Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The Shadow Secretary of State for Transport is a political post in the United Kingdom. It has been consistently held by a member of the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet since May 1979. The Shadow Secretary helps hold the Transport Secretary and junior ministers to account and is the lead spokesperson on transport matters for their party. Should the relevant party take office, the Shadow Secretary would be a likely candidate to become Transport Secretary.
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Image: Official portrait of Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank crop 2
Image: John Prescott on his last day as Deputy Prime Minister, June 2007
Image: Dunwoody
Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom)
The Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet, or His Majesty’s Most Loyal Opposition Shadow Cabinet, but usually simply the Shadow Cabinet, is the committee of senior members of the Official Opposition who scrutinise the work of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. Each Shadow Cabinet member is typically given a position which corresponds to that of a government minister in Cabinet. Shadow Cabinet members, known as Shadow Ministers, are usually appointed by the Leader of the Opposition. The roles of Shadow Ministers are to develop alternative policies, hold the government to account for its actions and responses, and act as spokespeople for the opposition party in their own specific policy areas. By convention, Shadow Ministers are drawn either from serving members of the House of Commons or the House of Lords, with most chosen from the former. Since May 2010, Labour has been the Official Opposition, and its leadership therefore forms the current Shadow Cabinet.
Image: Official portrait of Keir Starmer crop 2
Image: Angela Rayner
Image: Official portrait of Rachel Reeves crop 2
Image: Official portrait of Bridget Phillipson MP crop 2