Liberal Democrat Frontbench Team

The Liberal Democrats are the third-largest political party in the United Kingdom. While in opposition, the Liberal Democrat leader appointed a team of Members of Parliament (MPs) and Peers to speak for the party on different issues. Their areas of responsibility broadly corresponded to those of Government ministers. The party called its frontbench the Liberal Democrat shadow ministerial team. The shadow ministerial team was divided into departmental sub-units, such as Education, Health and Foreign Affairs. The leader of each departmental team was a member of the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet.

Status

Formerly, the Liberal Democrats frontbench team did not use the term 'Shadow Cabinet', with a number of front bench spokesmen covering areas (e.g., Defence and Foreign Affairs) rather than directly shadowing specific Cabinet portfolios. Under Charles Kennedy's leadership, and with the increase in numbers of Liberal Democrat MPs, the senior members of the front bench team referred to themselves as a Shadow Cabinet.

This was controversial, because in the two-party political system that dominated UK politics in the 20th century, the term 'Shadow Cabinet' referred to senior members of the frontbench team of the largest opposition party in the House of Commons. This party, known as the Official Opposition, has constitutional status, although its Shadow Cabinet does not. Following Charles Kennedy's decision to change the nomenclature, the UK Parliament's website now uses the term 'Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet' and does not use the old term 'Frontbench Team'.

This is not without contention, and was disputed by the Conservative Party, who were then the Official Opposition. However, the official listing at the Parliament website is very explicit to use the term 'Shadow Cabinet'. Gordon Brown made a notable remark that in the House of Commons in 2001:

The House of Commons is in the unique position of having two shadow Chancellors: one sits in Folkestone and the other in Truro. It is rather like the mediaeval papacy: two hon. Members claim to hold the position of shadow Chancellor. I shall organise a play-off during the year.

This is a theme to which then Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown returned, comparing and contrasting his frosty relationship with the official Shadow Chancellor George Osborne with his apparently warm relationship with Vince Cable (whom he has referred to as "the Shadow Chancellor from Twickenham").

The Official Opposition receives support for its official function which is denied to smaller opposition parties, although they, along with every parliamentary party, do receive Short Money. Salaries are paid to the Opposition Leader and the Chief Whips but not to smaller opposition parties. Moreover, the Official Opposition has the exclusive use of facilities within Parliament.

Liberal Democrat Frontbench Team

Following the United Kingdom general election, 2010 and the confirmation of Conservative David Cameron as Prime Minister on 11 May 2010, a coalition cabinet was formed that included Liberal Democrat ministers.

Liberal Democrat Government Ministers

Name	Portfolio
Nick Clegg	Deputy Prime Minister Lord President of the Council Leader of the Liberal Democrats Minister for Political & Constitutional Reform
Vincent Cable	Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills President of the Board of Trade
Chris Huhne	Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
Danny Alexander	Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Michael Moore	Secretary of State for Scotland
Lord McNally	Minister of State for Human Rights and Civil Liberties Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Nick Harvey	Minister of State for the Armed Forces
Steve Webb	Minister of State for Pensions
Sarah Teather	Minister of State for Children and Families
Jeremy Browne	Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Paul Burstow	Minister of State for Care Services
Alistair Carmichael	Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Commons Liberal Democrat Chief Whip in the Commons
David Heath	Deputy Leader of the House of Commons
Norman Lamb	Assistant Government Whip in the House of Commons Chief Parliamentary and Political Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister
Mark Hunter	Assistant Government Whip in the House of Commons
Lord Shutt	Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords
Baroness Northover	Whip in the House of Lords
Lord Wallace	Whip in the House of Lords
Edward Davey	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs
Andrew Stunell	Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Community Cohesion
Norman Baker	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Regional and Local Transport
Lynne Featherstone	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities
Lord Wallace	Advocate General for Scotland

Previous Frontbench Teams

• Liberal Party Frontbench Team, 1945–1956
• Liberal Party Frontbench Team, 1956–1967
• Liberal Party Frontbench Team, 1967–1976
• Liberal Party Frontbench Team, 1976-1988
• Liberal Democrat Frontbench Team, 2001–2005
• Liberal Democrat Frontbench Team, 2005–2006
• Liberal Democrat Frontbench Team, 2006–2007
• Liberal Democrat Frontbench Team, 2007–2010

Previous team key-members in summary:

Party	Date	Leader	Economy	Foreign affairs	Home affairs
Liberal	April 1966	Jo Grimond	Richard Wainwright	James Davidson
	January 1967	Jeremy Thorpe	Richard Wainwright	James Davidson
	June 1970	Jeremy Thorpe	John Pardoe	Russell Johnston
	1975	Jeremy Thorpe	John Pardoe	David Steel
	May 1976	Jo Grimond	John Pardoe	David Steel
	July 1976	David Steel	John Pardoe	Jeremy Thorpe
	1977	David Steel	John Pardoe	Jeremy Thorpe	Emlyn Hooson
	May 1979	David Steel	Richard Wainwright	Russell Johnston
	1985	David Steel	David Penhaligon	Alan Beith
	January 1987	David Steel		Alan Beith
	June 1987	David Steel	Alan Beith	Russell Johnston
Liberal Democrats	March 1988	David Steel and Robert Maclennan (co-leaders)	Alan Beith	Russell Johnston	Robert Maclennan
	July 1988	Paddy Ashdown	Alan Beith	Russell Johnston	Robert Maclennan
	July 1989	Paddy Ashdown	Alan Beith	David Steel	Robert Maclennan
	July 1994	Paddy Ashdown	Malcolm Bruce	Menzies Campbell	Alan Beith
	August 1999	Charles Kennedy	Matthew Taylor	Menzies Campbell	Simon Hughes
	June 2003	Charles Kennedy	Vince Cable	Menzies Campbell	Mark Oaten
	January 2006	Menzies Campbell (acting)	Vince Cable	Menzies Campbell	Mark Oaten
	January 2006	Menzies Campbell (acting)	Vince Cable	Menzies Campbell	Alistair Carmichael
	March 2006	Menzies Campbell	Vince Cable	Michael Moore	Nick Clegg
	October 2007	Vince Cable (acting)	Vince Cable	Michael Moore	Nick Clegg
	December 2007	Nick Clegg	Vince Cable	Ed Davey	Chris Huhne

See also

• Cabinet of the United Kingdom
• Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (UK)

External links

• The Liberal Democrats – Shadow Cabinet
• The Liberal Democrats – Shadow Ministers
• UK Parliament – Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet