In UK politics, the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs is a position within the

opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...

's shadow cabinet that deals mainly with issues surrounding the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...

. If elected, the person serving as shadow foreign secretary may be designated to serve as the new

Foreign Secretary The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwe ...

. The current shadow secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs is MP

David Lammy David Lindon Lammy (born 19 July 1972) is an English politician serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs since 2021. A member of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, he has been Member of Parliamen ...

. The Shadow Secretary (usually with one or more junior shadow ministers) holds the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and other FCDO ministers to account in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

. Although

DFID The Department for International Development (DFID) was a department of HM Government responsible for administering foreign aid from 1997 to 2020. The goal of the department was "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". ...

and the role of

International Development Secretary The minister of state for development and Africa, formerly the minister of state for development and the secretary of state for international development, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The of ...

was abolished by the second Johnson government in 2020, the Shadow Secretary of State did not have responsibility for development until Lammy was appointed in November 2021. His predecessor,

Lisa Nandy Lisa Eva Nandy (born 9 August 1979) is a British politician serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities since 2021. A member of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, she has been Member of Parliament (United Kin ...

, served alongside the

Shadow Secretary of State for International Development The shadow cabinet minister for international development is the lead spokesperson for the United Kingdom's Official Opposition on issues related to international aid, most notably to the third world. The shadow cabinet minister holds the Minist ...

, Preet Gill. This however is no longer the case after the

November 2021 British shadow cabinet reshuffle On 29 November 2021, Keir Starmer, Leader of the Opposition in the United Kingdom, carried out a reshuffle of his shadow cabinet. The slimmed down shadow cabinet, was seen to be Starmer creating a top team in his own image. The major outcome ...

List of shadow foreign secretaries

Notes

References

Official Opposition (United Kingdom) {{UK-poli-stub