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Shadow Minister for Employment

{{Short description|British opposition frontbench position}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox Political post

| post = 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.{{cite book |author1=Robert Malcolm Punnett |title=Front-bench opposition; the role of the Leader of the Opposition, the Shadow Cabinet and Shadow Government in British politics |date=1973 |publisher=London |pages=458–467 |isbn=978-0-435-83734-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/frontbenchopposi0000punn/page/458/mode/1up |access-date=18 April 2025}}

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 after the creation of the Department for Work and Pensions.

In 2019, the office was reformed in the Shadow Cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn as Shadow Minister for Labour; later renamed Secretary of State for Employment Rights and, in the Shadow Cabinet of Keir Starmer, 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 in the November 2021 reshuffle.

List of Shadow Secretaries

{| class="wikitable"

! colspan=7 |

=Shadow Minister for Labour and National Service=

|-

! colspan=3 | Shadow Minister

! Took office

! Left office

! Political Party

! Leader of the Opposition

|-

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

|rowspan=2| Aneurin Bevan

|rowspan=2| 60px

|rowspan=2| 15 July 1955

|rowspan=2| 15 February 1956

|rowspan=2| Labour

| {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}}| Clement Attlee

|-

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

| {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}} rowspan=3 | Hugh Gaitskell

|-

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

| George Brown

| 60px

| 15 February 1956

| 27 November 1956

| Labour

|-

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

| Alfred Robens

| 60px

| 27 November 1956

| 12 November 1959

| Labour

|-

! colspan=7 |

=Shadow Minister for Labour=

|-

! colspan=3 | Shadow Minister

! Took office

! Left office

! Political Party

! Leader of the Opposition

|-

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

| Alfred Robens

| 60px

| 12 November 1959

| November 1960

| Labour

| {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}} rowspan=3 | Hugh Gaitskell

|-

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

| Frederick Lee

| 60px

| November 1960

| 6 December 1961{{cite news |title=New Labour Spokesman On Power |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YN09AAAAIBAJ&dq=Shadow+labour&pg=PA1&article_id=1443,5723704 |access-date=27 April 2025 |work=The Glasgow Herald |publisher=The Glasgow Herald |date=7 December 1961 |location=Westminister |page=1 |language=en}}

| Labour

|-

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

| rowspan=2 | Ray Gunter

| rowspan=2 | 60px

| rowspan=2 | 6 December 1961

| rowspan=2 | 16 October 1964

| rowspan=2 | Labour

|-

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

| {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}}| Harold Wilson

|-

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

| Joseph Godber

| 60px

| 16 October 1964

| 5 August 1965

| Conservative

| {{Party shading/Conservative Party (UK)}}| Alec Douglas-Home

|-

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

| Keith Joseph

| 60px

| 5 August 1965

| 23 February 1967

| Conservative

| rowspan=2 {{Party shading/Conservative Party (UK)}} | Edward Heath

|-

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

| Robert Carr

| 60px

| 23 February 1967

| 6 April 1968

| Conservative

|-

! colspan=7 |

= Shadow Secretaries of State for Employment and Productivity=

|-

! colspan=3 | Shadow Secretary

! Took office

! Left office

! Political Party

! Leader of the Opposition

|-

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

| Robert Carr

| 60px

| 6 April 1968

| 19 June 1970

| Conservative

| {{Party shading/Conservative Party (UK)}} | Edward Heath

|-

! 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: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |

| Barbara Castle

| 60px

| 19 June 1970

| 19 October 1971

| Labour

| {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}} rowspan=3 | Harold Wilson

|-

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

| James Callaghan

| 60px

| 19 October 1971

| 19 April 1972

| Labour

|-

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

| Reg Prentice

| 60px

| 19 April 1972

| 4 March 1974

| Labour

|-

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

| William Whitelaw

| 60px

| 4 March 1974

| 12 June 1974

| Conservative

| rowspan=2 {{Party shading/Conservative Party (UK)}} | Edward Heath

|-

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

| rowspan=2 | James Prior

| rowspan=2 | 60px

| rowspan=2 | 12 June 1974

| rowspan=2 | 4 May 1979

| rowspan=2 | Conservative

|-

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

| {{Party shading/Conservative Party (UK)}} | Margaret Thatcher

|-

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

| Albert Booth

| 60px

| 4 May 1979

| 14 July 1979

| Labour

| rowspan=2 {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}}| James Callaghan

|-

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

| rowspan=2 | Eric Varley

| rowspan=2 | 60px

| rowspan=2 | 14 July 1979

| rowspan=2 | 31 October 1983

| rowspan=2 | Labour

|-

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

| {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}}| Michael Foot

|-

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

| John Smith

| 60px

| 31 October 1983

| 26 October 1984

| Labour

| rowspan=4 {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}}| Neil Kinnock

|-

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

| John Prescott

| 60px

| 26 October 1984

| 13 July 1987

| Labour

|-

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

| Michael Meacher

| 60px

| 13 July 1987

| 2 November 1989

| Labour

|-

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

| Tony Blair

| 60px

| 2 November 1989

| 18 July 1992

| Labour

|-

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

| Frank Dobson

| 60px

| 18 July 1992

| 21 October 1993

| Labour

| rowspan=2 {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}} | John Smith

|-

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

| John Prescott

| 60px

| 21 October 1993

| 20 October 1994

| Labour

|-

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

| Harriet Harman

| 60px

| 20 October 1994

| 19 October 1995

| Labour

| {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}}| Tony Blair

|-

! 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: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |

| David Blunkett

| 60px

| 19 October 1995

| 2 May 1997

| Labour

| {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}}| Tony Blair

|-

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

| Gillian Shephard

| 60px

| 2 May 1997

| 11 June 1997

| Conservative

| {{Party shading/Conservative Party (UK)}} | John Major

|-

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

| Stephen Dorrell

| 60px

| 11 June 1997

| 15 June 1998

| Conservative

| rowspan=3 {{Party shading/Conservative Party (UK)}} | William Hague

|-

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

| David Willetts

| 60px

| 1 June 1998

| 15 June 1999

| Conservative

|-

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

| Theresa May

| 60px

| 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: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |

| Jack Dromey

| 60px

| 10 October 2016

| 12 January 2018

| Labour

| rowspan=2 {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}}| Jeremy Corbyn

|-

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

| Laura Pidcock

| 60px

| 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: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |

| Laura Pidcock

| 60px

| 10 September 2019

| 12 December 2019

| Labour

| rowspan=2 {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}}| Jeremy Corbyn

|-

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

| Rachael Maskell

| 60px

| 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: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |

| Andy McDonald

| 60px

| 6 April 2020

| 27 September 2021

| Labour

|{{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}}| Keir Starmer

|-

! 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

| 60px

| 4 December 2021

| 8 July 2024

| Labour

| {{Party shading/Labour Party (UK)}}| Keir Starmer

|}

References

{{reflist}}

{{UK Parliament Opposition Cabinet Offices}}

Category:Official Opposition (United Kingdom)

Category:2024 disestablishments in the United Kingdom