Working to make government more effective

Working to make government more effective

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during the first meeting of his new shadow cabinet in central London

Shadow ministers

Shadow ministers provide parliamentary opposition to the government front bench.

Shadow ministers are members of the official opposition party who act as a ‘government in waiting’, scrutinising the work of their counterparts in government and developing policies that they would take forward if elected.  

We look at who shadow ministers are, how they are appointed to their roles and the experience they bring to the job. We also look at how they can prepare for government.

The current shadow frontbench

20 MAY 2021 Explainer

Shadow cabinet

The shadow cabinet is made up of senior members of the main opposition party in Westminster who act as spokespeople for the opposition.

23 DEC 2020 Explainer

Official opposition

As the second largest party in the House of Commons, the Labour Party is the current official opposition.

Preparing a shadow ministerial team for office: Lessons from 1997 and 2010

What the last two changes of government tell us about effective transitions.

Read the report
No.10 Downing Street

How do shadow ministers prepare for government?

Shadow ministers at the IfG

05 JUL 2023 Online event
5 July 2023

IfG Net Zero Conference

Chris Skidmore and Ed Miliband joined us for our net zero conference, examining what government needs to do to meet its climate objectives.

Support for opposition parties

Through the IfG Academy, we offer practical advice and support – based on IfG research – to opposition politicians and their teams, to help them think through the transition into government.

Find out more
Shadow cabinet members (left to right) Wes Streeting, Yvette Cooper, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves and Angela Rayner, during Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer's speech.