| Frontbench Teams since 1997 |
|---|
| Ashdown Team(1997–1999) |
| Kennedy Team(1999–2006) |
| Campbell Team(2006–2007) |
| First Cable Team(2007) |
| Clegg Team(2007–2010) |
| General Election Cabinet(2015) |
| Farron Team(2015–2017) |
| Second Cable Team(2017–2019) |
| Swinson Team(2019) |
| Davey Team(2019–present) |
TheLiberal Democrats are apolitical party in theUnited Kingdom. While inopposition, theLeader of the Liberal Democrats appoints a frontbench team ofmembers of Parliament (MPs),peers in the House of Lords,members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), andmembers of the Senedd (MSs) to speak for the party on different issues. Their areas of responsibility broadly corresponded to those of Government ministers. The frontbench team is divided into departmental sub-units, the principal ones being theeconomy,foreign policy, andhome affairs. Sometimes the frontbench team consists of more than just the principal positions.
Formerly, the Liberal Democrats' frontbench team did not use the term 'shadow cabinet', with assorted frontbench spokespeople covering areas (e.g., Defence and Foreign Affairs) rather than directly shadowing specific Cabinet portfolios. UnderCharles Kennedy's leadership, and with the number of Liberal Democrat MPs growing following the1997 general election, the senior members of the frontbench team began referring 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 single opposition party in theHouse of Commons. This party, known as theOfficial Opposition, has constitutional status, although its Shadow Cabinet does not. Following Kennedy's decision to change the nomenclature, theUK Parliament's website used for a time the term 'Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet' in place of the old term 'Frontbench Team'.[1][2]
This is not without contention, and was disputed by theConservative Party, who were then the Official Opposition to aLabour government. However, the official listing at the Parliament website is explicit in using the term 'Shadow Cabinet'.[3] In 2001,Chancellor of the ExchequerGordon Brown said the following in the House of Commons:
The House of Commons is in the unique position of having two shadow Chancellors: one [ConservativeMichael Howard] sits inFolkestone and the other [Liberal DemocratMatthew Taylor] inTruro. It is rather like themediaeval papacy: two hon. Members claim to hold the position of shadow Chancellor. I shall organise a play-off during the year.[4]
Later in his chancellorship, Brown returned to this theme, comparing his frosty relationship with the official Shadow ChancellorGeorge Osborne with his apparently warm relationship withVince Cable (whom he referred to as "the Shadow Chancellor fromTwickenham").[5]
The Official Opposition receives support for its official function which is denied to smaller opposition parties, although they, along with every parliamentary party, do receiveShort Money. While the Opposition Leader and Chief Whips draw salaries, their counterparts in smaller opposition parties do not. The Official Opposition also has the exclusive use of facilities within Parliament.
Following the2010 general election and the confirmation of Conservative leaderDavid Cameron asPrime Minister on 11 May 2010, acoalition cabinet was formed that included Liberal Democrat ministers, including Liberal leaderNick Clegg asDeputy Prime Minister andLord President of the Council. Thus, the Liberal Democrats entered the Cabinet for the first time sincethe all-party War Government led byWinston Churchill in the early 1940s.
Following the2015 general election, the Liberal Democrats were reduced to just eight seats in the House of Commons, falling into joint fourth place with theDemocratic Unionist Party behind theScottish National Party (SNP) for the first time. As a result of this, Parliament's website listed the SNP's frontbench team (in comparison with the Conservative Cabinet and Labour Shadow Cabinet) in lieu of the Liberal Democrat frontbench team. The Liberal Democrats returned as the third largest party following the2024 general election, behind the Conservatives (the official opposition) and Labour (the governing party).
Previous team key-members in summary:
| Official Opposition |
|
|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | |
| Scottish National Party | |
1964 to Present | |
