What is "shadow cabinet"

n. a group of senior members of the political party that is out of power; these members would probably assume corresponding positions as ministers in the British Cabinet if their party was elected

The Shadow Cabinet is a feature of the Westminster system of government. It consists of a senior group of opposition spokespeople who, under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition, form an alternative cabinet to that of the government, and whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the Cabinet. Members of a shadow cabinet are often but not always appointed to a Cabinet post if and when their party gets into government. It is the Shadow Cabinet's responsibility to criticise the policies and actions of the government, as well as offering an alternative program.

In most countries, a member of the shadow cabinet is referred to as a Shadow Minister. In Canada, however, the term Opposition Critic is more common. In the United Kingdom's House of Lords and in New Zealand, the term "spokesperson" is used instead of "shadow".

The Shadow Cabinet is a team of fictional superheroes created by Milestone Comics and published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Shadow Cabinet #0 (January 1994), and were created by Dwayne McDuffie, Robert L. Washington III and John Paul Leon. Almost all of the original run, issues #4-11 and #13-17, were written by Matt Wayne.

A Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government.

Shadow Cabinet may also refer to:

• Shadow Cabinet (comics), a team of fictional superheroes
• The Shadow Cabinet, a 2006 folk metal album
• A song off the album Remote Luxury by the Australian band The Church.

Unlike the Westminster arrangement where there is an 'Official Opposition' to the government of the day, there is no such thing as an 'official' opposition to the Scottish Government. Instead, all parties that are not in government are merely 'opposition parties'. With the current Scottish Government being Scottish National Party (SNP), the four other main parties are all opposition parties and each will have a Shadow Cabinet composed of Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) with a responsibility to shadow a government minister or area of government.

Parties are allowed to choose how their spokespersons are referred to. Named party spokespeople are not all Members of the Scottish Parliament.

Unlike the Westminster arrangement where there is an 'Official Opposition' to the government of the day, there is no such thing as an 'official' opposition to the Welsh Government. Instead, all parties that are not in government are merely 'opposition parties'. With the current Welsh Government being a minority government run by Welsh Labour, the main opposition party is currently Plaid Cymru, and has a shadow cabinet composing of Assembly Members.