Gaitskell shadow cabinet

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The Shadow Cabinet of Hugh Gaitskell was created on following the election of Hugh Gaitskell as Labour leader on 14 December 1955.

Shadow Cabinet of Hugh Gaitskell

Shadow Cabinet of United Kingdom
1955 – 1963
Gaitskell in 1961
Date formed14 December 1955 (1955-12-14)
Date dissolved18 January 1963 (1963-01-18)
People and organisations
MonarchElizabeth II
Leader of the OppositionHugh Gaitskell
Deputy Leader of the OppositionJim Griffiths (1956–1959)
Aneurin Bevan (1959–1960)
George Brown (1960–1963)
Member party
  •   Labour Party
Status in legislatureOfficial Opposition
277 / 630 (44%)
(1955)
258 / 630 (41%)
(1959)
History
Outgoing election1955 general election
Legislature terms41st UK Parliament
42nd UK Parliament
Incoming formation1955 Labour Party leadership election
Outgoing formation1963 Labour Party leadership election
PredecessorShadow Cabinet of Clement Attlee
SuccessorShadow Cabinet of George Brown

Shadow Cabinet list

Portfolio Shadow Minister Term
Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition
Leader of the Labour Party 		Hugh Gaitskell 1955 – 1963
Deputy Leader of the Opposition
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party 		Vacant 1955 – 1956
Jim Griffiths 1956 – 1959
Aneurin Bevan 1959 – 1960
Vacant 1960
George Brown 1960 – 1963
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Hugh Gaitskell 1955 – 1956
Harold Wilson 1956 – 1961
James Callaghan 1961 – 1963
Shadow Foreign Secretary Alfred Robens 1955 – 1956
Aneurin Bevan 1956 – 1959
Denis Healey 1959 – 1961
Harold Wilson 1961 – 1963
Shadow Home Secretary Kenneth Younger 1955 – 1957
Patrick Gordon Walker 1957 – 1962
George Brown 1962 – 1963
Shadow Minister of Defence Richard Stokes 1955 – 1956
George Brown 1956 – 1962
Patrick Gordon Walker 1962 – 1963
Shadow Secretary of State for the Colonies Jim Griffiths 1955 – 1956
Aneurin Bevan 1956
James Callaghan 1956 – 1961
Denis Healey 1961 – 1963
Shadow Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations Patrick Gordon Walker 1955 – 1956
Arthur Creech Jones 1956 – 1958
Arthur Bottomley 1958 – 1959
Hilary Marquand 1959 – 1961
John Strachey 1961 – 1963
Shadow Minister for Health Edith Summerskill 1955 – 1961
Kenneth Robinson 1961 – 1963
Shadow Minister of Labour Aneurin Bevan 1955 – 1956
George Brown 1956
Alfred Robens 1956 – 1960
Frederick Lee 1960 – 1961
Ray Gunter 1961 – 1963
Shadow Minister of Public Buildings and Works Tony Greenwood 1955 – 1959
Barbara Castle 1959 – 1960
Unknown 1960 – 1961
Dick Mitchison 1961 – 1963
Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland Tom Fraser 1955 – 1961
William Ross 1961 – 1963
Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords The Earl Alexander of Hillsborough 1955 – 1963
Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Commons Herbert Bowden 1955 – 1963

Initial Shadow Cabinet

Gaitskell announced his Shadow Cabinet on 15 February 1956 following the election of Jim Griffiths as deputy leader. Before that members of Attlee's Shadow Cabinet remained in place.

Junior Shadow Ministers

  • Tom Williams - Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
  • Lynn Ungoed-Thomas – Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales
  • Douglas Jay – Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
  • Arthur Creech Jones – Shadow Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
  • Michael Stewart – Shadow Minister of Education
  • Patrick Gordon Walker – Shadow President of the Board of Trade
  • Hilary Marquand – Shadow Minister of Pensions and National Insurance
  • Arthur Bottomley – Shadow Minister for Trade
  • George Strauss – Shadow Minister of Transport
  • Ernest Popplewell – Opposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons

November 1956 reshuffle

Following the 1956 shadow cabinet election, Gaitskell reshuffled the front bench on 27 November. Richard Stokes was dropped from the frontbench and was replaced by Frank Soskice.

Junior Shadow Ministers

  • Tom Williams - Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
  • Douglas Jay – Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
  • Arthur Creech Jones – Shadow Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
  • Michael Stewart – Shadow Minister of Education
  • Patrick Gordon Walker – Shadow President of the Board of Trade
  • Hilary Marquand – Shadow Minister of Pensions and National Insurance
  • Harold Neal – Shadow Minister for Power
  • Lynn Ungoed-Thomas – Shadow Solicitor General
  • Arthur Bottomley – Shadow Minister for Trade
  • George Strauss – Shadow Minister of Transport
  • Ernest Popplewell – Opposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons

January 1958 reshuffle

Following the 1957 shadow cabinet election, Gaitskell reshuffled the front bench on 24 January 1958.

  • Hugh Gaitskell – Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party
  • Jim Griffiths – Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
  • Harold Wilson – Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
  • Aneurin Bevan – Shadow Foreign Secretary
  • Patrick Gordon-Walker – Shadow Home Secretary and Shadow President of the Board of Trade
  • James Callaghan – Shadow Secretary of State for the Colonies
  • George Brown – Shadow Minister of Defence
  • Arthur Bottomley – Shadow Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
  • Alfred Robens – Shadow Minister for Labour and National Service
  • Tony Greenwood – Shadow Minister of Public Buildings and Works
  • Dick Mitchison – Shadow Minister of Housing and Local Government
  • Frank Soskice – Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales
  • Tom Fraser – Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
  • Philip Noel-Baker – Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
  • Earl Alexander – Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords
  • Herbert Bowden – Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Commons
  • Earl of Lucan – Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Lords

Junior Shadow Ministers

Changes
  • November 1958 - George Brown is voted out of the shadow cabinet and is replaced by Summerskill. He remains Shadow Minister of Defence. Lord Faringdon joins as a representative of the Lords.

1959 reshuffle

Following that year's general, deputy leadership and shadow cabinet elections, Gaitskell performed a major reshuffle on 16 November 1959.

Junior Shadow Ministers

  • George Strauss – Shadow Minister of Aviation
  • Douglas Jay – Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
  • Hilary Marquand – Shadow Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
  • Edith Summerskill – Shadow Minister for Health
  • Michael Stewart – Shadow Minister of Housing and Local Government
  • Richard Crossman – Shadow Minister of Pensions and National Insurance
  • Douglas Houghton – Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry for Pensions and National Insurance
  • Barbara Castle – Shadow Minister of Public Buildings and Works
  • Eirene White – Shadow Minister of State for Education
  • Philip Noel-Baker – Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
  • Roy Jenkins – Shadow Minister for Trade
  • Tony Benn – Shadow Minister of Transport
  • Lynn Ungoed-Thomas – Shadow Solicitor General
  • Jim Griffiths – Frontbench spokesmen for Wales
  • John Taylor – Opposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons
Changes
  • 6 July 1960 – Bevan dies. Healey becomes Shadow Foreign Secretary. The deputy leadership is left vacant until the regular election in November.
  • 14 October 1960 – Greenwood resigns following Gaitskell defying the party conference position on nuclear weapons.

1960 reshuffle

Following the leadership, deputy leadership and shadow cabinet elections, Gaitskell performed another reshuffle on 28 November 1960.

Junior Shadow Ministers

1961 reshuffle

Following the leadership, deputy leadership and shadow cabinet elections, Gaitskell performed another reshuffle on 30 November 1961.

  • Hugh Gaitskell – Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party
  • George Brown – Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and Shadow Home Secretary
  • James Callaghan – Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
  • Harold Wilson – Shadow Foreign Secretary
  • Frank Soskice – Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales
  • Douglas Houghton – Shadow Minister of Pensions and National Insurance
  • Denis Healey – Shadow Secretary of State for the Colonies
  • Michael Stewart – Shadow Minister of Housing and Local Government
  • Ray Gunter – Shadow Minister for Labour and National Service
  • Dick Mitchison – Shadow President of the Board of Trade and Shadow Minister of Public Buildings and Works
  • Fred Willey – Shadow Minister of Education
  • Tom Fraser – Shadow Minister for Power
  • Patrick Gordon-Walker – Shadow Minister of Defence
  • Frederick Lee – Shadow Minister of Aviation
  • Earl Alexander – Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords
  • Herbert Bowden – Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Commons
  • Earl of Lucan – Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Lords

Junior Shadow Ministers

  • Fred Peart – Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
  • John Strachey – Shadow Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
  • Kenneth Robinson – Shadow Minister for Health
  • Willie Ross – Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
  • Lynn Ungoed-Thomas – Shadow Solicitor General
  • George Strauss – Shadow Minister of Transport
  • Jim Griffiths – Frontbench spokesmen for Wales
  • John Taylor – Opposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons

See also

  • List of British governments
  • Official Opposition of the United Kingdom

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