Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Incumbent
Angela Rayner
since 4 September 2023
Shadow Cabinet
AppointerLeader of the Opposition
Formation11 June 1997
First holderNorman Fowler
WebsiteShadow Cabinet

The Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is a position with the UK Opposition's Shadow Cabinet; if the opposition party forms a new government, the designated person is a likely choice to become the new Levelling Up Secretary.

The position has existed in many iterations, first as Environment, Transport and the Regions in 1997 after the Government's reorganisation. The portfolio shifted among government departments for many years until resting on Communities and Local Government in 2006, until 2021 when it got its current name with the added portfolio of housing; until 2021, the Shadow Communities Secretary did not hold responsibility for housing as the Labour Party created a separate position, Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, in 2016.

Under Michael Howard, the arrangement was slightly different. There was a Shadow Secretary of State for Local and Devolved Government Affairs in Shadow Cabinet who supervised a Shadow Local Government Secretary and a Shadow Regions Secretary outside of it.[1]

The current Shadow Communities Secretary is Angela Rayner. The main role is to scrutinise the levelling-up policy of the British government.[2]

Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions (1997–2001)

Name Took office Left office Political party Shadow Cabinet
Norman Fowler 11 June 1997 1 June 1998 Conservative Hague
Gillian Shephard 1 June 1998 14 June 1999 Conservative
John Redwood 14 June 1999 2 February 2000 Conservative
Archie Norman 2 February 2000 18 September 2001 Conservative

Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (2001–2002)

Name Took office Left office Political party Shadow Cabinet
Theresa May 18 September 2001 6 June 2002 Conservative Duncan Smith

Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government and the Regions (2002)

Name Took office Left office Political party Shadow Cabinet
Eric Pickles[3] 6 June 2002 23 July 2002 Conservative Duncan Smith

Shadow Secretary of State for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2002–2003)

Name Took office Left office Political party Shadow Cabinet
David Davis 23 July 2002 11 November 2003 Conservative Duncan Smith

Shadow Secretary of State for Local and Devolved Government Affairs (2003–2005)

Name Took office Left office Political party Shadow Cabinet
David Curry 11 November 2003 15 March 2004 Conservative Howard
Caroline Spelman 15 March 2004 6 May 2005 Conservative

Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government[edit]

Shadow Secretary of State for the Regions[edit]

 Political party Shadow Cabinet
Name Took office Left office Name Took office Left office
Eric Pickles 11 November 2003 6 May 2005 Bernard Jenkin 11 November 2003 6 May 2005 Conservative Howard

Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government Affairs and Communities (2005)

Name Took office Left office Political party Shadow Cabinet
Caroline Spelman[4] 6 May 2005 5 December 2005 Conservative Howard

Shadow Secretary of State for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2005–2006)

Name Took office Left office Political party Shadow Cabinet
Caroline Spelman[5] 5 December 2005 6 May 2006 Conservative Cameron

Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (2006–2021)

Name Took office Left office Political party Shadow Cabinet
Caroline Spelman 6 May 2006 2 July 2007 Conservative Cameron
Eric Pickles 2 July 2007 19 January 2009 Conservative
Caroline Spelman 19 January 2009 11 May 2010 Conservative
John Denham[6] 12 May 2010 8 October 2010 Labour Harman I
Caroline Flint[7] 8 October 2010 7 October 2011 Labour Miliband
Hilary Benn[8] 7 October 2011 8 May 2015 Labour
Emma Reynolds[9] 8 May 2015 14 September 2015 Labour Harman II
Jon Trickett[10] 14 September 2015 28 June 2016 Labour Corbyn
Grahame Morris[11] 28 June 2016 7 October 2016 Labour
Teresa Pearce 7 October 2016 2 April 2017 Labour
Roberta Blackman-Woods 2 April 2017 14 June 2017 Labour
Andrew Gwynne 14 June 2017 6 April 2020 Labour
Steve Reed 6 April 2020 29 November 2021 Labour Starmer

Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (2021–present)

Name Took office Left office Political party Shadow Cabinet
Lisa Nandy 29 November 2021 4 September 2023 Labour Starmer
Angela Rayner 4 September 2023 Incumbent Labour Starmer

References

  1. ^ Full list: the shadow cabinet
  2. ^ O'Donoghue, Dan (2 February 2022). "Lisa Nandy tears into government's levelling up plan". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  3. ^ CHANGES TO OPPOSITION FRONTBENCH: PICKLES REPLACES MAY IN LOCAL GOVT
  4. ^ Her Majesty's Official Opposition as at 21 May 2005
  5. ^ At-a-glance: New shadow cabinet
  6. ^ "Mr John Denham". UK Parliament. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Caroline Flint". UK Parliament. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Hilary Benn". UK Parliament. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  9. ^ "Emma Reynolds". UK Parliament. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Jon Trickett". UK Parliament. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Grahame Morris". UK Parliament. Retrieved 4 April 2022.


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