Ed Miliband became Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition upon being elected to the former post on 25 September 2010. The election was triggered by Gordon Brown's resignation following the party's fall from power at the 2010 general election, which yielded a Conservative–Liberal Democrat Coalition. Miliband appointed his first Shadow Cabinet in October 2010, following the Labour Party Shadow Cabinet elections. These elections were the last such elections before they were abolished in 2011.
Miliband conducted two major reshuffles in 2011 and 2013, with a number of minor changes throughout his term.
Following the 2015 general election and Miliband's resignation, acting leader Harriet Harman announced a new shadow cabinet to last until the election of a new party leader in September 2015.
Shadow Cabinet
Initial Shadow Cabinet Miliband announced his first Shadow Cabinet on 8 October 2010 following the 2010 Shadow Cabinet elections. Under the party rules, as amended in 2010, the Shadow Cabinet comprised the Leader, the Deputy Leader, the Leader of the Labour Peers, the Chief Whips in both houses, and 19 MPs elected by the Parliamentary Labour Party. Sits in the House of CommonsSits in the House of LordsSits in the European Parliament PortfolioShadow MinisterConstituencyTermsLeader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Leader of the Labour PartyEd Miliband Doncaster NorthOct 2010 – May 2015Shadow Deputy Prime MinisterDeputy Leader of the OppositionHarriet HarmanCamberwell and PeckhamShadow Secretary of State for International DevelopmentOct 2010 – Oct 2011Deputy Leader of the Labour PartyLabour Party ChairJune 2007 – Sep 2015Shadow Chancellor of the ExchequerAlan JohnsonKingston upon Hull West and HessleOct 2010 – Jan 2011Shadow Foreign SecretaryYvette CooperNormanton, Pontefract and CastlefordShadow Minister for Women and EqualitiesMay 2010 – Oct 2013Shadow Home SecretaryEd BallsMorley and OutwoodOct 2010 – Jan 2011Opposition Chief Whip in the House of CommonsRosie WintertonDoncaster CentralOct 2010 – Oct 2016Shadow Secretary of State for EducationAndy BurnhamLeighOct 2010 – Oct 2011Shadow Lord ChancellorShadow Secretary of State for Justice (with responsibility for political and constitutional reform)Sadiq KhanTootingOct 2010 – May 2015Shadow Secretary of State for Work and PensionsDouglas AlexanderPaisley and Renfrewshire SouthOct 2010 – Jan 2011Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and SkillsJohn DenhamSouthampton ItchenOct 2010 – Oct 2011Shadow Secretary of State for HealthJohn HealeyWentworth and DearneOct 2010 – Oct 2011Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local GovernmentCaroline FlintDon ValleyOct 2010 – Oct 2011Shadow Secretary of State for DefenceJim MurphyEast RenfrewshireOct 2010 – Oct 2013Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate ChangeMeg HillierHackney South and ShoreditchOct 2010 – Oct 2011Shadow Leader of the House of CommonsShadow Lord Privy SealHilary BennLeeds CentralOct 2010 – Oct 2011Shadow Secretary of State for TransportMaria EagleGarston and Halewood Oct 2010 – Oct 2013Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsMary CreaghWakefieldOct 2010 – Oct 2013Shadow Chief Secretary to the TreasuryAngela EagleWallaseyOct 2010 – Oct 2011Shadow Secretary of State for Northern IrelandShaun WoodwardSt Helens South and WhistonMay 2010 – Oct 2011Shadow Secretary of State for ScotlandAnn McKechinGlasgow NorthOct 2010 – Oct 2011Shadow Secretary of State for WalesPeter HainNeathMay 2010 – May 2012Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and SportIvan LewisBury SouthOct 2010 – Oct 2011Leader of the Opposition in the House of LordsJanet Baroness Royall of BlaisdonLife peerMay 2010 – May 2015Shadow Minister for the Cabinet OfficeLiam ByrneBirmingham Hodge Hill Oct 2010 – Jan 2011Shadow Minister for the OlympicsTessa Jowell Dulwich and West NorwoodMay 2010 – Sep 2012Shadow Minister for LondonMay 2010 – Jan 2013Opposition Chief Whip in the House of LordsSteve Lord Bassam of BrightonLife peerMay 2010 – Jan 2018Shadow Attorney GeneralPatricia ScotlandLife peerMay 2010 – Oct 2011Also attending Shadow Cabinet meetingsShadow Minister of State for the Cabinet OfficeJon Trickett HemsworthOct 2010 – Oct 2011Leader of the EPLPGlenis WillmottEast MidlandsJan 2009 – Oct 2017
Subsequent changes 20 January 2011: Johnson resigned as Shadow Chancellor and was replaced by Ed Balls, who was replaced by Cooper as Shadow Home Secretary. She (while remaining Shadow Equalities Minister) was succeeded as Shadow Foreign Secretary by Alexander, whom Byrne replaced as Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary. Jowell took Byrne's role as Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, while retaining her role as Shadow Olympics Minister.
2011 reshuffle On 7 October 2011, Miliband conducted a major reshuffle of his Shadow Cabinet. This followed the Labour Party Conference at which delegates voted to allow the party leader to choose the membership of the Shadow Cabinet, eliminating elections by MPs. Healey chose to stand down from frontline politics and was replaced as Shadow Health Secretary by Andy Burnham, whose Education portfolio went to Stephen Twigg, a newcomer to the Shadow Cabinet, and whose responsibilities as Election Co-ordinator went to Tom Watson, also new to the Shadow Cabinet and who also was given the title "Deputy Chair of the Labour Party". Denham chose to stand down from the Business portfolio, becoming Miliband's Parliamentary Private Secretary. He was replaced by new Shadow Minister of State for Small Business, Chuka Umunna.
Harman and Lewis swapped substantive portfolios (International Development to Lewis and Culture to Harman). Trickett took primary responsibility for shadowing the Cabinet Office from Jowell. The latter retained her position in the Shadow Cabinet as well as her roles as Shadow Minister for London and for the Olympics. Woodward (Northern Ireland) and McKechin (Scotland) were both left out of the Shadow Cabinet, being replaced by newcomers: Vernon Coaker and Margaret Curran, respectively.
Hillier left the Shadow Cabinet, and was replaced at the Energy portfolio by Flint. She was in turn replaced at Communities and Local Government by Benn, whose role as Shadow Leader of the House went to Angela Eagle. She was replaced as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury by Rachel Reeves, who was new to the Shadow Cabinet. Hain retained his responsibilities and was named Chair of the National Policy Forum. Byrne likewise retained his portfolio and added "Policy Review Co-ordinator", reflecting work he had already taken on.
Additionally, Emily Thornberry replaced Patricia Scotland as Shadow Attorney General, with the right to attend Shadow Cabinet, but not full membership. Three others obtained the right to attend Shadow Cabinet: Stewart Lord Wood of Anfield retained his role as a Shadow Minister without Portfolio on the Shadow Cabinet Office team (i.e., the Opposition equivalent of the Cabinet Office). Michael Dugher also became a Shadow Minister without Portfolio with the right to attend Shadow Cabinet meetings. Liz Kendall was appointed Shadow Minister for Care and Older People with the right to attend Shadow Cabinet.
Finally, the Shadow Cabinet list announced on the day of the reshuffle did not note Khan, the Shadow Justice Secretary, as having "responsibility for political and constitutional reform" as it previously had. It is not clear whether he retained this responsibility or it transferred to Harman, whose title has been listed as "Shadow Deputy Prime Minister" instead of "Deputy Leader of the Opposition"; Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, was the Government minister with responsibility for political and constitutional reform.
PortfolioShadow MinisterConstituencyTermLeader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal OppositionLeader of the Labour PartyEd MilibandDoncaster NorthOct 2010 – May 2015Shadow Deputy Prime MinisterDeputy Leader of the OppositionHarriet HarmanCamberwell and PeckhamShadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and SportOct 2011 – May 2015Deputy Leader of the Labour PartyLabour Party ChairJune 2007 – Sep 2015Shadow Chancellor of the ExchequerEd BallsMorley and OutwoodJan 2011 – May 2015Shadow Foreign SecretaryDouglas Alexander Paisley and Renfrewshire SouthShadow Home SecretaryYvette Cooper Normanton, Pontefract and CastlefordJan 2011 – Sep 2015Shadow Minister for Women and EqualitiesMay 2010 – Oct 2013Shadow Lord Chancellor and Shadow Secretary of State for JusticeSadiq KhanTootingOct 2010 – May 2015Shadow Minister for LondonJan 2013 – May 2015Opposition Chief Whip in the House of CommonsRosie WintertonDoncaster CentralOct 2010 – Oct 2016Shadow Secretary of State for HealthAndy BurnhamLeighOct 2011 – Sep 2015Shadow Secretary of State for EducationStephen Twigg Liverpool West DerbyOct 2011 – Oct 2013Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and SkillsChuka UmunnaStreathamOct 2011 – Sep 2015Shadow Secretary of State for DefenceJim Murphy East RenfrewshireOct 2011 – Oct 2013Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local GovernmentHilary Benn Leeds CentralOct 2011 – Sep 2015Shadow Leader of the House of CommonsAngela EagleWallaseyOct 2011 – Sep 2015Shadow Chief Secretary to the TreasuryRachel ReevesLeeds WestOct 2011 – Oct 2013Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate ChangeCaroline Flint Don ValleyOct 2011 – Sep 2015Shadow Minister for the OlympicsTessa Jowell Dulwich and West NorwoodMay 2010 – Jan 2013Shadow Minister for London May 2010 – Sep 2012Shadow Secretary of State for TransportMaria EagleGarston and HalewoodOct 2010 – Oct 2013Shadow Secretary of State for Work and PensionsLiam Byrne Birmingham Hodge HillJan 2011 – Oct 2013Policy Review Co-ordinatorJan 2011 – May 2012Jon CruddasDagenham and RainhamMay 2012 – May 2015Shadow Secretary of State for International DevelopmentIvan Lewis Bury SouthOct 2011 – Oct 2013Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsMary CreaghWakefieldOct 2011 – Oct 2013Shadow Minister for the Cabinet OfficeJon Trickett HemsworthOct 2011 – Oct 2013Deputy Chair of the Labour Party and Campaign CoordinatorTom WatsonWest Bromwich EastOct 2011 – July 2013Shadow Secretary of State for Northern IrelandVernon Coaker GedlingOct 2011 – Oct 2013Shadow Secretary of State for ScotlandMargaret Curran Glasgow EastOct 2011 – May 2015Shadow Secretary of State for WalesPeter HainNeathMay 2010 – May 2012Owen SmithPontypriddMay 2012 – Sep 2015Leader of the Opposition in the House of LordsJanet Baroness Royall of BlaisdonLife peerMay 2010 – May 2010Opposition Chief Whip in the House of LordsSteve Lord Bassam of Brighton Life peerMay 2010 – Jan 2018Also attending Shadow Cabinet meetingsShadow Minister for Care and Older PeopleLiz KendallLeicester WestOct 2011 – Sep 2015Shadow Minister without PortfolioMichael Dugher Barnsley EastOct 2011 – Oct 2013Shadow Attorney GeneralEmily Thornberry Islington South and FinsburyOct 2011 – Dec 2014Shadow Minister without PortfolioStewart Lord Wood of Anfield Life peerOct 2011 – May 2015Leader of the EPLPGlenis WillmottEast MidlandsJan 2009 – Oct 2017
Subsequent changes On 15 May 2012, following the resignation of Peter Hain as Shadow Welsh Secretary, Miliband conducted a mini-reshuffle: Owen Smith was appointed to replace Hain, while Jon Cruddas replaced Liam Byrne as Policy Review Co-ordinator. On 11 September 2012, Dame Tessa Jowell left the shadow cabinet, after saying she planned to retire from frontline politics.
2013 reshuffle