Shadow Cabinet of Rishi Sunak

Rishi Sunak was Leader of the Opposition as Leader of the Conservative Party from 5 July to 2 November 2024, following his resignation as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the aftermath of the Conservative Party's defeat in the 2024 general election. He formed his shadow cabinet on 8 July 2024. Sunak served as Leader of the Opposition in a caretaker capacity until his successor was elected in the 2024 Conservative leadership election; the result was announced on 2 November.

In his resignation speech, Rishi Sunak announced that he would resign as the Conservative leader once the arrangements are in place for his successor to be elected in the 2024 Conservative leadership election.^[1] He formed his shadow cabinet on 8 July 2024.^[2] This was the party's first shadow cabinet since the Shadow Cabinet of David Cameron, which was disbanded in 2010 after Cameron formed a coalition government with Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats following that year's general election.^[3]

Most members of Sunak's cabinet heading into the 2024 general election were given the same portfolios in the shadow cabinet, including former chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who became shadow chancellor, and former Home Secretary James Cleverly, who became Shadow Home Secretary.^[3] Cameron, who previously served as Foreign Secretary, chose to retire from frontline politics, with his former deputy Andrew Mitchell becoming Shadow Foreign Secretary instead.^[4] Richard Holden resigned as party chairman, and was succeeded by Richard Fuller in an interim capacity outside shadow cabinet.^[5]

Sunak appointed new officeholders to the portfolios held by the eleven cabinet ministers who lost their seats in the election, including Edward Argar, who became shadow justice secretary after the outgoing justice secretary Alex Chalk lost his seat, as well as Helen Whately, who became shadow transport secretary after the outgoing transport secretary Mark Harper also lost his seat.^[2] Among other noteworthy appointments, Kemi Badenoch became the shadow housing, communities and local government secretary and former deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden became deputy leader of the opposition.^[2][6]

Sunak served as Leader of the Opposition in a caretaker capacity until his successor was elected in the 2024 Conservative leadership election; the result was announced on 2 November.

On 18 July, further junior frontbench roles were appointed.^[7]

Changes from Sunak's final Cabinet to Shadow Cabinet.^{[8][9][10][11]}

• David Cameron (Foreign Secretary) resigned and was succeeded by Andrew Mitchell.
• Mitchell was Deputy Foreign Secretary for question time in the Commons and attended Cabinet as Minister of State for Development and Africa. Harriett Baldwin was later announced as Shadow Development Minister, but did not attend Shadow Cabinet.^[12]
• Grant Shapps (Defence Secretary) lost his seat and was succeeded by James Cartlidge.
• Alex Chalk (Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor) lost his seat and was succeeded by Ed Argar.
• Michelle Donelan (Science Secretary) lost her seat and was succeeded by Andrew Griffith.
• Michael Gove (Housing and Communities Secretary and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations) stood down and was succeeded in the former role by Kemi Badenoch; the latter role did not have a successor named.
• Badenoch (Business Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities) was succeeded by Kevin Hollinrake in the former role and Mims Davies in the latter role.
• Penny Mordaunt (Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council) lost her seat and was succeeded by Chris Philp.
• Gillian Keegan (Education Secretary) lost her seat and was succeeded by Damian Hinds.
• Mark Harper (Transport Secretary) lost his seat and was succeeded by Helen Whately.
• Lucy Frazer (Culture Secretary) lost her seat and was succeeded by Julia Lopez.
• Richard Holden (Minister without Portfolio and party chair) resigned and was succeeded by Richard Fuller in an interim capacity outside Shadow Cabinet.
• Chris Heaton-Harris (Northern Ireland Secretary) stood down and was succeeded by Alex Burghart.
• Alister Jack (Scotland Secretary) stood down and was succeeded by John Lamont.
• David T. C. Davies (Wales Secretary) lost his seat and was succeeded by The Lord Davies of Gower. No Conservative MPs were elected in Wales.
• Simon Hart (Chief Whip of the House of Commons and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury), who attended Cabinet, lost his seat and was succeeded by Stuart Andrew.
• Victoria Prentis (Attorney General), who attended Cabinet, lost her seat and was succeeded by Jeremy Wright.
• Johnny Mercer (Minister of State for Veterans' Affairs), who attended Cabinet, lost his seat and was succeeded by Andrew Bowie.
• Michael Tomlinson (Minister of State for Countering Illegal Migration), who attended Cabinet, lost his seat and was not succeeded by anybody.