; this effectively means scrutinising government policy on home affairs including policing,
. If and when the opposition party is elected to government, the Shadow Home Secretary often becomes the new
though this is not always the case. The present Shadow Home Secretary is
| Name |
Portrait |
Entered office |
Left office |
Political party |
|
Kenneth Younger Sir Kenneth Gilmour Younger KBE was a British Labour politician and barrister who served in junior government posts during the Attlee government and was an opposition spokesman under Hugh Gaitskell but retired from Parliament early, disillusioned by party politics.-Family:Younger was the son of...
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 |
14 December 1955 |
13 May 1957 |
Labour The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
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Patrick Gordon Walker Patrick Chrestien Gordon Walker, Baron Gordon-Walker CH, PC was a British Labour Party politician. He was a Member of Parliament for nearly thirty years, and served twice as a Cabinet minister...
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13 May 1957 |
12 March 1962 |
Labour |
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George Brown George Alfred Brown, Baron George-Brown, PC was a British Labour politician, who served as the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1960 to 1970, and served in a number of positions in the Cabinet, most notably as Foreign Secretary, in the Labour Government of the 1960s...
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12 March 1962 |
15 February 1963 |
Labour |
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Frank Soskice |
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15 February 1963 |
15 October 1964 |
Labour |
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Edward Boyle |
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15 October 1964 |
28 July 1965 |
ConservativeThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
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Peter Thorneycroft George Edward Peter Thorneycroft, Baron Thorneycroft CH, PC , was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1957 and 1958.-Biography:...
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28 July 1965 |
13 April 1966 |
Conservative |
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Quintin McGarel Hogg For the businessman and philanthropist, see Quintin Hogg Quintin McGarel Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone, KG, CH, PC, QC, FRS , formerly 2nd Viscount Hailsham , was a British politician who was known for the longevity of his career, the vigour with which he campaigned for the Conservative...
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13 April 1966 |
18 June 1970 |
Conservative |
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James CallaghanLeonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was a British Labour politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
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18 June 1970 |
19 October 1971 |
Labour |
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Shirley Williams |
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19 October 1971 |
4 May 1973 |
Labour |
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Roy Jenkins Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
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4 May 1973 |
4 March |
Labour |
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Keith Joseph Keith St John Joseph, Baron Joseph, Bt, CH, PC , was a British barrister and politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet under three Prime Ministers , and is widely regarded to have been the "power behind the throne" in the creation of what came to be known as...
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4 March |
11 February 1975 |
Conservative |
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Ian Gilmour Ian Hedworth John Little Gilmour, Baron Gilmour of Craigmillar, PC, was a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom. He was styled Sir Ian Gilmour, 3rd Baronet from 1977, having succeeded to his father's baronetcy, until he became a life peer in 1992. He served as Secretary of State for...
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11 February 1975 |
11 April 1976 |
Conservative |
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William Whitelaw William Stephen Ian Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw, KT, CH, MC, PC, DL , often known as Willie Whitelaw, was a British Conservative Party politician who served in a wide number of Cabinet positions, most notably as Home Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister.-Early life:Whitelaw was born in Nairn, in...
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11 April 1976 |
4 May 1979 |
Conservative |
|
Merlyn Rees |
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4 May 1979 |
8 December 1980 |
Labour |
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Roy HattersleyRoy Sydney George Hattersley, Baron Hattersley is a British Labour politician, author and journalist from Sheffield. He served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1983 to 1992.-Early life:...
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8 December 1980 |
31 October 1983 |
Labour |
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Gerald KaufmanSir Gerald Bernard Kaufman is a British Labour Party politician, who has been a Member of Parliament since 1970, first for Manchester Ardwick, and then subsequently for Manchester Gorton...
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|
31 October 1983 |
13 July 1987 |
Labour |
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Roy HattersleyRoy Sydney George Hattersley, Baron Hattersley is a British Labour politician, author and journalist from Sheffield. He served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1983 to 1992.-Early life:...
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|
13 July 1987 |
24 July 1992 |
Labour |
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Tony BlairAnthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
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24 July 1992 |
20 October 1994 |
Labour |
|
Jack Straw Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
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|
20 October 1994 |
2 May 1997 |
Labour |
|
Michael HowardMichael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
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 |
2 May 1997 |
11 June 1997 |
Conservative |
|
Brian Mawhinney Brian Stanley Mawhinney, Baron Mawhinney PC is a British Conservative Party politician. He was a member of the Cabinet from 1994 until 1997 and a Member of Parliament from 1979 until 2005.-Early life:...
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|
11 June 1997 |
2 June 1998 |
Conservative |
|
Norman Fowler Norman Fowler, Baron Fowler, PC is a British Conservative politician who was from 1981 to 1990 a member of Margaret Thatcher's Cabinet.-Early life:...
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2 June 1998 |
15 June 1999 |
Conservative |
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Ann WiddecombeAnn Noreen Widdecombe is a former British Conservative Party politician and has been a novelist since 2000. She is a Privy Councillor and was the Member of Parliament for Maidstone from 1987 to 1997 and for Maidstone and The Weald from 1997 to 2010. She was a social conservative and a member of...
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|
15 June 1999 |
18 September 2001 |
Conservative |
|
Oliver LetwinOliver Letwin MP FRSA is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he is currently the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, and a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of West Dorset...
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|
18 September 2001 |
6 November 2003 |
Conservative |
|
David DavisDavid Michael Davis is a British Conservative Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Haltemprice and Howden...
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|
6 November 2003 |
12 June 2008 |
Conservative |
|
Dominic GrieveDominic Charles Roberts Grieve, QC MP is a British Conservative politician, barrister and Queen's Counsel.He is the Member of Parliament for Beaconsfield and the Attorney General for England and Wales and the Advocate General for Northern Ireland.-Early life:Grieve was born in Lambeth, the son of...
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12 June 2008 |
19 January 2009 |
Conservative |
|
Chris Grayling Christopher Stephen "Chris" Grayling, PC, MP , is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Shadow Cabinet from 2005 to 2010 and was the party's Shadow Home Secretary from 2009 to 2010. Following the 2010 general election, he was appointed a Minister of State in the...
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19 January 2009 |
11 May 2010 |
Conservative |
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Alan JohnsonAlan Arthur Johnson is a British Labour Party politician who served as Home Secretary from June 2009 to May 2010. Before that, he filled a wide variety of cabinet positions in both the Blair and Brown governments, including Health Secretary and Education Secretary. Until 20 January 2011 he was...
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 |
11 May 2010 |
8 October 2010 |
Labour |
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Ed BallsEdward Michael Balls, known as Ed Balls, is a British Labour politician, who has been a Member of Parliament since 2005, currently for Morley and Outwood, and is the current Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer....
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 |
8 October 2010 |
20 January 2011 |
Labour |
|
Yvette CooperYvette Cooper is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford since 2010, having previously been MP for Pontefract and Castleford since 1997. She served in the Cabinet between 2008 and 2010. She is the Shadow Home Secretary...
|
 |
20 January 2011 |
present |
Labour |
| Name |
Title(s) |
Tenure |
Political party |
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The Rt Hon Alan BeithSir Alan James Beith is a British Liberal Democrat politician and Member of Parliament for Berwick-upon-Tweed.-Early life:Alan Beith was born in 1943 in Poynton, in Cheshire...
MP |
Deputy Leader and Frontbench Spokesperson for Home & Legal Affairs |
May 1997 – August 1999 |
Lib Dem |
|
Simon HughesSimon Henry Ward Hughes is a British politician and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats. He is Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark. Until 2008 he was President of the Liberal Democrats...
MP |
Frontbench Spokesperson for Home & Legal Affairs |
August 1999 – October 2003 |
|
Mark Oaten Mark Oaten is a former British Liberal Democrat politician. He served as the Member of Parliament for Winchester from 1997 to 2010, and was his party's Home Affairs spokesperson from 2003 to 2006...
MP |
Shadow Home Secretary |
October 2003 – March 2006 |
|
Nick CleggNicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
MP |
Shadow Home Secretary |
March 2006 – December 2007 |
|
Chris HuhneChristopher Murray Paul-Huhne, generally known as Chris Huhne is a British politician and cabinet minister, who is the current Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for the Eastleigh constituency in Hampshire...
MP |
Shadow Home Secretary |
December 2007 – May 2010 |
|
Since May 2010, there has been no third party, the Liberal DemocratsThe Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
being the junior party in a coalition government |