John Smith was Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Official Opposition from 18 July 1992 until his death on 12 May 1994. Smith became leader upon succeeding Neil Kinnock, who had resigned following the 1992 general election—for the fourth successive time, the Conservatives had won and Labour lost.
Prior to being Leader of the Opposition, Smith had been a member of the Government of James Callaghan as President of the Board of Trade (1978–1979), and served under his predecessor Neil Kinnock's Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (1987–1992).
Smith's tenure as Leader of the Opposition saw the Government's policies of the implementation of the Citizen's Charter, progress in the Northern Ireland peace negotiations, and the creation and centralisation of the European Union. Smith died suddenly on 12 May 1994, and was replaced as Acting Leader by Margaret Beckett, who served until 21 July 1994.
Initial Shadow Cabinet
On 18 July 1992, John Smith announced the following Shadow Cabinet:
John Smith – Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Leader of the Labour PartyMargaret Beckett – Deputy Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, and Elections Co-ordinatorGordon Brown – Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer.Jack Cunningham – Shadow Foreign SecretaryTony Blair – Shadow Home SecretaryDavid Clark – Shadow Secretary of State for DefenceAnn Taylor – Shadow Secretary of State for EducationFrank Dobson – Shadow Secretary of State for EmploymentJack Straw – Shadow Minister for Local Government and HousingChris Smith – Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment and Shadow Minister for LondonDavid Blunkett – Shadow Secretary of State for HealthDonald Dewar – Shadow Secretary of State for Social SecurityBryan Gould – Shadow Secretary of State for National HeritageRobin Cook – Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and IndustryJohn Prescott – Shadow Secretary of State for TransportTom Clarke – Shadow Secretary of State for ScotlandAnn Clwyd – Shadow Secretary of State for WalesKevin McNamara – Shadow Secretary of State for Northern IrelandMichael Meacher – Shadow Minister for Overseas DevelopmentMo Mowlam – Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Shadow Minister for the Citizen's Charter, and Shadow Ministerfor the Status of WomenHarriet Harman – Shadow Chief Secretary to the TreasuryRon Davies – Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and FoodLord Richard – Leader of the Opposition in the House of LordsDerek Foster – Labour Chief Whip in the House of CommonsLord Graham of Edmonton – Labour Chief Whip in the House of LordsLord Irvine of Lairg – Shadow Lord ChancellorChanges29 September 1992: Gould resigned over the Party's stance on the Maastricht Treaty. and was replaced as Shadow National Heritage Secretary by Ann Clwyd, who retained her position as Shadow Welsh Secretary.Smith reshuffled the Shadow Cabinet on 21 October 1993, following the 1993 Shadow Cabinet elections. Clwyd left the Shadow Cabinet. Mowlam replaced her as Shadow National Heritage Secretary, with Clare Short (who also lost in the Shadow Cabinet elections) replacing her as Shadow Minister for the Status of Women. Meacher replaced Mowlam as Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Shadow Minister for the Citizen's Charter. He was in turn replaced by Clarke at the Overseas Development portfolio, and Clarke was replaced as Scottish Spokesperson by new Shadow Cabinet minister George Robertson. Clwyd was replaced as Shadow Welsh Secretary by Davies, who was replaced at Agriculture by Gavin Strang. Prescott and Dobson exchanged portfolios (receiving Employment and Transport, respectively), with Dobson also takikng London from Chris Smith. Blunkett became Chair of the Labour Party while retaining the Health portfolio.
John Smith – Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Leader of the Labour PartyMargaret Beckett – Deputy Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, and Elections Co-ordinatorGordon Brown – Shadow Chancellor of the ExchequerJack Cunningham – Shadow Foreign SecretaryTony Blair – Shadow Home SecretaryDavid Clark – Shadow Secretary of State for DefenceAnn Taylor – Shadow Secretary of State for EducationFrank Dobson – Shadow Secretary of State for Transport and Shadow Minister for LondonJack Straw – Shadow Minister for Local Government and HousingChris Smith – Shadow Secretary of State for the EnvironmentDavid Blunkett – Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Chair of the Labour PartyDonald Dewar – Shadow Secretary of State for Social SecurityMo Mowlam – Shadow Secretary of State for National HeritageRobin Cook – Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and IndustryJohn Prescott – Shadow Secretary of State for EmploymentGeorge Robertson – Shadow Secretary of State for ScotlandRon Davies – Shadow Secretary of State for WalesKevin McNamara – Shadow Secretary of State for Northern IrelandTom Clarke – Shadow Minister for Overseas DevelopmentMichael Meacher – Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Shadow Minister for the Citizen's CharterClare Short – Shadow Minister for the Status of WomenHarriet Harman – Shadow Chief Secretary to the TreasuryGavin Strang – Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and FoodLord Richard – Leader of the Opposition in the House of LordsDerek Foster – Labour Chief Whip in the House of CommonsLord Graham of Edmonton – Labour Chief Whip in the House of LordsLord Irvine of Lairg – Shadow Lord Chancellor
