Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland |
|
---|---|
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.
Contents
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