Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)
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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.
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[edit] Leader of the Opposition in the UK
Those who have subsequently served as Prime Minister are indicated in italics.
[edit] 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 wartime 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 lead 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
[edit] 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 | 1898-1905 |
| Arthur Balfour | Unionist | 1905-1906 |
| Joseph Chamberlain | Liberal Unionist | 1906 |
| Arthur Balfour | Unionist | 1906-1911 |
| Andrew Bonar Law | Unionist | 1911-1915 |
[edit] 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 |
| Earl Granville | 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 |
