Shadow Secretary of State for Employment
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The office of Shadow Minister for Employment is a position on the United Kingdom's Official Opposition frontbench, and has occasionally been a position in the Shadow Cabinet. From 1970 to 1995, the duty of the office holder was to scrutinise the actions of the government's Secretary of State for Employment and develop alternative policies. From 1995, the office shadowed the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. In 2001, the office was replaced by that of
Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions The Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 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 for W ...
after the creation of the
Department for Work and Pensions , type = Department , seal = , logo = Department for Work and Pensions logo.svg , logo_width = 166px , formed = , preceding1 = , jurisdiction = Government of the United Kingdom , headquarters = Caxton House7th Floor6–12 Tothill Stree ...
. In 2019, the office was reformed in the
Shadow Cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn assumed the position of Leader of the Opposition after being elected as leader of the Labour Party on 12 September 2015; the election was triggered by Ed Miliband's resignation following the Labour Party's electoral defeat at t ...
as Shadow Minister for Labour; later renamed Secretary of State for Employment Rights and, in 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 ...
, Shadow Secretary of State for Employment Rights and Protections. The position was vacant after the resignation of Andy McDonald, who was replaced by
Alison McGovern Alison McGovern (born 30 December 1980) is a British politician who has served as Shadow Minister for Employment since 2021. A member of the Labour Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Wirral South since 2010. Early life The gra ...
in the November 2021 reshuffle.


List of Shadow Secretaries for Employment

{, class="wikitable" ! colspan=7 ,


Shadow Secretaries of State for Employment

, - ! colspan=3 , Shadow Secretary ! Took office ! Left office ! Political Party ! Leader of the Opposition , - ! style="background-color: " , ,
Barbara Castle Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, (''née'' Betts; 6 October 1910 – 3 May 2002), was a British Labour Party politician who was a Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1979, making her one of the longest-serving female MPs in Bri ...
, , 19 June 1970 , 19 October 1971 , Labour , rowspan=3 , Harold Wilson , - ! style="background-color: " , , James Callaghan , , 19 October 1971 , 19 April 1972 , Labour , - ! style="background-color: " , ,
Reg Prentice Reginald Ernest Prentice, Baron Prentice, PC (16 July 1923 – 18 January 2001) was a British politician who held ministerial office in both Labour and Conservative Party governments. He was the most senior Labour figure ever to defect to the ...
, , 19 April 1972 , 4 March 1974 , Labour , - ! style="background-color: " , ,
William Whitelaw William Stephen Ian Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw, (28 June 1918 – 1 July 1999) was a British Conservative Party politician who served in a wide number of Cabinet positions, most notably as Home Secretary from 1979 to 1983 and as ''de fac ...
, , 11 March 1974 , 29 October 1974 , Conservative , rowspan=2 ,
Edward Heath Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 191617 July 2005), often known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. Heath a ...
, - ! style="background-color: " , , rowspan=2 ,
James Prior James Michael Leathes Prior, Baron Prior, (11 October 1927 – 12 December 2016) was a British Conservative Party politician. A Member of Parliament from 1959 to 1987, he represented the Suffolk constituency of Lowestoft until 1983 and then ...
, rowspan=2 , , rowspan=2 , 29 October 1974 , rowspan=2 , 4 May 1979 , rowspan=2 , Conservative , - ! style="background-color: " , ,
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 ...
, - ! style="background-color: " , , Albert Booth , , 4 May 1979 , 14 July 1979 , Labour , rowspan=2 , James Callaghan , - ! style="background-color: " , , rowspan=2 ,
Eric Varley Eric Graham Varley, Baron Varley, (11 August 1932 – 29 July 2008) was a British Labour Party politician and cabinet minister on the right-wing of the party. Early life Varley was born at 15 Poolsbrook Square, Poolsbrook, Staveley, near C ...
, rowspan=2 , , rowspan=2 , 14 July 1979 , rowspan=2 , 31 October 1983 , rowspan=2 , Labour , - ! style="background-color: " , ,
Michael Foot Michael Mackintosh Foot (23 July 19133 March 2010) was a British Labour Party politician who served as Labour Leader from 1980 to 1983. Foot began his career as a journalist on ''Tribune'' and the ''Evening Standard''. He co-wrote the 1940 p ...
, - ! style="background-color: " , , John Smith , , 31 October 1983 , 26 October 1984 , Labour , rowspan=4 ,
Neil Kinnock Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock (born 28 March 1942) is a British former politician. As a member of the Labour Party, he served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995, first for Bedwellty and then for Islwyn. He was the Leader of ...
, - ! style="background-color: " , ,
John Prescott John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (born 31 May 1938) is a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as First Secretary of State from 2001 to 2007. A member of the Labour Party, he w ...
, , 26 October 1984 , 13 July 1987 , Labour , - ! style="background-color: " , ,
Michael Meacher Michael Hugh Meacher (4 November 1939 – 21 October 2015) was a British politician who served as a government minister under Harold Wilson, James Callaghan and Tony Blair. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for ...
, , 13 July 1987 , 2 November 1989 , Labour , - ! style="background-color: " , ,
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
, , 2 November 1989 , 18 July 1992 , Labour , - ! style="background-color: " , ,
Frank Dobson Frank Gordon Dobson (15 March 1940 – 11 November 2019) was a British Labour Party politician. As Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St. Pancras from 1979 to 2015, he served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Health from 1997 t ...
, , 18 July 1992 , 21 October 1993 , Labour , rowspan=2 , John Smith , - ! style="background-color: " , ,
John Prescott John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (born 31 May 1938) is a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as First Secretary of State from 2001 to 2007. A member of the Labour Party, he w ...
, , 21 October 1993 , 20 October 1994 , Labour , - ! style="background-color: " , ,
Harriet Harman Harriet Ruth Harman (born 30 July 1950) is a British politician and solicitor who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Camberwell and Peckham, formerly Peckham, since 1982. A member of the Labour Party, she has served in various Cabi ...
, , 20 October 1994 , 19 October 1995 , Labour ,
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
, - ! colspan=7 ,


Shadow Secretaries of State for Education and Employment

, - ! colspan=3 , Shadow Secretary ! Took office ! Left office ! Political Party ! Leader of the Opposition , - ! style="background-color: " , ,
David Blunkett David Blunkett, Baron Blunkett, (born 6 June 1947) is a British Labour Party politician who has been a Member of the House of Lords since 2015, and previously served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough ...
, , 19 October 1995 , 2 May 1997 , Labour ,
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
, - ! style="background-color: " , ,
Gillian Shephard Gillian Patricia Shephard, Baroness Shephard of Northwold, (''née'' Watts; born 22 January 1940), is a British Conservative politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Norfolk from 1987 to 2005. Shephard served as a Cabin ...
, , 2 May 1997 , 11 June 1997 , Conservative , John Major , - ! style="background-color: " , ,
Stephen Dorrell Stephen James Dorrell (born 25 March 1952) is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He served as the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Loughborough between 1979 and 1997 and then for Charnwood from 1997 to 2015. Dorrell most recent ...
, , 11 June 1997 , 15 June 1998 , Conservative , rowspan=3 ,
William Hague William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
, - ! style="background-color: " , ,
David Willetts David Linsay Willetts, Baron Willetts, (born 9 March 1956) is a British politician and life peer. From 1992 to 2015, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the constituency of Havant in Hampshire. He served as Minister of State for ...
, , 1 June 1998 , 15 June 1999 , Conservative , - ! style="background-color: " , ,
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 ...
, , 15 June 1999 , 18 September 2001 , Conservative , - ! colspan=7 ,


Shadow Ministers for Labour

, - ! colspan=3 , Shadow Minister ! Took office ! Left office ! Political Party ! Leader of the Opposition , - ! style="background-color: " , ,
Jack Dromey John Eugene Joseph Dromey (29 September 1948 – 7 January 2022) was a British politician and trade unionist who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Erdington from 2010 until his death. A member of the Labour Party, he was depu ...
, , 10 October 2016 , 12 January 2018 , Labour , rowspan=2 ,
Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...
, - ! style="background-color: " , , Laura Pidcock , , 12 January 2018 , 10 September 2019 , Labour , - ! colspan=7 ,


Shadow Secretaries of State for Employment Rights

, - ! colspan=3 , Shadow Secretary ! Took office ! Left office ! Political Party ! Leader of the Opposition , - ! style="background-color: " , , Laura Pidcock , , 10 September 2019 , 12 December 2019 , Labour , rowspan=2 ,
Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...
, - ! style="background-color: " , ,
Rachael Maskell Rachael Helen Maskell (born 5 July 1972) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for York Central since 2015. A member of the Labour and Co-operative parties, she was Shadow Environment Secretary from 2016 to 2017 and Sh ...
, , 7 January 2020 , 6 April 2020 , Labour , - ! colspan=7 ,


Shadow Secretaries of State for Employment Rights and Protections

, - ! colspan=3 , Shadow Secretary ! Took office ! Left office ! Political Party ! Leader of the Opposition , - ! style="background-color: " , , Andy McDonald , , 6 April 2020 , 27 September 2021 , Labour ,
Keir Starmer Sir Keir Rodney Starmer (; born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and barrister who has served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St Pancras s ...
, - ! colspan=7 ,


Shadow Ministers for Employment

, - ! colspan=3 , Shadow Minister ! Took office ! Left office ! Political Party ! Leader of the Opposition , - ! style="background-color: {{party color, Labour Party (UK)" , ,
Alison McGovern Alison McGovern (born 30 December 1980) is a British politician who has served as Shadow Minister for Employment since 2021. A member of the Labour Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Wirral South since 2010. Early life The gra ...
, , 4 December 2021 , Incumbent , Labour ,
Keir Starmer Sir Keir Rodney Starmer (; born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and barrister who has served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St Pancras s ...
Official Opposition (United Kingdom) 2021 disestablishments in the United Kingdom