Cabinet of the United Kingdom

The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is a body consisting of the most senior ministers in the government of the United Kingdom, headed by the Prime Minister. Formally a committee of the Privy Council, it is the main executive body of the British Government. Traditionally, the Cabinet meets weekly on a Thursday morning. All members of the Cabinet are drawn from either the House of Commons or the House of Lords.

In recent years, some ex-ministers (notably Clare Short) have alleged that under the government of current prime minister Tony Blair, Cabinet meetings have lost their decision-making role; according to a former senior civil servant, Lord Butler, the Blair cabinet "took one decision in eight months", with other decisions being made by the Prime Minister and his close advisers.

Current members of the Cabinet (as of December 2007)

This is the current composition of the Cabinet following the selection of Gordon Brown as the Prime Minister of Great Britan on December 7, 2007:

• Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service: Gordon Brown
• Chancellor of the Exchequer: Alistair Darling
• Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs: David Miliband
• Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor: Jack Straw
• Secretary of State for the Home Department: Jacqui Smith
• Secretary of State for Defence; and, Secretary of State for Scotland: Des Browne
• Secretary of State for Health: Alan Johnson
• Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Hilary Benn
• Secretary of State for International Development: Douglas Alexander
• Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform: John Hutton
• Leader of the House of Commons (and Lord Privy Seal); Minister for Women; and Labour Party Chair: Harriet Harman
• Secretary of State for Work and Pensions; and Secretary of State for Wales: Peter Hain
• Secretary of State for Transport: Ruth Kelly
• Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government: Hazel Blears
• Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip: Geoff Hoon
• Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families: Ed Balls
• Minister for the Cabinet Office; and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster: Ed Miliband
• Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport: James Purnell
• Secretary of State for Northern Ireland: Shaun Woodward
• Leader of the House of Lords (and Lord President of the Council): Baroness Ashton of Upholland
• Chief Secretary to the Treasury: Andy Burnham
• Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills: John Denham

The Shadow Cabinet

The Shadow Cabinet is the group of senior politicians in the official opposition party (currently the Conservative Party) who mirror the roles of Cabinet members. If the opposition party secures a majority in the House of Commons and is invited to form a government, the members of the Shadow Cabinet typically form the new Cabinet.

See also

• Cabinet of the United States
• Prime Minister