The Shadow Cabinet of Hugh Gaitskell was created on following the election of Hugh Gaitskell as Labour leader on 14 December 1955.
Shadow Cabinet list Portfolio Shadow Minister Term Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal OppositionLeader of the Labour Party Hugh Gaitskell 1955 – 1963 Deputy Leader of the OppositionDeputy Leader of the Labour Party Vacant 1955 – 1956 Jim Griffiths 1956 – 1959 Aneurin Bevan 1959 – 1960 Vacant 1960 George Brown 1960 – 1963 Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Hugh Gaitskell 1955 – 1956 Harold Wilson 1956 – 1961 James Callaghan 1961 – 1963 Shadow Foreign Secretary Alfred Robens 1955 – 1956 Aneurin Bevan 1956 – 1959 Denis Healey 1959 – 1961 Harold Wilson 1961 – 1963 Shadow Home Secretary Kenneth Younger 1955 – 1957 Patrick Gordon Walker 1957 – 1962 George Brown 1962 – 1963 Shadow Minister of Defence Richard Stokes 1955 – 1956 George Brown 1956 – 1962 Patrick Gordon Walker 1962 – 1963 Shadow Secretary of State for the Colonies Jim Griffiths 1955 – 1956 Aneurin Bevan 1956 James Callaghan 1956 – 1961 Denis Healey 1961 – 1963 Shadow Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations Patrick Gordon Walker 1955 – 1956 Arthur Creech Jones 1956 – 1958 Arthur Bottomley 1958 – 1959 Hilary Marquand 1959 – 1961 John Strachey 1961 – 1963 Shadow Minister for Health Edith Summerskill 1955 – 1961 Kenneth Robinson 1961 – 1963 Shadow Minister of Labour Aneurin Bevan 1955 – 1956 George Brown 1956 Alfred Robens 1956 – 1960 Frederick Lee 1960 – 1961 Ray Gunter 1961 – 1963 Shadow Minister of Public Buildings and Works Tony Greenwood 1955 – 1959 Barbara Castle 1959 – 1960 Unknown 1960 – 1961 Dick Mitchison 1961 – 1963 Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland Tom Fraser 1955 – 1961 William Ross 1961 – 1963 Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords The Earl Alexander of Hillsborough 1955 – 1963 Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Commons Herbert Bowden 1955 – 1963
Initial Shadow Cabinet Gaitskell announced his Shadow Cabinet on 15 February 1956 following the election of Jim Griffiths as deputy leader. Before that members of Attlee's Shadow Cabinet remained in place.
Hugh Gaitskell – Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party Jim Griffiths – Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Harold Wilson – Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Alfred Robens – Shadow Foreign Secretary Kenneth Younger – Shadow Home Secretary Aneurin Bevan – Shadow Secretary of State for the Colonies Richard Stokes – Shadow Minister of Defence George Brown – Shadow Minister for Labour and National Service and Shadow Minister of Aviation Philip Noel-Baker – Shadow Minister for Power Tony Greenwood – Shadow Minister of Public Buildings and Works James Callaghan – Shadow First Lord of the Admiralty Dick Mitchison – Shadow Minister of Housing and Local Government Edith Summerskill – Shadow Minister for Health Tom Fraser – Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland Earl Alexander – Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords Herbert Bowden – Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Commons Earl of Lucan – Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Lords
Junior Shadow Ministers Tom Williams - Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Lynn Ungoed-Thomas – Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales Douglas Jay – Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Arthur Creech Jones – Shadow Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations Michael Stewart – Shadow Minister of Education Patrick Gordon Walker – Shadow President of the Board of Trade Hilary Marquand – Shadow Minister of Pensions and National Insurance Arthur Bottomley – Shadow Minister for Trade George Strauss – Shadow Minister of Transport Ernest Popplewell – Opposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons
November 1956 reshuffle Following the 1956 shadow cabinet election, Gaitskell reshuffled the front bench on 27 November. Richard Stokes was dropped from the frontbench and was replaced by Frank Soskice.
Hugh Gaitskell – Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party Jim Griffiths – Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Harold Wilson – Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Aneurin Bevan – Shadow Foreign Secretary Kenneth Younger – Shadow Home Secretary James Callaghan – Shadow Secretary of State for the Colonies George Brown – Shadow Minister of Defence and Shadow Minister of Aviation Alfred Robens – Shadow Minister for Labour and National Service Tony Greenwood – Shadow Minister of Public Buildings and Works Dick Mitchison – Shadow Minister of Housing and Local Government Edith Summerskill – Shadow Minister for Health Frank Soskice – Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales Tom Fraser – Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland Philip Noel-Baker – Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Earl Alexander – Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords Herbert Bowden – Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Commons Earl of Lucan – Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Lords
Junior Shadow Ministers Tom Williams - Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Douglas Jay – Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Arthur Creech Jones – Shadow Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations Michael Stewart – Shadow Minister of Education Patrick Gordon Walker – Shadow President of the Board of Trade Hilary Marquand – Shadow Minister of Pensions and National Insurance Harold Neal – Shadow Minister for Power Lynn Ungoed-Thomas – Shadow Solicitor General Arthur Bottomley – Shadow Minister for Trade George Strauss – Shadow Minister of Transport Ernest Popplewell – Opposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons
January 1958 reshuffle Following the 1957 shadow cabinet election, Gaitskell reshuffled the front bench on 24 January 1958.
Hugh Gaitskell – Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party Jim Griffiths – Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Harold Wilson – Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Aneurin Bevan – Shadow Foreign Secretary Patrick Gordon-Walker – Shadow Home Secretary and Shadow President of the Board of Trade James Callaghan – Shadow Secretary of State for the Colonies George Brown – Shadow Minister of Defence Arthur Bottomley – Shadow Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations Alfred Robens – Shadow Minister for Labour and National Service Tony Greenwood – Shadow Minister of Public Buildings and Works Dick Mitchison – Shadow Minister of Housing and Local Government Frank Soskice – Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales Tom Fraser – Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland Philip Noel-Baker – Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Earl Alexander – Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords Herbert Bowden – Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Commons Earl of Lucan – Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Lords
Junior Shadow Ministers Tom Williams - Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Frank Beswick – Shadow Minister of Aviation Douglas Jay – Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Michael Stewart – Shadow Minister of Education Kenneth Younger – Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Edith Summerskill – Shadow Minister for Health Hilary Marquand – Shadow Minister of Pensions and National Insurance Harold Neal – Shadow Minister for Power Lynn Ungoed-Thomas – Shadow Solicitor General John Edwards – Shadow Minister for Trade George Strauss – Shadow Minister of Transport Ernest Popplewell – Opposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons
Changes November 1958 - George Brown is voted out of the shadow cabinet and is replaced by Summerskill. He remains Shadow Minister of Defence. Lord Faringdon joins as a representative of the Lords.
1959 reshuffle Following that year's general, deputy leadership and shadow cabinet elections, Gaitskell performed a major reshuffle on 16 November 1959.
Hugh Gaitskell – Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party Aneurin Bevan – Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and Shadow Foreign Secretary Harold Wilson – Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Patrick Gordon-Walker – Shadow Home Secretary Alfred Robens – Shadow Minister for Labour and National Service George Brown – Shadow Minister of Defence James Callaghan – Shadow Secretary of State for the Colonies Dick Mitchison – Shadow President of the Board of Trade Tony Greenwood – Shadow Minister of Education Fred Willey – Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Frederick Lee – Shadow Minister for Power Frank Soskice – Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales Tom Fraser – Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland Earl Alexander – Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords Herbert Bowden – Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Commons Earl of Lucan – Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Lords Denis Healey – Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
Junior Shadow Ministers George Strauss – Shadow Minister of Aviation Douglas Jay – Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Hilary Marquand – Shadow Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations Edith Summerskill – Shadow Minister for Health Michael Stewart – Shadow Minister of Housing and Local Government Richard Crossman – Shadow Minister of Pensions and National Insurance Douglas Houghton – Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry for Pensions and National Insurance Barbara Castle – Shadow Minister of Public Buildings and Works Eirene White – Shadow Minister of State for Education Philip Noel-Baker – Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Roy Jenkins – Shadow Minister for Trade Tony Benn – Shadow Minister of Transport Lynn Ungoed-Thomas – Shadow Solicitor General Jim Griffiths – Frontbench spokesmen for Wales John Taylor – Opposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons
Changes 6 July 1960 – Bevan dies. Healey becomes Shadow Foreign Secretary. The deputy leadership is left vacant until the regular election in November. 14 October 1960 – Greenwood resigns following Gaitskell defying the party conference position on nuclear weapons.
1960 reshuffle Following the leadership, deputy leadership and shadow cabinet elections, Gaitskell performed another reshuffle on 28 November 1960.
Hugh Gaitskell – Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party George Brown – Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and Shadow Minister of Defence Harold Wilson – Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Patrick Gordon-Walker – Shadow Home Secretary Denis Healey – Shadow Foreign Secretary James Callaghan – Shadow Secretary of State for the Colonies Frank Soskice – Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales Dick Mitchison – Shadow President of the Board of Trade Michael Stewart – Shadow Minister of Housing and Local Government Tom Fraser – Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland Ray Gunter – Shadow Minister for Power Douglas Houghton – Shadow Minister of Pensions and National Insurance Fred Willey – Shadow Minister of Education Frederick Lee – Shadow Minister for Labour and National Service Earl Alexander – Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords Herbert Bowden – Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Commons Earl of Lucan – Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Lords
Junior Shadow Ministers Geoffrey de Freitas – Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food John Strachey – Shadow Minister of Aviation Douglas Jay – Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Hilary Marquand – Shadow Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations Eirene White – Shadow Minister of State for Education Edith Summerskill – Shadow Minister for Health Lynn Ungoed-Thomas – Shadow Solicitor General George Strauss – Shadow Minister of Transport Jim Griffiths – Frontbench spokesmen for Wales John Taylor – Opposition Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons
1961 reshuffle