Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
The Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), previously Shadow Secretary of State for National Heritage and Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, is a position in the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet.
| Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport | |
|---|---|
| Style | Shadow Culture Secretary (informal) |
| Member of | Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet |
| Appointer | Leader of the Opposition |
| Inaugural holder | Bryan Gould |
| Formation | 18 July 1992 |
The Shadow Secretary of State is the opposite number to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, holding them and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to account. They are the lead opposition spokesperson on digital, culture, media and sport issues.
The post was created in 1992 after John Major established the Department of National Heritage and Secretary of State for National Heritage. The National Heritage Department, and therefore the portfolio and title of the Secretary of State and Shadow Secretary of State, was replaced by Culture, Media and Sport in 1997.
In 2010, the government merged the offices of the Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Minister for the Olympics, establishing the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport. Nevertheless, the opposition retained the Shadow Minister for the Olympics and left the Shadow Secretary of State portfolio and title unchanged. The department and Secretary of State changed their titles to Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in 2017, and the opposition followed suit.
List of Shadow Secretaries of State
Shadow Secretaries of State for National Heritage (1992–97)
| Name | Portrait | Term of office | Party | Opposition Leader | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Gould |  |
18 July 1992 | 29 September 1992 | Labour | John Smith | |
| Ann Clwyd |  |
29 September 1992 | 21 October 1993 | |||
| Mo Mowlam |  |
21 October 1993 | 21 July 1994 | |||
| Chris Smith |  |
21 July 1994 | 19 October 1995 | Tony Blair | ||
| Jack Cunningham | |
19 October 1995 | 2 May 1997 | |||
| Virginia Bottomley |  |
2 May 1997 | 11 June 1997 | Conservative | John Major | |
Shadow Secretaries of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1997–2017)
| Name | Portrait | Term of office | Party | Opposition Leader | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francis Maude |  |
11 June 1997 | 1 June 1998 | Conservative | William Hague | |
| Peter Ainsworth | |
1 June 1998 | 18 September 2001 | |||
| Tim Yeo | |
18 September 2001 | 23 July 2002 | Iain Duncan Smith | ||
| John Whittingdale |  |
23 July 2002 | 6 November 2003 | |||
| Julie Kirkbride | |
6 November 2003 | 19 June 2004 | Michael Howard | ||
| John Whittingdale | |
19 June 2004 | 6 May 2005 | |||
| Theresa May |  |
6 May 2005 | 8 December 2005 | |||
| Hugo Swire |  |
8 December 2005 | 2 July 2007 | David Cameron | ||
| Jeremy Hunt |  |
2 July 2007 | 11 May 2010 | |||
| Ben Bradshaw |  |
11 May 2010 | 8 October 2010 | Labour | Harriet Harman | |
| Ivan Lewis |  |
8 October 2010 | 7 October 2011 | Ed Miliband | ||
| Harriet Harman |  |
7 October 2011 | 11 May 2015 | |||
| Chris Bryant |  |
11 May 2015 | 13 September 2015 | Harriet Harman | ||
| Michael Dugher | |
13 September 2015 | 5 January 2016 | Jeremy Corbyn | ||
| Maria Eagle |  |
6 January 2016 | 27 June 2016 | |||
| Kelvin Hopkins |  |
28 June 2016 | 7 October 2016 | |||
| Tom Watson |  |
7 October 2016 | 3 July 2017 | |||
Shadow Secretaries of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (2017–)
| Name | Portrait | Term of office | Party | Opposition Leader | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Watson | |
3 July 2017 | 12 December 2019 | Labour | Jeremy Corbyn | |
| Tracy Brabin |  |
7 January 2020 | 6 April 2020 | |||
| Jo Stevens |  |
6 April 2020 | 29 November 2021 | Keir Starmer | ||
| Lucy Powell |  |
29 November 2021 | Incumbent | |||