The Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero is a post in the
Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet. The Shadow Secretary originally helped hold the
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change was a British government cabinet position from 2008 to 2016. The Department of Energy and Climate Change was created on 3 October 2008 when then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown ...
and junior ministers to account and is the lead spokesperson on energy and
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
issues for his or her party. The post currently holds the
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (concurrently with the
shadow business secretary) and the
Minister of State for Energy and Climate
The minister of state for energy and climate is a mid-level position in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in the Government of the United Kingdom. It is currently held by Graham Stuart.
The role used to be part of the ...
to account in Parliament.
A previous Official Opposition post of
Shadow Secretary of State for Energy existed until the
Department of Energy A Ministry of Energy or Department of Energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-re ...
was merged into the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in 1992. In 2008, the
Department for Energy and Climate Change
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom created on 3 October 2008, by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to take over some of the functions related to energy of the Department for Busin ...
was split from the DTI's
successor department, effectively reviving the former department and the need for an Opposition shadow.
Following
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cabi ...
's appointment as Prime Minister in July 2016, the department was disbanded and merged with the
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to form the
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with the consequent ending of this shadow post.
It was revived during the
Shadow Cabinet of Keir Starmer
Keir Starmer became Leader of the Opposition in the United Kingdom after being elected as Leader of the Labour Party on 4 April 2020. He appointed his Shadow Cabinet on 5 and 6 April.
Background
Following the Labour Party's defeat in th ...
and given to
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel "Ed" Miliband (born 24 December 1969) is a British politician serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero since 2021. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Doncaster North since 2005. Miliban ...
, the former Labour Leader, who was then serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy before his appointment.
Shadow Secretary of State for Energy (1974–1992)
Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (2008–2016)
Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero (2021-present)
See also
*
Official Opposition frontbench
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shadow Secretary Of State For Energy And Climate Change
Official Opposition (United Kingdom)
1975 establishments in the United Kingdom
2016 disestablishments in the United Kingdom