Shadow Minister for Employment

Incumbent
Alison McGovern

since 4 December 2021

Appointer| Leader of the Opposition
Inaugural holder| Barbara Castle
Formation| 19 June 1970
Website| The Shadow Cabinet

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 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 for Employment

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### Shadow Secretaries of State for Employment

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Shadow Secretary  | Took office  | Left office  | Political Party  | Leader of the Opposition
| Barbara Castle |  | 19 June 1970  | 19 October 1971  | Labour  | Harold Wilson
| James Callaghan |  | 19 October 1971  | 19 April 1972  | Labour
| Reg Prentice |  | 19 April 1972  | 4 March 1974  | Labour
| William Whitelaw |  | 11 March 1974  | 29 October 1974  | Conservative  | Edward Heath
| James Prior |  | 29 October 1974  | 4 May 1979  | Conservative
| Margaret Thatcher
| Albert Booth |  | 4 May 1979  | 14 July 1979  | Labour  | James Callaghan
| Eric Varley |  | 14 July 1979  | 31 October 1983  | Labour
| Michael Foot
| John Smith |  | 31 October 1983  | 26 October 1984  | Labour  | Neil Kinnock
| John Prescott |  | 26 October 1984  | 13 July 1987  | Labour
| Michael Meacher |  | 13 July 1987  | 2 November 1989  | Labour
| Tony Blair |  | 2 November 1989  | 18 July 1992  | Labour
| Frank Dobson |  | 18 July 1992  | 21 October 1993  | Labour  | John Smith
| John Prescott |  | 21 October 1993  | 20 October 1994  | Labour
| Harriet Harman |  | 20 October 1994  | 19 October 1995  | Labour  | Tony Blair

### Shadow Secretaries of State for Education and Employment

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Shadow Secretary  | Took office  | Left office  | Political Party  | Leader of the Opposition
| David Blunkett |  | 19 October 1995  | 2 May 1997  | Labour  | Tony Blair
| Gillian Shephard |  | 2 May 1997  | 11 June 1997  | Conservative  | John Major
| Stephen Dorrell |  | 11 June 1997  | 15 June 1998  | Conservative  | William Hague
| David Willetts |  | 1 June 1998  | 15 June 1999  | Conservative
| Theresa May |  | 15 June 1999  | 18 September 2001  | Conservative

### Shadow Ministers for Labour

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Shadow Minister  | Took office  | Left office  | Political Party  | Leader of the Opposition
| Jack Dromey |  | 10 October 2016  | 12 January 2018  | Labour  | Jeremy Corbyn
| Laura Pidcock |  | 12 January 2018  | 10 September 2019  | Labour

### Shadow Secretaries of State for Employment Rights

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Shadow Secretary  | Took office  | Left office  | Political Party  | Leader of the Opposition
| Laura Pidcock |  | 10 September 2019  | 12 December 2019  | Labour  | Jeremy Corbyn
| Rachael Maskell |  | 7 January 2020  | 6 April 2020  | Labour

### Shadow Secretaries of State for Employment Rights and Protections

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Shadow Secretary  | Took office  | Left office  | Political Party  | Leader of the Opposition
| Andy McDonald |  | 6 April 2020  | 27 September 2021  | Labour  | Keir Starmer

### Shadow Ministers for Employment

[edit]

Shadow Minister  | Took office  | Left office  | Political Party  | Leader of the Opposition
| Alison McGovern |  | 4 December 2021  | Incumbent  | Labour  | Keir Starmer