Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Incumbent Claire Coutinho since 8 July 2024
Appointer	Leader of the Opposition
Inaugural holder	Patrick Jenkin
Formation	18 February 1975
Website	The Shadow Cabinet

The Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero is a post in the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet. The shadow secretary originally helped hold the secretary of state for energy and climate change and junior ministers to account and is the lead spokesperson on energy and climate change issues for their party. The post currently holds the secretary of state for energy security and net zero to account in Parliament.

A previous Official Opposition post of shadow secretary of state for energy existed until the Department of Energy was merged into the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in 1992. In 2008, the Department for Energy and Climate Change was split from the DTI's successor department, effectively reviving the former department and the need for an Opposition shadow.

Following Theresa May's appointment as Prime Minister in July 2016, the department was disbanded and merged with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to form the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with the consequent ending of this shadow post.

It was revived during the Shadow Cabinet of Keir Starmer and given to Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader, who was then serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy before his appointment.

Shadow Secretary of State for Energy (1974–1992)

Name			Took office	Left office	Political party	Leader of the Opposition
	Patrick Jenkin		18 February 1975	15 January 1976	Conservative	Margaret Thatcher
	John Biffen		15 January 1976	19 November 1976
	Tom King		19 November 1976	4 May 1979
	Tony Benn		4 May 1979	14 July 1979	Labour	James Callaghan
	David Owen		14 July 1979	4 November 1980
	Merlyn Rees		4 November 1980	24 November 1982		Michael Foot
	John Smith		24 November 1982	2 October 1983
	Stan Orme		2 October 1983	13 July 1987		Neil Kinnock
	John Prescott		13 July 1987	23 November 1988
	Tony Blair		23 November 1988	2 November 1989
	Frank Dobson		2 November 1989	18 July 1992

Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (2008–2016)

Name			Took office	Left office	Political party	Leader of the Opposition
	Greg Clark		6 October 2008	11 May 2010	Conservative	David Cameron
	Ed Miliband		11 May 2010	8 October 2010	Labour	Harriet Harman
	Meg Hillier		8 October 2010	7 October 2011		Ed Miliband
	Caroline Flint		7 October 2011	14 September 2015
						Harriet Harman
	Lisa Nandy		14 September 2015	27 June 2016		Jeremy Corbyn
	Barry Gardiner		27 June 2016	8 October 2016

Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero (2021-2023)

Name			Took office	Left office	Political party	Leader of the Opposition
	Ed Miliband		29 November 2021	5 July 2024	Labour	Keir Starmer

Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (2023-present)

Name			Took office	Left office	Political party	Leader of the Opposition
	Ed Miliband		29 November 2021	5 July 2024	Labour	Keir Starmer
	Claire Coutinho		8 July 2024		Conservative	Rishi Sunak

See also

• Official Opposition frontbench