Campbell Adds To Shadow Cabinet
Sir Menzies Campbell today completed his Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet reshuffle.
Jo Swinson MP joins the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland. Susan Kramer joins the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow International Development Secretary.
At 26, Jo Swinson becomes the youngest frontbench spokesperson in the House of Commons. She is the youngest MP in Parliament and the only MP to have been born in the 1980s.
Alistair Carmichael MP joins the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Transport.
Nick Harvey MP enters the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Defence Secretary.
Sarah Teather MP, previously the party's Local Government spokesman, is promoted to Shadow Education Secretary.
Edward Davey MP becomes Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. He has also been tasked by Sir Menzies Campbell to carry out a review of the party's campaigning techniques - with a view to using the latest technologies to get Liberal Democrat messages across.
In other changes, Andrew Stunell MP takes on the ODPM portfolio. He will continue as Chief Whip until the party elects a successor.
Simon Hughes MP, Party President, remains as Shadow Attorney General and additionally takes on the Department for Constitutional Affairs portfolio.
David Heath MP remains as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons and the Shadow Cabinet Office Minister with responsibility for human rights legislation.
Don Foster MP is reappointed as Shadow Secretary of State for the Department of Culture Media and Sport.
Lembit Opik MP remains as Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and as Shadow Secretary of State for Wales.
Commenting, Sir Menzies Campbell MP said:
"I am delighted to have completed my Shadow Cabinet reshuffle. The Liberal Democrats have a formidable Parliamentary team.
"I am determined that we will continue to develop a modern, forward looking liberal agenda. I have now put in place the team to carry that message forward. Only the Liberal Democrats can provide the value-based policies and approach that the British electorate are crying out for."
He added:
"I promised to bring more women into the Shadow Cabinet and have done exactly that. Jo Swinson joins my team as the youngest frontbench spokesperson in the House of Commons. Susan Kramer will be a formidable Shadow International Development Secretary. I know that Sarah Teather is greatly looking forward to challenging the government over their Education Bill.
"Julia Goldsworthy is already up and running as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
"I have also undertaken to ensure that we use the most modern campaigning techniques to get the Liberal Democrat message across. I have given Edward Davey the vital task of reviewing our communication techniques and ensuring we remain at the cutting edge of campaigning."
ENDS
Notes to editors
· Full List of Shadow Cabinet.
· Biographies of new appointees.
Shadow Cabinet as at Wednesday 8th March
Entering the Shadow Cabinet Today
Shadow Defence Secretary Nick Harvey MP
Shadow Transport Secretary Alistair Carmichael MP
Shadow DFID Secretary Susan Kramer MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland Jo Swinson MP
New Portfolios Today
Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary Edward Davey MP
Shadow Education Secretary Sarah Teather MP
Shadow to the ODPM Andrew Stunell MP
Simon Hughes also takes on responsibility for Shadowing the Department of Constitutional Affairs.
Full Shadow Cabinet
Leader Sir Menzies Campbell MP
Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable MP
Shadow Transport Secretary Alistair Carmichael MP
Shadow Home Secretary Nick Clegg MP
Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary Edward Davey MP
Shadow DCMS Secretary Don Foster MP
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Julia Goldsworthy MP
Shadow Defence Secretary Nick Harvey MP
Leader of the House &
Shadow Cabinet Office David Heath MP
Shadow Attorney General &
Department of Constitutional Affairs Simon Hughes MP
Shadow DEFRA Secretary Chris Huhne MP
Shadow DFID Secretary Susan Kramer MP
Leader's Chief of Staff Norman Lamb MP
Shadow DWP Secretary David Laws MP
Leader of the Liberal Democrats
in the House of Lords Lord McNally
Shadow Foreign Secretary Michael Moore MP
Northern Ireland and Wales Lembit Opik MP
Chief Whip in the Lords Lord Shutt
Shadow to the ODPM Andrew Stunell MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland Jo Swinson MP
Shadow Education Secretary Sarah Teather MP
Shadow Health Secretary Steve Webb MP
Deputy Leader Elected position
Chief Whip Elected position
Leaving Shadow Cabinet
Andrew George MP, Tom Brake MP, John Thurso MP, Sandra Gidley MP and Norman Baker MP. Tom Brake MP and John Thurso MP will be nominated for Select Committee positions. Sandra Gidley MP will join the Liberal Democrat Health Team and be nominated for the Health Select Committee.
Biographies of new appointees.
Alistair Carmichael MP, 41, was elected MP for Orkney and Shetland in 2001. His current majority is 6,627 (37%) and he represents 31 inhabited islands, some with as few as 15 residents.
Alistair has been acting as the party's Shadow Home Secretary.
A lawyer by vocation, he has previosuly worked as a Solicitor, a Procurator Fiscal Depute and a hotel manager.
Edward Davey MP, 41, was elected MP for Kingston and Surbiton in 1997 and currently holds the seat with a majority of 8966.
Since 2005, Ed has been the Shadow Education Secretary.
Between 2002- 2005 he was Shadow Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and previously had been an Economics Affairs spokesman and spokesman for London Liberal Democrats on the economy, employment and tourism.
Prior to entering Parliament, Ed worked for the Liberal Democrats in Parliament from 1989 to 1993 becoming Senior Economics Advisor and then moved to a management consultancy firm, Omega Partners from 1993 to 1997.
Nick Harvey MP, 44, was elected MP for North Devon in 1992 having ousted the sitting Conservative MP with a swing of 4.73%. His current majority is 10%.
Nick was Transport spokesman from 1992 to 1994, Trade & Industry spokesman from 1994 to 1997, spokesman on the English Regions 1997 to 1999, Health spokesman 1999 to 2001, Shadow DCMS Secretary 2001 to 2003, and a member of the Home Office and Standards and Priveleges Select Committees from 2005.
In 1999, Nick stood down from a long and notably successful stint at Party HQ as Chairman of Campaigns and Communications.
Prior to his election, Nick enjoyed a career in communications and marketing working with City consultants Dewe Rogerson.
Susan Kramer MP, 55, was elected MP for Richmond Park in 2005.
Prior to entering politics, Susan was a Vice-President of International Citibank before joining colleagues to set up Future Water International, developing an environmentally friendly waste water recycling project in Hungary.
From 2005, Susan was a shadow spokesperson on the Treasury team and sat on the Treasury Select Committee.
Previously the candidate in Dulwich and West Norwood in 1997, Susan was also Chair of the Twickenham and Richmond Liberal Democrats from 2001 to 2002, Women Liberal Democrats executive from 1997 to 2000, London regional executive from 1997 to 2003 and the Liberal Democrat federal executive from 2001 to 2004.
Andrew Stunell MP, 63, won Hazel Grove from the Conservatives in 1997 and retained it comfortably in 2001 and again in 2005.
In 2001 he was appointed Chief Whip and became a Spokesman for Energy. From 2005 Andrew has been a member of the Finance and Services Select Committee.
From 1989 to 1996 Andrew worked as Political Secretary of the Association of Liberal Democratic Councillors (ALDC), heading the organisation, which trains and supports the country's Liberal Democrat councillors and its large body of campaigners.
Jo Swinson MP, 26, was elected MP for Dunbartonshire East in 2005 with a 7.5% swing. Jo has been a Liberal Democrat spokesperson on the Department of Culture, Media & Sport since 2005.
In the 2001 General Election she achieved a 6% swing to the Lib Dems as the candidate against the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott in Hull East.
Prior to entering politics, Jo graduated from the London School of Economics with a First Class Honours degree in Management, and then moved to Yorkshire as the Marketing & PR Manager for Viking FM.
Jo is the first ever Member of Parliament born in the 1980s.
Sarah Teather MP, 31, was elected MP for Brent East in a sensational by-election victory on 18 September 2003, when she took the former Labour stronghold with a swing of 29% from Labour.
Following her re-election in 2005, she became the Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary for Community & Local Government. Sarah has been the Party's Spokesperson on London issues and was previously a Spokesperson for the Party on Health.
Before becoming an MP, Sarah worked for a major cancer care charity, Macmillan Cancer Relief, where she advised on health and social policy.
However, Sarah has been very much a constituency MP and has championed issues in Parliament such as education funding, access to GPs, and the housing crisis and is running a very active local campaign to persuade the Labour-run Council to clean up the area.