Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

became the first female Leader of the Conservative Party and

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

after winning the 1975 leadership election, the first Conservative leadership election where the post was not vacant. A rule change to enable the election was largely prompted by dissatisfaction with the incumbent leader, Edward Heath, who had lost three of four general elections as leader, including two in 1974. After announcing her first Shadow Cabinet in February 1975, she reshuffled it twice: in January and November 1976. Minor subsequent changes were necessary to respond to various circumstances. Thatcher's Shadow Cabinet ceased to exist upon her becoming

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

following the 1979 general election.

Shadow Cabinet list

Initial Shadow Cabinet

Thatcher announced her first Shadow Cabinet on 18 February 1975. *

– Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Leader of the Conservative Party * William Whitelaw – Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister responsible for

Devolution Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories ...

Keith Joseph Keith Sinjohn Joseph, Baron Joseph, (17 January 1918 – 10 December 1994), known as Sir Keith Joseph, 2nd Baronet, for most of his political life, was a British politician, intellectual and barrister. A member of the Conservative Party, he ...

– Shadow Minister with responsibility for policy formation and research *

Lord Hailsham of St Marylebone Quintin McGarel Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone, (9 October 1907 – 12 October 2001), known as the 2nd Viscount Hailsham between 1950 and 1963, at which point he disclaimed his hereditary peerage, was a British barrister and Conservati ...

– Shadow Minister without Portfolio * Reginald Maudling – Shadow Foreign Secretary * Geoffrey Howe – Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer *

Ian Gilmour Ian Hedworth John Little Gilmour, Baron Gilmour of Craigmillar, (8 July 1926 – 21 September 2007) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was styled Sir Ian Gilmour, 3rd Baronet from 1977, having succeeded to his fat ...

– Shadow Home Secretary *

Lord Carrington Peter Alexander Rupert Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, Baron Carington of Upton, (6 June 1919 – 9July 2018), was a British Conservative Party politician and hereditary peer who served as Defence Secretary from 1970 to 1974, Foreign Secretar ...

– Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords * Jim Prior – Shadow Secretary of State for Employment * Francis Pym –

Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food The Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a member of the UK Shadow Cabinet responsible for the scrutiny of the Ministers of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and his/her ministry, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. ...

* Patrick Jenkin –

Shadow Secretary of State for Energy 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 and junior ministers to account ...

* John Peyton –

Shadow Leader of the House of Commons The Shadow Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet responsible for working with the Leader of the House in arranging Commons business and holding the Government to account in its overall management ...

Norman St John-Stevas Norman Antony Francis St John-Stevas, Baron St John of Fawsley, ( ; born Norman Panayea St John Stevas; 18 May 1929 – 2 March 2012) was a British Conservative politician, author and barrister. He served as Leader of the House of Commons in t ...

– Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Science and Shadow Minister for the Arts * Michael Heseltine – Shadow Secretary of State for Industry * Timothy Raison – Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment * Alick Buchanan-Smith – Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland *

Nicholas Edwards Roger Nicholas Edwards, Baron Crickhowell, PC (25 February 1934 – 17 March 2018) was a British Conservative Party politician who served as an MP from 1970 until 1987 and as Secretary of State for Wales during the first two terms of the Th ...

– Shadow Secretary of State for Wales * Airey Neave –

Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland The Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is a member of the British Shadow Cabinet responsible for the scrutiny of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and their department, the Northern Ireland Office. The post is currently hel ...

* George Younger – Shadow Secretary of State for Defence * Norman Fowler –

Shadow Secretary of State for Health The Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is an office within British politics held by a member of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition. The duty of the office holder is to scrutinise the actions of the government's Secretary of State ...

* Sally Oppenheim – Shadow Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection * Humphrey Atkins – Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Commons * Lord St Aldwyn – Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Lords * Sir Michael Havers –

Shadow Attorney General The Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales is an office within British politics The United Kingdom is a unitary state with devolution that is governed within the framework of a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional mona ...

;Changes * April 1975: Due to illness, Pym was replaced as Shadow Agriculture Minister by Michael Jopling.

January 1976 reshuffle

On 15 January 1976, Thatcher reshuffled the Shadow Cabinet. Pym returned as Shadow Agriculture Minister, displacing Jopling. George Younger was dropped from the front bench, and he was replaced by Gilmour at Defence; Whitelaw, the Deputy Leader, added Gilmour's Home Affairs portfolio to his Devolution. John Biffen replaced Jenkin as Shadow Energy Secretary, and Jenkin took Health from Fowler, who was demoted to be a Shadow Transport Minister (which was not in Shadow Cabinet and was part of the Environment team). *

– Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Leader of the Conservative Party * William Whitelaw – Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Shadow Home Secretary and Shadow Minister responsible for

– Shadow Minister with responsibility for policy formation and research *

– Shadow Minister without Portfolio * Reginald Maudling – Shadow Foreign Secretary * Geoffrey Howe – Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer *

– Shadow Secretary of State for Defence *

– Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords * Jim Prior – Shadow Secretary of State for Employment * Francis Pym –

* John Biffen –

* John Peyton –

– Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Science
Shadow Minister for the Arts * Michael Heseltine – Shadow Secretary of State for Industry * Timothy Raison – Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment * Alick Buchanan-Smith – Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland *

– Shadow Secretary of State for Wales * Airey Neave –

* Patrick Jenkin –

November 1976 reshuffle

On 19 November 1976, Thatcher reshuffled again. Maudling was dropped as Shadow Foreign Secretary and replaced by John Davies. Raison dropped, being replaced at Environment by Heseltine, who was replaced at the Industry portfolio by Biffen. He was in turn replaced as Shadow Energy Secretary by Tom King. Peyton and Pym switch roles (Shadow Leader of the House for Agriculture), with Pym also taking Devolution from Whitelaw. *

– Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Leader of the Conservative Party * William Whitelaw – Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Home Secretary *

– Shadow Minister with responsibility for policy formation and research *

– Shadow Minister without Portfolio * John Davies – Shadow Foreign Secretary * Geoffrey Howe – Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer *

Styled Sir Ian Gilmour, Bt from 1977. – Shadow Secretary of State for Defence *

– Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords * Jim Prior – Shadow Secretary of State for Employment * John Peyton –

* Tom King –

* Francis Pym –

and Shadow Minister responsible for

– Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Science and Shadow Minister for the Arts * John Biffen – Shadow Secretary of State for Industry * Michael Heseltine – Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment * Alick Buchanan-Smith – Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland *

– Shadow Secretary of State for Wales * Airey Neave –

* Patrick Jenkin –

Sir Michael Havers Robert Michael Oldfield Havers, Baron Havers (10 March 1923 – 1 April 1992), was a British barrister and Conservative politician. From his knighthood in 1972 until becoming a peer in 1987 he was known as Sir Michael Havers. Early life and m ...

–

;Changes * 9 December 1976: Buchanan-Smith is sacked as Shadow Scottish Secretary for failing to adhere to collective responsibility on devolution policy and is replaced by Teddy Taylor, who had been Shadow Trade Secretary, a role that appears not to have belonged to the Shadow Cabinet at this point. * Approx. 17 January 1978: Lord St Aldwyn retires as Conservative Chief Whip and is replaced by Lord Denham. * November 1978: On 6 November, John Davies retires from public life after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. Pym is tapped to stand in for him, and is later given the post of Shadow Foreign Secretary full-time. St John-Stevas replaces him Shadow Leader of the House, and

Mark Carlisle Mark Carlisle, Baron Carlisle of Bucklow, QC, DL, PC (7 July 1929 – 14 July 2005) was a British Conservative Party politician and was Member of Parliament (MP) for Runcorn from 1964 to 1983 and then for Warrington South until 1987. Crea ...

replaced the latter as Shadow Education Secretary.House of Commons Debates 5 December 1978 c 1228
(Shirley Williams "welcoming arlisleto his new responsibilities as the Shadow spokesperson on education and science"). * March 1979: Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Airey Neave is killed by an Irish National Liberation Army car bomb, just over a week before Parliament is dissolved ahead of the 1979 general election.

References

{{Margaret Thatcher Conservative Party (UK)-related lists Margaret Thatcher Official Opposition (United Kingdom) 1975 establishments in the United Kingdom 1979 disestablishments in the United Kingdom British shadow cabinets 1975 in British politics

Shadow Cabinet list

Initial Shadow Cabinet

January 1976 reshuffle

November 1976 reshuffle

See also

References