Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Senior Member of the Shadow Cabinet

Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Incumbent
Vacant

since 5 November 2024

Appointer| Leader of the Opposition
Website| Shadow Cabinet

The Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is a position in the United Kingdom's Shadow Cabinet that was created on 6 December 2005 by the then-Leader of the Opposition, David Cameron for his shadow cabinet. From 2005 to 2010, the office was known as Senior Member of the Shadow Cabinet, and from 2015 to 2023, the office was known as Shadow First Secretary of State. From 2010 to 2015 and again since 2023, the office has been known as Shadow Deputy Prime Minister.

Even though the role has no specific responsibilities attached to it, the holder of the position shadows the First Secretary of State and/or Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and deputises for the Leader of the Opposition in Prime Minister's Questions when the First Secretary or Deputy PM is deputising for the Prime Minister.[1]

Since 5 November 2024, the position is vacant with Alex Burghart informally deputising for the Leader of the Opposition. The most recent holder of the position is Oliver Dowden.

## List of Shadow Deputy Prime Ministers

[edit]

### Deputy Leader of the Opposition

[edit]

Deputy Leader  | Term of Office  | Concurrent position  | Political Party  | Leader of the Opposition
| Arthur Greenwood |  | 23 May 1945  | 26 July 1945  | Deputy Leader of the Labour Party | Labour | Clement Attlee
| Anthony Eden |  | 26 July 1945  | 26 October 1951  | Shadow Foreign Secretary | Conservative | Winston Churchill
| Oliver Stanley
Acting |  | January 1949[2] | March 1949 | Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer | Conservative
| Herbert Morrison |  | 26 October 1951  | 25 November 1955  | Deputy Leader of the Labour Party | Labour | Clement Attlee
| Unknown  | 25 November 1955  | 2 February 1956  |  | Labour | Herbert Morrison
| Hugh Gaitskell
| Jim Griffiths |  | 2 February 1956  | 24 October 1959  | Deputy Leader of the Labour Party | Labour
| Aneurin Bevan |  | 24 October 1959  | 6 July 1960  | Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Shadow Foreign Secretary | Labour
| Unknown  | 6 July 1960  | 10 November 1960  |  | Labour
| George Brown |  | 10 November 1960  | 18 January 1963  | Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Shadow Minister of Defence (1960–1962)
Shadow Home Secretary (1962–1963)  | Labour
| Unknown  | 18 January 1963  | 14 February 1963  |  | Labour | George Brown
| George Brown |  | 14 February 1963  | 16 October 1964  | Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Shadow Home Secretary | Labour | Harold Wilson
| Reginald Maudling |  | 29 October 1964  | 20 June 1970  | Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (1964–1965)
Shadow Foreign Secretary (1965)
Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party (1965–1970)
Shadow Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs (1966–1968)
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence (1968)  | Conservative | Alec Douglas-Home
Edward Heath
| Unknown  | 20 June 1970  | 8 July 1970  |  | Labour | Harold Wilson
| Roy Jenkins |  | 8 July 1970  | 10 April 1972  | Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer | Labour
| Unknown  | 10 April 1972  | 25 April 1972  |  | Labour
| Edward Short |  | 25 April 1972  | 4 March 1974  | Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Science (1972)
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons (1972–1974)  | Labour
| Robert Carr |  | 12 March 1974  | 11 February 1975  | Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer | Conservative | Edward Heath
| William Whitelaw |  | 11 February 1975  | 4 May 1979  | Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party
Shadow Home Secretary (1976–1979)  | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher
| Michael Foot |  | 4 May 1979  | 13 November 1980  | Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons | Labour | James Callaghan
| Denis Healey |  | 13 November 1980  | 2 October 1983  | Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Shadow Foreign Secretary | Labour | Michael Foot
| Roy Hattersley |  | 2 October 1983  | 18 July 1992  | Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (1983–1987)
Shadow Home Secretary (1987–1992)  | Labour | Neil Kinnock
| Margaret Beckett |  | 18 July 1992  | 12 May 1994  | Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons | Labour | John Smith
| Unknown  | 12 May 1994  | 21 July 1994  |  | Labour | Margaret Beckett
| John Prescott |  | 21 July 1994  | 2 May 1997  | Deputy Leader of the Labour Party | Labour | Tony Blair
| Michael Heseltine |  | 2 May 1997  | 19 June 1997  | Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Conservative | John Major
| Unknown  | 19 June 1997  | 1 June 1998  |  | Conservative | William Hague
| Peter Lilley |  | 1 June 1998  | 15 June 1999  | Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party | Conservative
| Unknown  | 15 June 1999  | 1 February 2000  |  | Conservative
| Michael Portillo |  | 1 February 2000  | 18 September 2001  | Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer | Conservative
| Michael Ancram |  | 18 September 2001  | 6 December 2005  | Shadow Foreign Secretary (2001–2005)
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence (2005)  | Conservative | Iain Duncan Smith
Michael Howard

### Senior Member of the Shadow Cabinet

[edit]

Senior Member  | Term of Office  | Concurrent position  | Political Party  | Leader of the Opposition
| William Hague |  | 6 December 2005  | 11 May 2010  | Shadow Foreign Secretary | Conservative | David Cameron

### Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

[edit]

Shadow Deputy Prime Minister  | Term of Office  | Concurrent position  | Political Party  | Leader of the Opposition
| Jack Straw |  | 11 May 2010  | 25 September 2010  | Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Shadow Lord Chancellor | Labour | Harriet Harman
| Harriet Harman |  | 7 October 2010  | 8 May 2015  | Deputy Leader of the Opposition
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Chair of the Labour Party
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development (2010–2011)
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (2011–2015)  | Labour | Ed Miliband

### Shadow First Secretary of State

[edit]

Shadow First Secretary  | Term of Office  | Concurrent position  | Political Party  | Leader of the Opposition
| Hilary Benn |  | 11 May 2015  | 13 September 2015  | Shadow Foreign Secretary | Labour | Harriet Harman
| Angela Eagle |  | 13 September 2015  | 27 June 2016 | Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills | Labour | Jeremy Corbyn
Office not in use from June 2016 to June 2017.
| Emily Thornberry |  | 14 June 2017  | 5 April 2020  | Shadow Foreign Secretary | Labour | Jeremy Corbyn
| Angela Rayner |  | 9 April 2020  | 4 September 2023  | Deputy Leader of the Opposition
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Chair of the Labour Party (2020–2021)
Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (2021–2023)
Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office (2021–2023)  | Labour | Keir Starmer

### Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

[edit]

Shadow Deputy Prime Minister  | Term of Office  | Concurrent position  | Political Party  | Leader of the Opposition
| Angela Rayner |  | 4 September 2023  | 5 July 2024  | Deputy Leader of the Opposition
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities | Labour | Keir Starmer
| Oliver Dowden |  | 5 July 2024  | 5 November 2024  | Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Conservative | Rishi Sunak
Office not in use Since November 2024.

## See also

[edit]

* Official Opposition frontbench
* Shadow Cabinet of Rishi Sunak
* Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
* Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Brexit: Green and Thornberry Prime Minister's Questions clash". BBC News Online. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
2. ^ "Mr Oliver Stanley 's Lifetime of Political Service". The Glasgow Herald. 12 December 1950. p. 8. Retrieved 9 May 2025.

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His Majesty's Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet

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Current|

* Leader of the Opposition
* Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
* Shadow Deputy Prime Minister
* Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
* Shadow Home Secretary
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* Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster / Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office
* Shadow Defence Secretary
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* Opposition Chief Whip

Former|

* Shadow Cabinet Minister for International Development
* Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health
* Shadow Minister without Portfolio
* Shadow Minister of State at the Cabinet Office
* Shadow Secretary of State for Child Poverty
* Shadow Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs
* Shadow Secretary of State for Employment Rights and Protections
* Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union
* Shadow Secretary of State for the Family
* Shadow Secretary of State for Housing
* Shadow Secretary of State for Young People and Democracy
* Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work

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* Churchill (1945–1951)
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Scottish National Party|

* Robertson (2015–2017)
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1964 to Present
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