LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION (UNITED KINGDOM)

(Redirected from Leader of the Opposition (UK))

The 'Leader of the Opposition' in the United Kingdom is the politician who leads Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition. This is the leader of the largest party not within the government, usually the leader of the second largest party in the House of Commons. He or she is normally viewed as an alternative Prime Minister, and is a member of the Privy Council.
Since 1937, the Leader of the Opposition has received a state salary in addition to their salary as a Member of Parliament (MP), now equivalent to a Cabinet Minister. The holder also receives a chauffeur-driven car for official business of equivalent cost and specification to the vehicles used by most cabinet ministers.
The current Leader of the Opposition is David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party.

Contents

Leader of the Opposition in the UK

Official Leaders of the Opposition

Leaders of the Opposition in the House of Commons, 1807-1915

Leaders of the Opposition in the House of Lords, 1807-1915

See also

Leader of the Opposition in the UK

Those who have subsequently served as Prime Minister are indicated in ''italics''.

Official Leaders of the Opposition

Arthur Balfour 1	Unionist	1905-1906
Joseph Chamberlain 2	Liberal Unionist	1906
Arthur Balfour 1	Conservative	1906-1911
''Andrew Bonar Law''	Conservative	1911-1915
Herbert Henry Asquith 1	Opposition Liberal	1916-1918
Sir Donald Maclean 3	Opposition Liberal	1918-1920
Herbert Henry Asquith 1	Opposition Liberal	1920-1922
''Ramsay Macdonald''	Labour	1922-1924
''Stanley Baldwin'' 1	Conservative	1924
''Ramsay Macdonald'' 1	Labour	1924-1929
''Stanley Baldwin'' 1	Conservative	1929-1931
Arthur Henderson	Labour	1931
George Lansbury	Labour	1931-1935
''Clement Attlee''	Labour	1935-1940
Hastings Lees-Smith 4	Labour	1940-41
Frederick Pethick-Lawrence 4	Labour	1942
Arthur Greenwood 4	Labour	1942-45
''Clement Attlee''	Labour	1945
''Winston Churchill'' 1	Conservative	1945-1951
Clement Attlee 1	Labour	1951-1955
Herbert Morrison	Labour	1955
Hugh Gaitskell	Labour	1955-1963
George Brown 5	Labour	1963
''Harold Wilson''	Labour	1963-1964
Sir Alec Douglas-Home 1	Conservative	1964-1965
''Edward Heath''	Conservative	1965-1970
''Harold Wilson'' 1	Labour	1970-1974
Edward Heath 1	Conservative	1974-1975
''Margaret Thatcher''	Conservative	1975-1979
James Callaghan 1	Labour	1979-1980
Michael Foot	Labour	1980-1983
Neil Kinnock	Labour	1983-1992
John Smith	Labour	1992-1994
Margaret Beckett 5	Labour	1994
''Tony Blair''	Labour	1994-1997
John Major 1	Conservative	1997
William Hague	Conservative	1997-2001
Iain Duncan Smith	Conservative	2001-2003
Michael Howard	Conservative	2003-2005
David Cameron	Conservative	2005-

¹ Previously served as Prime Minister.

² Acting leader, as Balfour had lost his seat at the election.

³ Acting leader, as Asquith had lost his seat at the election.

⁴ During World War II a succession of Labour politicians acted as Leader of the Opposition for the purpose of allowing the House of Commons to function normally. However, because the Government 1940-45 was a National Government in which Labour politicians functioned fully as members of the Government, from Deputy Prime Minister Clement Attlee downwards, none of them received the salary for the post of Leader of the Opposition.
The largest party that opposed the war and was not part of the coalition - and therefore, in theory, the opposition was the Independent Labour Party led by James Maxton. With only three MPs, it tried to take over the opposition frontbench but was widely opposed in this venture.

⁵ Commonly the acting leader, following death of the leader, but according to Labour Party constitution is actual leader until the next party conference (or otherwise), as the leader is elected annually.

Before the reform of the House of Lords triggered by Lloyd George's Budget, the Prime Minister could be drawn from either the House of Lords or the House of Commons, as could the Leader of the Opposition. Sometimes there was no overall Leader of the Opposition. In the lists below, those generally seen as leaders of the whole opposition are indicated in 'bold'

Leaders of the Opposition in the House of Commons, 1807-1915

George Ponsonby	Whig	1807-1817
George Tierney	Whig	1817-1821
''no recognised leader''	Whig	1821-1830
Viscount Althorp	Whig	1830
''Sir Robert Peel''	Tory	1830-1834
''Lord John Russell''	Whig	1834-1835
'''Sir Robert Peel'''	Conservative	1835-1841
'''Lord John Russell'''	Whig	1841-1846
Lord George Bentinck	Protectionist Conservative	1846-1848
Marquess of Granby	Protectionist Conservative	1848
Marquess of Granby; John Charles Herries; and ''Benjamin Disraeli''	Protectionist Conservative	1849-1851
''Benjamin Disraeli''	Protectionist Conservative	1851-1852
'''Lord John Russell'''	Whig	1852
''Benjamin Disraeli''	Conservative	1852-1858
''Viscount Palmerston and ''Lord John Russell''	Whig	1858-1859
''Benjamin Disraeli''	Conservative	1859-1866
''William Ewart Gladstone''	Liberal	1866-1868
'''Benjamin Disraeli'''	Conservative	1868-1874
'''William Ewart Gladstone'''	Liberal	1874-1875
Marquess of Hartington	Liberal	1875-1880
Sir Stafford Northcote	Conservative	1880-1885
'''William Ewart Gladstone'''	Liberal	1885-1886
Sir Michael Hicks Beach	Conservative	1886
'''William Ewart Gladstone'''	Liberal	1886-1892
''Arthur Balfour''	Conservative	1892-1895
Sir William Harcourt	Liberal	1895-1898
'''Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman'''	Liberal	1899-1905
'Arthur Balfour'	Unionist	1905-1906
Joseph Chamberlain	Liberal Unionist	1906
'Arthur Balfour'	Unionist	1906-1911
'Andrew Bonar Law'	Unionist	1911-1915

Leaders of the Opposition in the House of Lords, 1807-1915

During Asquith's coalition government of 1915-1916, there was no opposition in either the Commons or the Lords. The only party not in Asquith's Liberal, Conservative, Labour Coalition was the Irish Nationalist Party led by John Redmond. However, this party supported the government and did not function as an Opposition

Lord Grenville	Whig	1807-1817
'''Earl Grey'''	Whig	1817-1830
Duke of Wellington	Tory	1830-1834
'''Viscount Melbourne'''	Whig	1834-1835
Duke of Wellington	Conservative	1835-1841
Viscount Melbourne	Whig	1841-1842
Marquess of Lansdowne	Whig	1842-1846
'''Lord Stanley''' (from 1851, Earl of Derby)	Protectionist Conservative	1846-1852
Marquess of Lansdowne	Whig	1852
'''Earl of Derby'''	Conservative	1852-1858
Earl Granville	Whig	1858-1859
'''Earl of Derby'''	Conservative	1859-1866
Earl Russell	Liberal	1866-1868
Earl Granville	Liberal	1868
Earl of Malmesbury	Conservative	1868-1869
Lord Cairns	Conservative	1869-1870
Duke of Richmond	Conservative	1870-1874
Earl Granville	Liberal	1874-1880
'Earl of Beaconsfield'	Conservative	1880-1881
''Marquess of Salisbury''	Conservative	1881-1885
Earl Granville	Liberal	1885-1886
'''Marquess of Salisbury'''	Conservative	1886
Earl Granville	Liberal	1886-1891
Earl of Kimberley	Liberal	1891-1892
'''Marquess of Salisbury'''	Conservative	1892-1895
'Earl of Rosebery'	Liberal	1895-1896
Earl of Kimberley	Liberal	1896-1902
Marquess of Ripon	Liberal	1902-1905
Marquess of Lansdowne	Unionist	1905-1915

See also

★ Prime Minister of the United Kingdom