The Shadow Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet responsible for working with the Leader of the House in arranging Commons business and holding the Government to account in its overall management of the House. The Shadow Leader also responds to the Business Statement of Leader of House each Thursday, though the Leader of the Opposition exercised this role until the late 1980s. The office is roughly equivalent to the Shadow Leader of the House of Lords.

Shadow Leaders

Name Portrait Took office Left office Political party Leader of the Opposition James Chuter Ede 26 October 1951 13 November 1951 Labour Attlee Herbert Morrison 13 November 1951 14 December 1955 Labour Unknown14 December 195516 October 1964 LabourGaitskellBrownWilson Selwyn Lloyd 16 October 1964 4 August 1965 ConservativeDouglas-Home Unknown/Vacant 4 August 1965 19 June 1970 Conservative Heath Fred Peart 19 June 1970 16 December 1971 Labour Wilson II Michael Foot 16 December 1971 6 December 1972 Labour Edward Short 6 December 1972 4 March 1974 Labour James Prior 4 March 1974 29 October 1974 Conservative Heath II John Peyton 29 October 1974 19 November 1976 Conservative Thatcher Francis Pym 19 November 1976 Approx. 20 November 1978 Conservative Norman St John-Stevas Approx. 20 November 1978 5 May 1979 Conservative Michael Foot 5 May 1979 8 December 1980 LabourCallaghan John Silkin 8 December 1980 30 October 1983 LabourFoot Peter Shore 30 October 1983 13 July 1987 Labour Kinnock Frank Dobson 13 July 1987 2 November 1989 Labour Jack Cunningham 2 November 1989 24 July 1992 Labour Margaret Beckett 24 July 1992 13 May 1994 Labour Smith Nick Brown 13 May 1994 21 July 1994 LabourBeckett Margaret Beckett 21 July 1994 20 October 1994 Labour Blair Ann Taylor 20 October 1994 2 May 1997 Labour Alastair Goodlad May 1997 30 June 1997 Conservative Major Gillian Shephard 30 June 1997 2 June 1998 Conservative Hague Sir George Young 1 June 1998 22 September 2000 Conservative Angela Browning 26 September 2000 18 September 2001 Conservative Eric Forth 18 September 2001 10 November 2003 Conservative Duncan Smith Oliver Heald 10 November 2003 10 May 2005 Conservative Howard Chris Grayling 10 May 2005 8 December 2005 Conservative Theresa May 8 December 2005 19 January 2009 Conservative Cameron Alan Duncan 19 January 2009 7 September 2009 Conservative Sir George Young 8 September 2009 11 May 2010 Conservative Rosie Winterton 12 May 2010 8 October 2010 Labour Harman Hilary Benn 8 October 2010 7 October 2011 Labour Miliband Angela Eagle 7 October 2011 13 September 2015 Labour Harman II Chris Bryant 13 September 2015 26 June 2016 Labour Corbyn Paul Flynn 4 July 2016 6 October 2016 Labour Valerie Vaz 6 October 2016 9 May 2021 Labour Starmer Thangam Debbonaire 9 May 2021 4 September 2023 Labour Lucy Powell 4 September 2023 5 July 2024 LabourChris Philp8 July 20245 November 2024ConservativeSunakJesse Norman5 November 2024IncumbentConservativeBadenoch

Shadow deputy leaders

Name Portrait Took office Left office Political party Leader of the OppositionBarbara Keeley12 May 20108 October 2010LabourHarmanMelanie Onn18 September 201527 June 2016CorbynCat Smith20 December 201619 July 2017Karin Smyth19 July 201710 April 2020Afzal Khan10 April 20204 December 2021Labour Co-opStarmerJessica Morden4 December 20216 September 2023LabourNick Smith5 September 20234 July 2024John Lamont22 July 2025IncumbentConservativeBadenoch

Notes

References

See also

Opposition House Leader (Canada)