Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer used interchangeably with "economic spokesperson" by the Liberal Democrats as well as the main opposition party. This was a source of humour for one time Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, who in 2005 played the two off against one another in Parliament, saying, "I, too, have a great deal of time for the shadow Chancellor who resides in Twickenham [<nowiki></nowiki>Vince Cable<nowiki></nowiki>], rather than the shadow Chancellor for the Conservative Party." The position of Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer is currently held by John McDonnell. Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer The Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in the British Parliamentary
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer The Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in the British Parliamentary system is the member of the Shadow Cabinet who is responsible for shadowing the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The title is in the gift of the Leader of the Opposition but is informal. The Shadow Chancellor has no constitutional role. The name for the position has a mixed history. It is used to designate the lead economic spokesman for the Opposition, although some Shadow Cabinets have not used the term (the Thatcher Shadow Cabinet in the Conservative Party Campaign of 1979). The term has been