Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Incumbent Alex Burghart since 8 July 2024
Appointer	Leader of the Opposition
Inaugural holder	Merlyn Rees
Formation	24 March 1972
Website	The Shadow Cabinet

The Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is an important job in British politics. This person is part of the Shadow Cabinet. Think of the Shadow Cabinet as a "government-in-waiting." Its job is to keep a close eye on the actual government.

This specific role watches over the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. They also check the work of the Northern Ireland Office, which is the government department for Northern Ireland. The person holding this role right now is Alex Burghart.

For a long time, politicians in the House of Commons tried to agree on Northern Ireland issues. This was called a 'bi-partisan' approach. However, the role of the Shadow Secretary is also shaped by how the main opposition party gets along with parties in Northern Ireland.

For example, the Conservative Party often supports parties that want Northern Ireland to stay part of the United Kingdom. These are called unionist parties. The Labour Party has traditionally supported parties that want a united Ireland. These are called nationalist parties. The Liberal Democrats work with the Alliance Party, which tries to bring both sides together.

What is a Shadow Secretary?

A Shadow Secretary of State is like a "shadow" version of a government minister. They are part of the Official Opposition. Their main job is to question and challenge the real government minister. They make sure the government is doing a good job.

Why is this role important?

This role is very important for Northern Ireland. The Shadow Secretary helps make sure that the government's decisions are fair. They also make sure that the voices of people in Northern Ireland are heard in the UK Parliament.

People Who Have Held This Role

Many different politicians have been the Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. They come from different political parties. This table shows who held the role and when.

Name			Started Job	Left Job	Time in Role	Political Party	Shadow Cabinet Leader
	Merlyn Rees		24 March 1972	4 March 1974	1 year, 345 days	Labour	Harold Wilson
	Francis Pym		4 March 1974	29 October 1974	239 days	Conservative	Edward Heath
	Ian Gilmour		29 October 1974	18 February 1975	112 days
	Airey Neave		18 February 1975	30 March 1979	4 years, 40 days
							Edward Heath
							Margaret Thatcher
	Roy Mason		4 May 1979	14 July 1979	71 days	Labour	James Callaghan
	Brynmor John		14 July 1979	8 December 1980	1 year, 147 days
	Don Concannon		8 December 1980	31 October 1983	2 years, 327 days		Michael Foot
	Peter Archer		31 October 1983	13 July 1987	3 years, 255 days		Neil Kinnock
	Kevin McNamara		13 July 1987	20 October 1994	7 years, 99 days
							John Smith
							Mo Mowlam		20 October 1994	2 May 1997	2 years, 194 days	Tony Blair
	Andrew Mackay		23 June 1997	14 September 2001	4 years, 83 days		Conservative	William Hague
	Quentin Davies		14 September 2001	11 November 2003	2 years, 58 days	Iain Duncan Smith
	David Lidington		11 November 2003	2 July 2007	3 years, 233 days	Michael Howard
						David Cameron
	Owen Paterson		2 July 2007	11 May 2010	2 years, 313 days
	Shaun Woodward		11 May 2010	7 October 2011	1 year, 149 days	Labour	Harriet Harman
							Ed Miliband
	Vernon Coaker		7 October 2011	7 October 2013	2 years, 0 days
	Ivan Lewis		7 October 2013	13 September 2015	1 year, 341 days
							Harriet Harman
		Vernon Coaker		13 September 2015	26 June 2016		287 days	Jeremy Corbyn
	Dave Anderson		26 June 2016	14 June 2017	353 days
	Owen Smith		14 June 2017	23 March 2018	282 days
	Tony Lloyd		23 March 2018	6 April 2020	2 years, 14 days
	Louise Haigh		6 April 2020	29 November 2021	1 year, 237 days		Sir Keir Starmer
	Peter Kyle		29 November 2021	4 September 2023	1 year, 279 days
	Hilary Benn		4 September 2023	5 July 2024	305 days
	Alex Burghart		8 July 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 16 days	Conservative	Rishi Sunak
							Kemi Badenoch

Learn More

• Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
• Northern Ireland Office
• UK Shadow Cabinet
• Liberal Democrat Frontbench Team
• Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
• Northern Ireland Grand Committee