Shadow ministers
Shadow ministers provide parliamentary opposition to the government front bench.
The current shadow frontbench
Shadow cabinet
The shadow cabinet is made up of senior members of the main opposition party in Westminster who act as spokespeople for the opposition.
Official opposition
As the second largest party in the House of Commons, the Labour Party is the current official opposition.
This should be Labour's last pre-election reshuffle
Keir Starmer has made some big changes to Labour's shadow ministerial team.
Preparing a shadow ministerial team for office: Lessons from 1997 and 2010
What the last two changes of government tell us about effective transitions.
Read the reportHow do shadow ministers prepare for government?
Preparing for Power - Episode 3: The opposition
Jonathan Powell, Harriet Harman, Gus O’Donnell and Oliver Letwin reveal how they got ready for the possibility of a change of government.
Shadow ministers at the IfG
Keynote speech: Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Deputy Leader
Angela Rayner joined us at the Institute to discuss Labour's plans for a new, independent Ethics and Integrity Commission.
Keynote speech: Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, Shadow Home Secretary
The Shadow Home Secretary set out how a Labour government would approach law and order.
IfG Net Zero Conference
Chris Skidmore and Ed Miliband joined us for our net zero conference, examining what government needs to do to meet its climate objectives.
Support for opposition parties
Through the IfG Academy, we offer practical advice and support – based on IfG research – to opposition politicians and their teams, to help them think through the transition into government.
Find out more