Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet (also called the Opposition Front Bench) is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster System of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition (or the leader of other smaller opposition parties) form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government. Members of a shadow cabinet are often but not always appointed to a Cabinet post if and when their party gets into government.In the United Kingdom and Canada the major opposition party and specifically its shadow cabinet is often called Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. The adjective "loyal" is used because while there are policy differences, everyone acknowledges the role of the opposition in the system.
In the UK, the Parliamentary Labour Party elects most members of the Shadow Cabinet when in opposition, but when in government, the choice of Cabinet members is left wholly to the Prime Minister.
The official Shadow Cabinet in the UK is
- Leader of the Opposition - Michael Howard
- Shadow Chancellor - Oliver Letwin
- Deputy Leader and Shadow Foreign Secretary - Michael Ancram
- Shadow Home Secretary and Culture Secretary - David Davis
- Shadow Health Secretary and Education Secretary - Tim Yeo
- Shadow Leader of the House of Lords - Lord Strathclyde
- Shadow Regions Secretary - David Curry
- Shadow Transport Secretary and Environment Secretary - Theresa May
- Chairman - Liam Fox and Maurice Saatchi
- Chief Whip - David Maclean
- Head of Policy Co-ordination - David Willetts
