Tim Farron has announced his new Shadow Cabinet team, saying:
I am pleased to announce my new Shadow Cabinet team. Together we will provide the strong Liberal voice that Britain desperately needs to stand up to this Tory Brexit Government.
The Tories have no plans to protect the interests of the country in the wake of Brexit. Labour is in disarray. Only the Liberal Democrats can confront the Government and stand up for people’s jobs and livelihoods.
My new Shadow Cabinet team combines a wealth of experience in business, local government, Europe, social issues and environmental affairs. We will fight together to keep Britain open, tolerant and united.
Dick Newby, Liberal Democrat Leader in the House of Lords, said:
Our new frontbench team draws on the wide amount of talent in the Liberal Democrats, across Westminster and beyond. We will campaign together to take our values and ideas to every corner of the UK.
Shadow Cabinet Members
Tim Farron MP
Party Leader
Baroness Sal Brinton
Party President
Alistair Carmichael MP
Shadow First Secretary of State
Baroness Susan Kramer
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
Tom Brake MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; Shadow Leader of the House of Commons;
Chief Whip
Lord Brian Paddick
Shadow Secretary of State for the Home Department
Nick Clegg MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union; Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade
Baroness Judith Jolly
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Norman Lamb MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Health
Baroness Cathy Bakewell
Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Lord Don Foster
Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Industrial Strategy
Baroness Lynne Featherstone
Lead Spokesperson for Energy and Climate Change
John Pugh MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Education
Baroness Lorely Burt
Shadow Secretary of State for Equalities
Lord Jonathan Marks
Shadow Lord Chancellor; Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Baroness Kate Parminter
Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Baroness Shas Sheehan
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development
Willie Rennie MSP
Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Scotland
Mark Williams MP
Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Wales
Baroness Alison Suttie
Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Baroness Kath Pinnock
Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Baroness Jenny Randerson
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Baroness Jane Bonham-Carter
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Lord Dick Newby
Leader of the House of Lords
Lord Ben Stoneham
Lords Chief Whip
Caroline Pidgeon
Shadow Minister for London
Catherine Bearder MEP
EU/ALDE Liaison
Baroness Sarah Ludford
Lords Shadow Minister for Exiting the European Union
The following will also attend Shadow Cabinet:
Baroness Lindsay Northover
Shadow Lords Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Lord Jeremy Purvis
Shadow Lords Minister for International Trade
Baroness Joan Walmsley
Shadow Lords Minister for Health
Lord Mike Storey
Shadow Lords Minister for Education
Lord Malcolm Bruce
Shadow Lords Minister for Scotland
Baroness Chris Humphreys
Shadow Lords Minister for Wales
The following appointments have also been made:
Lord William Wallace
Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office
Lord Paul Tyler
Shadow Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform
Lord John Shipley
Shadow Minister for Housing
Lord Martin Thomas
Shadow Attorney General
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18 Comments
Two questions:
1. What , exactly, is the function of a “Shadow Cabinet” in a party with only 8 MPs?
2. What, exactly, is the point of a collection of “Shadow Ministers” , most of whom are not in a position to hold the individuals they are “shadowing” to account in the House of Commons?
This is a rebranding of our spokesman team, but a good one – if we are serious about being viewed as the real opposition, the real opposition should have a shadow cabinet!
This also sort of elevates Brian Paddick and Susan Kramer – Paddick is now our ‘Shadow Foreign Secretary’ for example, rather than just our spokesman.
So a rebranding exercise, but a sensible one.
What has happened to Greg Mulholland?
Shadow Cabinet? That’s ridiculous. They are the lead spokespersons. It’s a good job nobody who isn’t paying direct attention won’t notice, as it would be ridiculed.
Tim Farron and Nick Clegg are the only two that can get any coverage without a decent sex scandal!
Good Lord !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Greg Mulholland may be busy campaigning in Horsforth and Kirkstall? Both wards likely to be added to Leeds NW where we will have got <10% in 2015 in the GE?
@David Raw “Good Lord !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Good or not, there are certainly a lot of Lords
“What has happened to Greg Mulholland?”
Just what I was thinking. Very strange.
So the only person responsible for Home Affairs in either house is Brian Paddick, and nobody to hold Amber Rudd to account on the refugee crisis ?
A majority of women in the shadow cabinet, excellent. Snide remarks above about the number of Lib Dem MPs are missing the point, the party needs a leadership team across all government departments to aid campaigning and policy making and to ensure we can increase our numbers in the commons in the future. I also don’t agree that only Farron and Clegg should be in the public eye, it’s better to get a wider range of Lib Dems in front of the public imho.
Give us more MPs and you’ll get more shadow ministers in the Commons.
@Ian Hurdley “Give us more MPs and you’ll get more shadow ministers in the Commons”
There are a lot of ex-MPs who could do a good job and maybe some prospective parliamentary candidates as well.
Why must the party have “shadow ministers” who are in Parliament rather than “spokespeople” from other walks of life?
As I’ve asked on another site: what on earth is the point of a “Shadow First Secretary of State” (especially when there’s no actual “First Secretary of State” – not that it’s a real job in itself – to shadow)?
And why doesn’t Greg Mulholland want/get to play?
@ppb “it’s better to get a wider range of Lib Dems in front of the public”
I agree, but this does not look like a wide range of Lib Dems. If anybody does actually notice these people as representatives of the party then they will get an overwhelming impression of Lib Dems as posh white people with titles. Is that really an impression the Lib Dems want to reinforce?
ITV TV’s Peston on Sunday included a substantive interview with Nick Clegg.
Canvassers in and/or for Richmond Park would be wise to be consistent.
BTW, Greg Mulholland is presumably still Chair of Campaigns and Communications, as he has been since Tim became Leader. This is not a “Shadow Cabinet” post… However I sense that mostly he is working in Leeds NW…
Hi Peter, agree that we should avoid use of titles hopefully that will be the case
With the caveat that I don’t know all of these people, and while it’s great to see a higher proportion of women in the top jobs they deserve, it looks like we’re going backwards on representation of the ethnic diversity of the country – and indeed the party.