Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
	Incumbent; Sir Oliver Dowden; since 5 July 2024
	Shadow Cabinet
Appointer	Leader of the Opposition
Formation	6 December 2005
First holder	William Hague; (as Senior Member of the Shadow Cabinet)
Website	Shadow Cabinet

The Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is a position in the United Kingdom's Shadow Cabinet that was created on 6 December 2005 by the then-Leader of the Opposition, David Cameron for his shadow cabinet. From 2005 to 2010, the office was known as Senior Member of the Shadow Cabinet, and from 2015 to 2023, the office was known as Shadow First Secretary of State. From 2010 to 2015 and again since 2023, the office has been known as Shadow Deputy Prime Minister.

Even though the role has no specific responsibilities attached to it, the holder of the position shadows the First Secretary of State and/or Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and deputises for the Leader of the Opposition in Prime Minister's Questions when the First Secretary or Deputy PM is deputising for the Prime Minister.^[1] Oliver Dowden currently serves as Shadow Deputy Prime Minister.^[2]

List of Shadow Deputy Prime Ministers

Senior Member of the Shadow Cabinet [edit]
Senior Member		Term of Office		Political Party	Leader of the Opposition
	William Hague	6 December 2005	11 May 2010	Conservative	David Cameron
Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom [edit]
Shadow Deputy Prime Minister		Term of Office		Political Party	Leader of the Opposition
	Jack Straw Acting	11 May 2010	25 September 2010	Labour	Harriet Harman
	Harriet Harman	7 October 2010	8 May 2015	Labour	Ed Miliband
Shadow First Secretary of State [edit]
Shadow First Secretary		Term of Office		Political Party	Leader of the Opposition
	Hilary Benn Acting	11 May 2015	13 September 2015	Labour	Harriet Harman
	Angela Eagle	13 September 2015	27 June 2016	Labour	Jeremy Corbyn
Office not in use from June 2016 to June 2017.
	Emily Thornberry	14 June 2017	5 April 2020	Labour	Jeremy Corbyn
	Angela Rayner	9 April 2020	4 September 2023	Labour	Keir Starmer
Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom [edit]
Shadow Deputy Prime Minister		Term of Office		Political Party	Leader of the Opposition
	Angela Rayner	4 September 2023	5 July 2024	Labour	Keir Starmer
	Oliver Dowden	5 July 2024	Present	Conservative	Rishi Sunak

References

^ "Brexit: Green and Thornberry Prime Minister's Questions clash". BBC News Online. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
^ https://members.parliament.uk/member/4441/career

[1] "Brexit: Green and Thornberry Prime Minister's Questions clash". BBC News Online. Retrieved 12 July 2017.

[2] ttps://members.parliament.uk/member/4441/career

[1]

[2]

v t e His Majesty's Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet
Official Opposition frontbench
Current	Leader of the Opposition Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Shadow Deputy Prime Minister Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Shadow Home Secretary Shadow Foreign Secretary Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster / Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office Shadow Defence Secretary Shadow Education Secretary Shadow Justice Secretary / Shadow Lord Chancellor Shadow Attorney General Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Shadow Leader of the House of Lords Shadow Scottish Secretary Shadow Welsh Secretary Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Shadow Paymaster General Shadow Minister for Security Shadow Minister for Veterans Opposition Chief Whip
Former	Shadow Cabinet Minister for International Development Shadow Minister without Portfolio Shadow Minister of State at the Cabinet Office Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health Shadow Secretary of State for Housing Shadow Secretary of State for Young People and Democracy Shadow Secretary of State for Child Poverty Shadow Secretary of State for Employment Rights and Protections Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Shadow Secretary of State for the Family Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work

v t e Shadow Cabinets of the United Kingdom
Official Opposition	Wilson I (1963–1964) Douglas-Home (1964–1965) Heath I (1965–1970) Wilson II (1970–1974) Heath II (1974–1975) Thatcher (1975–1979) Callaghan (1979–1980) Foot (1980–1983) Kinnock (1983–1992) Smith (1992–1994) Beckett (1994) Blair (1994–1997) Major (1997) Hague (1997–2001) Duncan Smith (2001–2003) Howard (2003–2005) Cameron (2005–2010) Harman I (2010) Miliband (2010–2015) Harman II (2015) Corbyn (2015–2020) Starmer (2020–2024) Sunak (2024) Badenoch (2024–present)
Liberal Democrats	Ashdown (1997–1999) Kennedy (1999–2006) Campbell (2006–2007) Cable I (2007) Clegg (2007–2010) Farron (2015–2017) Cable II (2017–2019) Swinson (2019) Davey (2020–present)
Scottish National Party	Robertson (2015–2017) Blackford (2017–2022) Flynn (2022–present)
1964 to Present

List of Shadow Deputy Prime Ministers

Senior Member of the Shadow Cabinet

Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Shadow First Secretary of State

Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

See also

References