Opposition in United Kingdom

The Opposition in the History

For every minister – elected MP who oversees a department e.g Home Office or Foreign Office – in power there is a shadow minister of the opposing party. In the play George Jones is the Leader of the Opposition (his modern equivalent is Ed Milliband) and Malcolm Pryce is the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (his modern equivalent is Ed Balls). They are also elected MPs but not from the party that won the previous general election. They form a shadow cabinet. It is the opposition’s duty to call to account the party of power. This is one of the many ‘checks and balances’ in the British political system. They do not have access to state funded resources in the same way that the party of power do. Below is a list of some of the most important shadow cabinet ministers in 1992.

The Opposition (The) Meaning, as used in the UK Parliament

The Opposition, formally known as Her Majesty’s Official Opposition, refers to the largest political party in the House of Commons that is not in government. The leader of this party takes the title Leader of the Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of the Government. More generally, any party that is not a part of the government is described as an opposition party.