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Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities
British opposition frontbench position
British opposition frontbench position
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| post | Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities |
| image | Official portrait of Claire Coutinho MP crop 2, 2024.jpg |
| incumbent | Claire Coutinho |
| incumbentsince | 5 November 2024 |
| department | Shadow Cabinet |
| appointer | Leader of the Opposition |
| formation | 31 October 1983 |
| first | Jo Richardson |
| website | Shadow Cabinet |
The shadow minister for women and equalities (previously shadow minister for women, shadow minister for women and equality, shadow secretary of state for women and equalities) is a position in the United Kingdom's Official Opposition, and sits in the Shadow Cabinet. The shadow minister is responsible for holding the minister for women and equalities, responsible for the Government Equalities Office, to account and is responsible for Opposition policy on women's and equality issues.
The post was upgraded to the Shadow Cabinet rank of shadow secretary of state following the snap general election of 2017, with Jeremy Corbyn indicating that if Labour win office at the next election, Women and Equalities will be upgraded to the full status of a government department. Keir Starmer continued this pledge but ultimately continued with a Minister for Women and Equalities when he entered government in July 2024. Previously, the post was often held together with a Shadow Cabinet post, but sometimes as a Shadow Cabinet post in its own right.
The position, since its creation in 1983, has always been held by a female member of parliament. Since November 2024, the position has been split into to the Shadow Minister for Women and Shadow Minister for Equalities, held by Mims Davies and Claire Coutinho respectively.
Shadow ministers
| Shadow Minister | Took office | Left office | Party | Shadow Cabinet | Labour Party (UK)}}" | Labour Party (UK)}}" | Labour Party (UK)}}" | Labour Party (UK)}}" | Labour Party (UK)}}" | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | Labour Party (UK)}}" | Labour Party (UK)}}; border-bottom:solid 1px " height=30 | Labour Party (UK)}}" | Labour Party (UK)}}" | Labour Party (UK)}}" | Labour Party (UK)}}" | Labour Party (UK)}}" | Labour Party (UK)}}" | Labour Party (UK)}}" | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | Conservative Party (UK)}}" | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jo Richardson | 31 October 1983 | 18 July 1992 | Labour | Kinnock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mo Mowlam | [[File:Mo Mowlam official portrait 2 (cropped).jpg | 60px]] | 18 July 1992 | 21 October 1993 | Smith | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clare Short | [[File:Paris 2011 192 (5494065443) (cropped 2).jpg | 60px]] | 21 October 1993 | 19 October 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Blair | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tessa Jowell | [[File:Tessa Jowell Cropped.jpg | 60px]] | 19 October 1995 | 26 July 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Janet Anderson | [[File:Janet Anderson 2007.jpg | 60px]] | 26 July 1996 | 2 May 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gillian Shephard | [[File:Gillian Shephard official portrait (cropped).jpg | 80x80px]] | 2 May 1997 | Unknown | Conservative | Major | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unclear | Hague | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Theresa May | [[File:Theresa May (28235949166) (cropped).jpg | 80x80px]] | 15 June 1999 | 14 September 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Caroline Spelman | [[File:Caroline Spelman, October 2009 1 cropped.jpg | 89x89px]] | 14 September 2001 | 15 March 2004 | Duncan Smith | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Howard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eleanor Laing | [[File:Dame Eleanor Laing (Date Unknown).jpg | 60x60px]] | 15 March 2004 | 10 May 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eleanor Laing | [[File:Dame Eleanor Laing (Date Unknown).jpg | 60x60px]] | 8 December 2005 | 3 July 2007 | Conservative | Cameron | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Theresa May | [[File:Theresa May - Home Secretary and minister for women and equality.jpg | 60px]] | 3 July 2007 | 11 May 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yvette Cooper | [[File:Yvette Cooper (5257912377) (tightcrop).jpg | 89x89px]] | 20 May 2010 | 7 October 2013 | Labour | Harman I | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miliband | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gloria De Piero | [[File:Gloria De Piero (cropped).jpg | 79x79px]] | 7 October 2013 | 14 September 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Harman II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kate Green | [[File:Official portrait of Kate Green crop 2.jpg | 60px]] | 14 September 2015 | 27 June 2016 | Corbyn | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Angela Rayner | [[File:Angela Rayner, 2016 Labour Party Conference 1 (cropped).jpg | 74x74px]] | 27 June 2016 | 6 October 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sarah Champion | [[File:Official portrait of Sarah Champion crop 2.jpg | 80x80px]] | 6 October 2016 | 16 August 2017 | Labour | Corbyn | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dawn Butler | [[File:Official portrait of Dawn Butler MP crop 2.jpg | 80x80px]] | 31 August 2017 | 6 April 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marsha de Cordova | [[File:Official portrait of Marsha de Cordova MP crop 2, 2024.jpg | 80x80px]] | 6 April 2020 | 14 September 2021 | Starmer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Anneliese Dodds | [[File:Official portrait of Anneliese Dodds MP crop 2.jpg | 80x80px]] | 21 September 2021 | 4 July 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mims Davies | [[File:Mims Davies.jpg | 80x80px]] | 8 July 2024 | Incumbent | Conservative | Sunak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Badenoch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Claire Coutinho | [[File:Official portrait of Claire Coutinho MP crop 2, 2024.jpg | frameless | 80x80px]] | 6 November 2024 |
Notes
References
References
- Parkhouse, Geoffrey. (1 November 1983). "Protest by Nationalists as Dewar takes over". The Glasgow Herald.
- Timmins, Nicholas. (25 July 1992). "Smith revamps Shadow Cabinet: Nicholas Timmins analyses the Labour line-up and looks at the backgrounds of the newcomers". [[The Independent]].
- Lynton, Martin. (22 October 1993}}<!--). "Women's lists 'not illegal': The New Shadow Cabinet". [[The Guardian]].
- (20 October 1995). "Blair turns tables in front bench 'clearout'". The Independent.
- (21 August 1996). "Women in revealing clothes have no redress, says lawyer". The Independent.
- (15 September 1996). "Letter: Nurse Search". The Independent.
- Abrams, Fran. (7 May 1997). "Jowell to be first guardian of public health". The Independent.
- (27 February 1998). "House of Commons Debates, 27 February 1998 c. 607–80". [[Hansard.
- (8 March 1999). "House of Commons Debates 8 March 1999 c. 34–120". [[Hansard.
- (6 October 2016). "Sarah Champion takes Angela Rayner's second brief - women and equalities.". Jessica Elgot, Twitter.
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