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.

Contents

[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

[edit] See also