Leader of the Opposition
| Leader of the Opposition | |
|---|---|
 | |
| His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition | |
| Style |
|
| Member of | |
| Residence | |
| Appointer | The Sovereign |
| Constituting instrument | HM Most Loyal Opposition Act 2024 |
| Formation | 10 September 2020 |
| First holder | Philip Brandon |
| Deputy | Deputy Leader of the Opposition |
| Salary | £5,250 per cycle (July 2024) |
| Website | Westminster Hall |
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 Empire of Great Britain. The position is seen as the shadow head of government and thus the shadow of the Prime Minister of Great Britain.
Originally 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 role has since been codified by statute.
The Leader of the Opposition is often viewed as an alternative or shadow prime minister. They lead an Shadow Cabinet, which scrutinises the actions of the Cabinet and offers alternative policies.
Leaders of the Opposition
List of Leaders of the Opposition of Great Britain
| Portrait | Leader of the Opposition | Term of Office | Elections | Party | Shadow Cabinet | Sovereign | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | Duration | |||||||
| | 
|
Philip Brandon MP for Melbourne Ports |
10 September 2020 | 20 September 2020 | 11 days | September 2020 | Independent | P. Brandon | William V |
| | 
|
Victor Somerset The Earl of Pembroke MP for York Center |
13 January 2021 | 25 February 2021 | 44 days | January 2021 | British Workers' | Pembroke | |
| | 
|
James Forsyte The Viscount Spencer MP for York Central |
8 June 2021 | 19 June 2021 | 12 days | - | Liberal Democrats | Spencer | |
| | Francis Olórin MP for North Down |
21 June 2021 | 18 August 2021 | 28 days | March 2021 | The Independent Group | F. Olórin | ||
| | 
|
Sirch Somerset The Viscount Halifax MP for Vancouver Centre |
9 October 2022 | 2 November 2022 | 25 days | October 2022 | British Workers' | Halifax | Elizabeth III |
|
Sir Tobias Pembroke MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire |
6 November 2022 | 3 December 2022 | 28 days | - | T. Pembroke | |||
| | 
|
Henry Somerset The Viscount Middleton MP for Caithness Sutherland, and Easter Ross |
9 December 2022 | 27 December 2022 | 19 days | December 2022 | British Royalist | Middleton | |
|
Sir Elio Somerset MP for Exeter |
27 December 2022 | 20 January 2023 | 25 days | - | E. Somerset | |||
| |
|
James Forsyte The Duke of Warwick MP for York Central |
23 May 2023 | 20 July 2023 | 59 days | May 2023 | Liberal Democrats | Warwick | Edward IX |
|
Yeldon Wright The Baron Scarborough MP for North Yorkshire |
20 November 2023 | 3 January 2024 | 45 days | Nov. 2023 | Scarborough | |||
| | 
|
Josephine Carew-Grey Lady Knightstone MP for Queen's Park and Maida Vale |
22 April 2024 | 1 May 2024 | 10 days | - | Liberal | Carew-Grey | Charles III |
| |
|
Elio Somerset The Viscount Salisbury MP for Exeter |
5 May 2024 | 8 May 2024 | 4 days | May 2024 | Labour | Salisbury | |
| | 
|
Nicholas Burke MP for County Galway |
9 May 2024 | 17 May 2024 | 9 days | - | Independent | Burke | |
| | 
|
Kathrine Grey The Countess of Argyll MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar |
1 July 2024 | 10 August 2024 | 41 days | July 2024 | Liberal-Progressive | Argyll | |
| | 
|
Sir Oliver Villiers MP for St. Albans-Welwyn-Hatfield |
4 July 2025 | 25 August 2025 | 53 days | - | Green Sovereignty | Villiers | George VII |
| | 
|
Sir Oscar Sherwood MP for Mount Albert |
25 August 2025 | 28 August 2025 | 4 days | Aug. 2025 | Progressive Commonwealth | O. Sherwood | |
|
Jacob Sherwood MP for Cardiff West |
20 November 2025 | 9 December 2025 | 20 days | - | LION | J. Sherwood | ||