Katana VentraIP

Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)

The Leader of His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition, more commonly referred to as the Leader of the Opposition, is the person who leads the Official Opposition in the United Kingdom. The position is seen as the shadow head of government of the United Kingdom and thus the shadow prime minister of the United Kingdom.

Leader of His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition

Leader of the Opposition
(informal)
The Right Honourable
(formal)

Largest political party in the House of Commons that is not in government, serves at the pleasure of His Majesty.

While leader of the largest political party in the House of Commons that is not in government

The Lord Grenville

March 1807
1 July 1937 (Statutory)

Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

£144,649[1]
(including £81,932 MP salary[2])

His Majesty's Official Opposition: The Shadow Cabinet

By convention, the Leader of the Opposition is the leader of the largest political party in the House of Commons that is not in government. When a single party wins outright, this is the party leader of the second-largest political party in the House of Commons. The current Leader of the Opposition is Sir Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Labour Party. Starmer was elected to that position on 4 April 2020.[3]


The Leader of the Opposition is often viewed as an alternative or shadow prime minister, and is appointed to the Privy Council. They lead an Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet, which scrutinises the actions of the Cabinet and offers alternative policies.


In the nineteenth century, party affiliations were generally less fixed and the leaders in the two Houses were often of equal status. A single and clear Leader of the Opposition was only definitively settled if the opposition leader in the House of Commons or House of Lords was the outgoing prime minister. However, since the Parliament Act 1911, there has been no dispute that the leader in the House of Commons is pre-eminent and has always held the primary title.


The Leader of the Opposition is entitled to a salary in addition to their salary as a Member of Parliament. In 2019, this additional entitlement was available up to £65,181.[1]

Section 5 states that "There shall be paid to the Leader of the Opposition an annual salary of two thousand pounds".

Section 10(1) includes a definition (which codifies the usual situation under the previous custom) "Leader of the Opposition" means that member of the House of Commons who is for the time being the leader in that House of the party in opposition to His Majesty's Government having the greatest numerical strength in that House".

The 1937 Act also contains an important provision to decide who is the Leader of the Opposition, if this is in doubt. Under section 10(3) "If any doubt arises as to which is or was at any material time the party in opposition to His Majesty's Government having the greatest numerical strength in the House of Commons, or as to who is or was at any material time the leader in that House of such a party the question shall be decided for the purposes of this Act by the , and his decision, certified in writing under his hand, shall be final and conclusive".

Speaker of the House of Commons

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Leader of the Opposition

British Historical Facts 1760–1830, by Chris Cook and John Stevenson (The Macmillan Press 1980)

British Historical Facts 1830–1900, by Chris Cook and Brendan Keith (The Macmillan Press 1975)

His Majesty's Opposition 1714–1830, by Archibald S. Foord (Oxford University Press and Clarendon Press, 1964)

History of the Liberal Party 1895–1970, by (Sidgwick & Jackson 1971)

Roy Douglas

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Twentieth Century British Political Facts 1900–2000, by David Butler and Gareth Butler (Macmillan Press 8th edition, 2000)