Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer

{{Infobox Political post

| post = Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer

| body =

| nativename =

| department =

| image = File:Official portrait of Mel Stride MP, 2024.jpg

| alt = Portrait of Mel Stride

| incumbent = Mel Stride

| incumbentsince = 4 November 2024

| style = Shadow Chancellor (informal)

| member_of = Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet

| residence =

| nominator =

| nominatorpost =

| appointer = Leader of the Opposition

| termlength =

| inaugural = Rab Butler

| formation =

| last =

| abolished =

| succession =

| deputy = Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury

| website =

}}

The shadow chancellor of the exchequer in the British Parliamentary system is the member of the Shadow Cabinet who is responsible for shadowing the chancellor of the exchequer. The title is given at the gift of the leader of the Opposition and has no formal constitutional role, but is generally considered the second-most senior position, unless a shadow deputy prime minister is chosen, on the opposition frontbench, after the leader. Past shadow chancellors include Harold Wilson, James Callaghan, Edward Heath, Geoffrey Howe, Kenneth Clarke, Gordon Brown, John McDonnell and Rachel Reeves.

The name for the position has a mixed history. It is used to designate the lead economic spokesman for the Opposition. The name 'Shadow Chancellor' has also been used for the corresponding position for the Liberal Democrats, the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson.{{cite news|last=Parker |first=George |date=18 October 2014 |title=Alexander to replace Cable as LibDem shadow chancellor |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f4dda16c-5610-11e4-bbd6-00144feab7de.html#axzz3f2UP4sqV |newspaper=Financial Times |location=London |access-date=5 July 2015 }} This was a source of humour for Chancellor Gordon Brown, who in 2005 played the two off against one another in Parliament, saying, "I, too, have a great deal of time for the shadow chancellor who resides in Twickenham [Liberal Democrat Vince Cable], rather than the shadow chancellor for the Conservative Party."{{cite web|author=Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons, Westminster |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/vo051205/debtext/51205-08.htm |title=House of Commons Hansard Debates for 5 Dec 2005 (pt 8) |publisher=Publications.parliament.uk |date=2005-12-05 |access-date=2019-09-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028044727/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/vo051205/debtext/51205-08.htm |archive-date=2016-10-28}}

List of shadow chancellors

class="wikitable" !colspan=2 \|Name !width=50 \|Portrait !Entered office !Left office !Party !Shadow Cabinet
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Oliver Stanley \| 72px \| Unknown \| 10 December 1950 \| rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} \| Conservative \| rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} \|Churchill
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Rab Butler \| 72px \| 10 December 1950 \| 26 October 1951
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan="2" \| Hugh Gaitskell \| rowspan="2" \| 72px \| rowspan="2" \| 26 October 1951 \| rowspan="2" \| 15 February 1956 \| rowspan="5" {{Party shading/Labour}} \| Labour \| {{Party shading/Labour}} \| Attlee
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan="3" {{Party shading/Labour}} \| Gaitskell
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Harold Wilson \| 72px \| 15 February 1956 \| 30 November 1961{{cite news \|title=Wilson - Foreign Spokesman \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GuVAAAAAIBAJ&dq=shadow+Harold+Wilson&pg=PA1&article_id=3644,3759254 \|access-date=28 April 2025 \|work=Evening Times \|date=30 November 1961 \|page=1}}
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}; border-bottom:solid 1px {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" height=30 \| \| rowspan="2" \| James Callaghan \| rowspan="2" \| 72px \| rowspan="2" \| 30 November 1961{{cite news \|title=Wilson - Foreign Spokesman \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GuVAAAAAIBAJ&dq=shadow+Harold+Wilson&pg=PA1&article_id=3644,3759254 \|access-date=28 April 2025 \|work=Evening Times \|date=30 November 1961 \|page=1}} \| rowspan="2" \| 16 October 1964
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| {{Party shading/Labour}} \| Wilson I
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Reginald Maudling \|72px \| 16 October 1964 \| 16 February 1965Baston 2004, 246 \| rowspan="3" {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} \| Conservative \| rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} \| Douglas-Home
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Edward Heath \| 72px \| 16 February 1965Baston 2004, 246 \| 28 July 1965
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Iain Macleod \| 72px \| 28 July 1965 \| 20 June 1970 \| {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} \| Heath
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Roy Jenkins \| 72px \| 20 June 1970 \| 19 April 1972 \| rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Labour}} \| Labour \| rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Labour}} \| Wilson II
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Denis Healey \| 72px \| 19 April 1972 \| 4 March 1974
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Anthony Barber \| 72px \| 4 March 1974 \| 11 March 1974{{cite news \|title=Barber Prepares to Quit \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sOk9AAAAIBAJ&dq=Shadow+Cabinet&pg=PA1&article_id=2079,2274899 \|access-date=16 April 2025 \|work=The Glasgow Herald \|date=12 March 1974 \|pages=1, 30}} \| rowspan="3" {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} \| Conservative \| rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} \| Heath II
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Robert Carr \| 72px \| 11 March 1974 \| 11 February 1975
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Sir Geoffrey Howe \| 72px \| 11 February 1975 \| 4 May 1979 \| {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} \| Thatcher
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Denis Healey \| 72px \| 4 May 1979 \| 8 December 1980 \| rowspan="7" {{Party shading/Labour}} \| Labour \| {{Party shading/Labour}} \| Callaghan
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Peter Shore \| 72px \| 8 December 1980 \| 31 October 1983 \| {{Party shading/Labour}} \| Foot
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Roy Hattersley \| 72px \| 31 October 1983 \| 13 July 1987 \| rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Labour}} \| Kinnock
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| John Smith \| 72px \| 13 July 1987 \| 24 July 1992
rowspan=3 style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| rowspan=3 \|Gordon Brown \| rowspan=3 \|72px \| rowspan=3 \|24 July 1992 \| rowspan=3 \|2 May 1997 \| {{Party shading/Labour}} \| Smith
{{Party shading/Labour}} \| Beckett
{{Party shading/Labour}} \| Blair
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Ken Clarke \| 72px \| 2 May 1997 \| 11 June 1997 \| rowspan="8" {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} \| Conservative \| {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} \| Major
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Peter Lilley \| 72px \| 11 June 1997 \| 2 June 1998 \| rowspan="3" {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} \| Hague
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Francis Maude \| 72px \| 2 June 1998 \| 1 February 2000
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Michael Portillo \| 72px \| 1 February 2000 \| nowrap \| 18 September 2001
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Michael Howard \| 72px \| nowrap \| 18 September 2001 \| 6 November 2003 \| {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} \| Duncan Smith
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| Oliver Letwin \| 72px \| 6 November 2003 \| 10 May 2005 \| rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} \| Howard
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}; border-bottom:solid 1px {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" height=30 \| \| rowspan="2"\| George Osborne \| rowspan="2"\| 72px \| rowspan="2"\| 10 May 2005 \| rowspan="2"\| 11 May 2010
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \| {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} \| Cameron
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Alistair Darling \| 72px \| 11 May 2010 \| 8 October 2010 \| rowspan="7" {{Party shading/Labour}} \| Labour \| {{Party shading/Labour}} \| Harman I
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Alan Johnson \| 72px \| 8 October 2010 \| 20 January 2011 \| rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Labour}} \| Miliband
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Ed Balls \| 72px \| 20 January 2011 \| 11 May 2015
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Chris Leslie \| 72px \| 11 May 2015 \| 12 September 2015 \| {{Party shading/Labour}} \| Harman II
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| John McDonnell \| 72px \| 13 September 2015 \| 5 April 2020 \| {{Party shading/Labour}} \| Corbyn
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Anneliese Dodds \| 72px \| 5 April 2020 \| 9 May 2021 \| rowspan="2" {{Party shading/Labour}} \| Starmer
style="background-color: {{party color\|Labour Party (UK)}}" \| \| Rachel Reeves \| 72px \| 9 May 2021 \| 5 July 2024
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \|Jeremy Hunt \|72px \|8 July 2024 \|4 November 2024 \| {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} rowspan="2"\| Conservative \| {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} \| Sunak
style="background-color: {{party color\|Conservative Party (UK)}}" \| \|Mel Stride \|72px \|4 November 2024 \|Incumbent \| {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} \| Badenoch

class="wikitable"

!colspan=2 |Name

!width=50 |Portrait

!Entered office

!Left office

!Party

!Shadow Cabinet

style="background-color: {{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |

Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer

List of shadow chancellors

References

Book