In British politics, the Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, or informally Shadow Brexit Secretary, was 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 dealt with issues surrounding the UK withdrawal from the EU. The position was only ever a part of Jeremy Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet. If a Labour government had been elected, the Shadow Secretary of State would have been a likely choice to serve as the new Secretary of State.

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 ...

held the position between October 2016 and April 2020, although the position became unusual, as the Department for Exiting the European Union was abolished in January 2020, so there was no Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union to be shadowed. The position was formally abolished on 4 April 2020, once the incumbent Shadow Brexit Secretary was elected leader. There were also a number of Shadow Ministers for Brexit, that often deputised for the Shadow Secretary of State.

List of Shadow Secretaries of State for Exiting the European Union

List of Shadow Ministers for Exiting the European Union

Three shadow ministers were appointed by

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 socialis ...

in October 2016.

Matthew Pennycook Matthew Thomas Pennycook (born 29 October 1982) is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Greenwich and Woolwich since 2015. A member of the Labour Party, he has been Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning sinc ...

resigned in September 2019 in order to attempt to stop Brexit. Jenny Chapman was one of the Red Wall MPs to be defeated in Boris Johnson's

landslide victory A landslide victory is an election result in which the victorious candidate or party wins by an overwhelming margin. The term became popular in the 1800s to describe a victory in which the opposition is "buried", similar to the way in which a geol ...

in the 2019 general election, losing her seat of

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underw ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

to the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

candidate Peter Gibson. Chapman was replaced by

Thangam Debbonaire Thangam Elizabeth Rachel Debbonaire (' Singh; born 3 August 1966) is a British Labour Party politician, serving as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons since May 2021. She was previously the Shadow Secretary of State for Housing from 2020 t ...

in January 2020. The position was abolished when

was elected

Labour Leader The ''Labour Leader'' was a British socialist newspaper published for almost one hundred years. It was later renamed ''New Leader'' and ''Socialist Leader'', before finally taking the name ''Labour Leader'' again. 19th century The origins of th ...

in April 2020.

References

Brexit Official Opposition (United Kingdom) 2016 establishments in the United Kingdom 2020 disestablishments in the United Kingdom United Kingdom and the European Union Consequences of the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum {{UK-poli-stub