The shadow minister for international development is the lead spokesperson for the United Kingdom's Official Opposition on issues related to international aid, most notably to the Third World. The shadow cabinet minister holds the minister of state for development and Africa to account in Parliament. The role previously had no counterpart in the Government between 2020 and 2022 after the Department for International Development (DFID) and the role of international development secretary was abolished by the second Johnson government in 2020. The position was renamed from shadow secretary of state for international development in November 2021 and placed under the shadow foreign secretary.
The shadow minister also holds the foreign secretary and other FCDO ministers to account in Parliament. DFID was abolished in 2020 but Keir Starmer retained the role in his Shadow Cabinet.
Before Tony Blair established DfID in his first government after coming to power in 1997, there was a minister for overseas development ("minister of" before 1970) who was a part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Since 1989, the shadow minister or shadow secretary has usually been a member of the shadow cabinet.
Shadow ministers and secretaries Shadow Minister for Overseas DevelopmentName Took office Left office Political party Leader Robert Carr October 1964 October 1965 Conservative Alec Douglas-Home Christopher Chataway October 1965 31 March 1966 Conservative Edward Heath Richard Wood April 1966 c. October 1967 Conservative Bernard Braine c. October 1967 15 June 1970 Conservative Judith Hart 19 June 1970 4 March 1974 Labour Harold Wilson Richard Wood 4 March 1974 18 February 1975 Conservative Edward Heath Unclear; possibly none 18 February 1975 15 January 1976 Conservative Margaret Thatcher Richard Luce 15 January 1976 4 May 1979 Conservative Judith Hart 4 May 1979 8 December 1980 Labour James Callaghan Frank McElhone 8 December 1980 22 September 1982 Labour Michael Foot Guy Barnett 24 November 1982 31 October 1983 Labour Stuart Holland 31 October 1983 13 July 1987 Labour Neil Kinnock Unclear 13 July 1987 2 November 1989 Labour Ann Clwyd 2 November 1989 18 July 1992 Labour Michael Meacher 18 July 1992 21 October 1993 Labour John Smith Tom Clarke 21 October 1993 20 October 1994 Labour Margaret Beckett Joan Lestor 20 October 1994 October 1996 Labour Tony Blair Clare Short 25 July 1996 2 May 1997 LabourShadow Secretary of State for International DevelopmentName Took office Left office Political party Leader The Baroness Chalker of Wallasey 2 May 1997 30 June 1997 Conservative John Major Alastair Goodlad 30 June 1997 1 June 1998 Conservative William Hague Gary Streeter 1 June 1998 14 September 2001 Conservative Caroline Spelman 14 September 2001 10 November 2003 Conservative Iain Duncan Smith John Bercow 10 November 2003 8 September 2004 Conservative Michael Howard Alan Duncan 8 September 2004 10 May 2005 Conservative Andrew Mitchell 10 May 2005 11 May 2010 Conservative Douglas Alexander 11 May 2010 8 October 2010 Labour Harriet Harman Harriet Harman 8 October 2010 7 October 2011 Labour Ed Miliband Ivan Lewis 7 October 2011 7 October 2013 Labour Jim Murphy 7 October 2013 2 November 2014 LabourMary Creagh5 November 201412 September 2015Labour Harriet Harman Diane Abbott 13 September 2015 27 June 2016 LabourJeremy Corbyn Kate Osamor 27 June 2016 1 December 2018 Labour & Co-op Dan Carden 1 December 2018 6 April 2020 LabourPreet Kaur Gill6 April 202029 November 2021Labour & Co-opKeir StarmerShadow Cabinet Minister for International DevelopmentName Took office Left office Political party LeaderPreet Gill29 November 20214 September 2023Labour & Co-opKeir StarmerLisa Nandy4 September 20235 July 2024Labour Shadow Minister for Development NameTook officeLeft officePolitical partyLeaderHarriett Baldwin19 July 20245 November 2024ConservativeRishi SunakWendy Morton6 November 2024incumbentConservativeKemi Badenoch
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