Second Shadow Cabinet of Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman's second Shadow Cabinet was formed by Harriet Harman in 2015 during her second period as Acting Leader of the Labour Party. She assumed this role after Ed Miliband resigned as party leader (and Leader of the Opposition) and announced she would continue until a new leader was elected on 12 September 2015.[1] Miliband's resignation followed the party's defeat at the 2015 general election.
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| Second Harman Shadow Cabinet | |
|---|---|
 Shadow Cabinet of the United Kingdom | |
| May 2015 – September 2015 | |
 | |
| Date formed | 8 May 2015 |
| Date dissolved | 12 September 2015 |
| People and organisations | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Leader of the Opposition | Harriet Harman |
| Shadow First Secretary | Hilary Benn |
| Member party | |
| Status in legislature | Official Opposition 232 / 650 (36%) |
| History | |
| Election(s) | 2015 general election |
| Outgoing election | 2015 Labour Party leadership election |
| Legislature term(s) | 56th UK Parliament |
| Predecessor | Shadow Cabinet of Ed Miliband |
| Successor | Shadow Cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn |
Creation
On 11 May 2015, Harman announced the make-up of her Shadow Cabinet.[2] Most members of Miliband's last shadow cabinet continued in their roles with the following exceptions:
- Ed Balls was defeated in his former Morley and Outwood constituency, so was replaced as Shadow Chancellor by Chris Leslie.
- Douglas Alexander was defeated in his former Paisley and Renfrewshire South constituency, so was replaced as Shadow Foreign Secretary by Hilary Benn
- Margaret Curran was defeated in her former Glasgow East constituency, so was replaced as Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland by Ian Murray, the party's only remaining MP in Scotland.
- Shabana Mahmood replaced Leslie as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
- Emma Reynolds replaced Benn as Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
- Chris Bryant became Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, a post previously held by Harman in addition to the deputy leadership.
- Sadiq Khan stepped down from the Shadow Cabinet, and was replaced as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and Shadow Lord Chancellor by Lord Falconer
Additionally, Benn was given responsibility for the despatch box during deputy PMQs against George Osborne in his role as First Secretary of State.[3]
Harman's first shadow cabinet had been formed during a similar period as pro tempore leader after Gordon Brown's resignation following the 2010 general election.
Changes
On 13 May 2015, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon announced that she would be stepping down as Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords.[4] Baroness Smith of Basildon was elected unopposed as her successor by Labour peers on 27 May 2015, and thus took her place in the shadow cabinet.[5]
In May 2015, Rachel Reeves went on maternity leave ahead of the birth of her second child. Stephen Timms became Acting Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
Members of the Shadow Cabinet
Sources: Parliament.uk Labour Shadow Cabinet
| Official Opposition |
|
|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | |
| Scottish National Party | |
1964 to Present | |
References
- "Labour leadership: Cooper and Burnham bids ahead of September election". BBC. 13 May 2015.
- "Labour shadow cabinet reshuffle: Leslie replaces Ed Balls". BBC. 11 May 2015.
- "George Osborne makes Prime Minister's Questions debut". BBC. 17 June 2015.
- "Baroness Royall to step down as Labour leader in the Lords – LabourList". 13 May 2015.
- "Baroness Smith of Basildon". UK Parliament.