Second Shadow Cabinet of Edward Heath

The Second Shadow Cabinet of Edward Heath was created after the Conservative Party lost the February 1974 general election. It was led by the Leader of the Conservative Party Edward Heath and featured prominent Conservative politicians both past and future. Included was Heath's successor Margaret Thatcher, the future Home Secretary William Whitelaw, and two future Foreign Secretaries, Lord Carrington and Francis Pym. For the first time in history, a leadership election was held in 1975 for the Conservative Party whilst the position was not vacant. Margaret Thatcher challenged Heath, with whom the majority of the party was dissatisfied because of repeated losses at elections. She won, becoming the first female leader of a major political party in Britain.

Second Heath Shadow Cabinet
Shadow Cabinet of the United Kingdom
1974 – 1975
Date formed	4 March 1974
Date dissolved	11 February 1975
People and organisations
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Leader of the Opposition	Edward Heath
Member party	Conservative Party
Status in legislature	Official Opposition 297 / 635 (47%) (February 1974) 277 / 635 (44%) (October 1974)
History
Election	February 1974 United Kingdom general election
Legislature terms	46th UK Parliament 47th UK Parliament
Predecessor	Second Shadow Cabinet of Harold Wilson
Successor	Shadow Cabinet of Margaret Thatcher

Shadow cabinet list

Edward Heath, Leader of the Opposition 1974-1975

Portfolio	Shadow Minister	Term
Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition Leader of the Conservative Party	The Rt Hon. Edward Heath	1974–75
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer	The Rt Hon. Robert Carr	1974–75
Shadow Foreign Secretary	The Rt Hon. Geoffrey Rippon	1974–75
Shadow Home Secretary	The Rt Hon. Jim Prior	1974
	The Rt Hon. Keith Joseph	1974–75
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence	The Rt Hon. Ian Gilmour	1974
Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Science	The Rt Hon. Norman St John-Stevas	1974–75
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons	The Rt Hon. Jim Prior	1974
	The Rt Hon. John Peyton	1974–75
Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment	The Rt Hon. Margaret Thatcher	1974–75
Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland	The Rt Hon. Francis Pym	1974
	The Rt Hon. Ian Gilmour	1974–75
Opposition Chief Whip	The Rt Hon. Humphrey Atkins	1974–75
Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords	The Rt Hon. The Lord Carrington PC	1974–75

Further reading

• Margaret Thatcher: The Authorized Biography Volume 1: Not For Turning by Charles Moore