Shadow Cabinet of William Hague
Following his initial appointments in June 1997, Hague reshuffled the Shadow Cabinet five times before his resignation as leader following defeat in the 2001 general election.A minor Shadow Cabinet reshuffle was required on 2 December 1998, due to the sacking of Viscount Cranborne over the House of Lords Act 1999.Cranborne had been engaged in secret negotiations with the Labour Government over the issue of hereditary peers, without informing William Hague.The sacking of Cranborne led to a leadership crisis, with some Conservative peers resigning the party whip.Hague's final Shadow Cabinet reshuffle occurred on 26 September 2000.