, or the environment.

Most shadow ministers are members of the House of Commons, which is where elected politicians sit. Some also come from the House of Lords. Since July 2024, the Conservative Party is the main opposition, so their leaders form the current Shadow Cabinet.

Not all opposition politicians are in the Shadow Cabinet. It's a smaller, very important group, usually around twenty people.

The Leader of the Opposition and a few other key opposition roles receive extra pay for their work in challenging the government.

Other political parties might also have their own teams of spokespeople, but only the main opposition party's team is officially called the "Shadow Cabinet."

Current Shadow Cabinet Members

As of July 2025, here are some of the key members of the Shadow Cabinet:

His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition Shadow Cabinet
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
	Julia Lopez MP for Hornchurch and Upminster	Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology	Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
	Stuart Andrew MP for Daventry	Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care	Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
	James Cleverly MP for Braintree	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
	Richard Holden MP for Basildon and Billericay	Shadow Secretary of State for Transport	Secretary of State for Transport
	Nigel Huddleston MP for Droitwich and Evesham	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
	[Vacant]	Shadow Paymaster General	Paymaster General

See also

• His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition (United Kingdom)
• Official Opposition frontbench
• List of British shadow cabinets
• List of shadow holders of the Great Offices of State
• Cabinet of the United Kingdom