Tony Blair, as Leader of the Labour Party, was Leader of the Opposition in the United Kingdom from his election as Leader on 21 July 1994 until he became Prime Minister on 2 May 1997. He announced his first Shadow Cabinet on 20 October 1994.
Initial Shadow Cabinet
On 20 October 1994, following the 1994 Shadow Cabinet elections, Blair announced his first Shadow Cabinet.
Tony Blair – Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party
John Prescott – Deputy Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Lord Richard – Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords
Derek Foster – Labour Chief Whip in the House of Commons
Lord Graham of Edmonton – Labour Chief Whip in the House of Lords
Lord Irvine of Lairg – Shadow Lord Chancellor
Gordon Brown – Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
Robin Cook – Shadow Foreign Secretary
Jack Straw – Shadow Home Secretary
David Clark – Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
David Blunkett – Shadow Secretary of State for Education
Harriet Harman – Shadow Secretary of State for Employment
Frank Dobson – Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment
Margaret Beckett – Shadow Secretary of State for Health
Ann Taylor – Shadow Leader of the House of Commons and Shadow Minister for the Citizen's Charter
Donald Dewar – Shadow Secretary of State for Social Security
Chris Smith – Shadow Secretary of State for National Heritage and Shadow Minister with special responsibility for the Information Superhighway
Jack Cunningham – Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Michael Meacher – Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
George Robertson – Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
Ron Davies – Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
Mo Mowlam – Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Joan Lestor – Shadow Minister for Overseas Development
Gavin Strang – Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Blair made a number of significant changes to the Shadow Cabinet on 19 October 1995, following the 1995 Shadow Cabinet elections. Foster, who had been elected to the post, acceded to Blair's request that he step aside as Chief Whip; he was appointed Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Shadow Minister responsible for the Citizen's Charter, taking the latter from Taylor, who remained Shadow Leader of the House. Dewar was appointed Chief Whip under a new rule that made the job appointive and added on additional elective seat in the Shadow Cabinet. Chris Smith replaced Dewar at Social Security, and was replaced as Shadow National Heritage Secretary by Cunningham. Responsibility for the Information Superhighway was transferred from Shadow National Heritage Secretary to a junior Shadow Trade and Industry minister (Geoff Hoon). Cunningham was in turn replaced at the Trade and Industry brief by Beckett. Harman took over the Health portfolio Beckett had held. Blunkett added Harman's Employment portfolio to his own to reflect the created of the Department for Education and Employment.
Michael Meacher, while remaining in the Shadow Cabinet, became Blunkett's deputy as Shadow Minister for Employment, leaving the Transport brief to Clare Short, newly elected to the Shadow Cabinet. Another newcomer, Tom Clarke, was appointed to the new post of Shadow Minister for Disabled People's Rights.
Tony Blair – Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party
John Prescott – Deputy Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Lord Richard – Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords
Donald Dewar – Labour Chief Whip in the House of Commons
Lord Graham of Edmonton – Labour Chief Whip in the House of Lords
Lord Irvine of Lairg – Shadow Lord Chancellor
Gordon Brown – Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
Robin Cook – Shadow Foreign Secretary
Jack Straw – Shadow Home Secretary
David Clark – Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
David Blunkett – Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Employment
Frank Dobson – Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment
Harriet Harman – Shadow Secretary of State for Health
Ann Taylor – Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Chris Smith – Shadow Secretary of State for Social Security
Jack Cunningham – Shadow Secretary of State for National Heritage and Shadow Minister with special responsibility for the Information Superhighway
Margaret Beckett – Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Michael Meacher – Shadow Minister for Employment
Clare Short – Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
George Robertson – Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
Ron Davies – Shadow Secretary of State for Wales
Mo Mowlam – Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Joan Lestor – Shadow Minister for Overseas Development
Gavin Strang – Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Derek Foster – Shadow Minister for the Citizen's Charter
Tom Clarke – Shadow Minister for Disabled People's Rights
Changes
1 July 1996: Harriet Harman and Chris Smith swap posts.
25 July 1996: Joan Lestor stood down at the 1996 Shadow Cabinet election, as she was standing down at the impending general election. She was replaced as Shadow Minister for Overseas Development by Short, who was replaced at Transport by Andrew Smith. Meacher took the new position of Shadow Minister for Environmental Protection (a post separate from Shadow Environment Secretary).
