Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)

The Leader of the Opposition (sometimes known as the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons) in the United Kingdom is the politician who leads His Majesty's Loyal Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition is normally the leader of the second largest party in the House of Commons.

Leader of His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom
Incumbent Kemi Badenoch since 2 November 2024
Official Opposition Parliament of the United Kingdom Leader of the Opposition's Office
Style	Leader of the Opposition (informal) The Right Honourable (formal)
Member of	House of Commons Shadow Cabinet Privy Council
Appointer	Largest political party in the House of Commons that is not in government
Term length	While leader of the largest political party in the House of Commons that is not in government
Inaugural holder	The Lord Grenville
Formation	March 1807 1 July 1937 (Statutory)
Deputy	Shadow First Secretary of State
Salary	£144,649[1] (including £81,932 MP salary[2])
Website	His Majesty's Official Opposition: The Shadow Cabinet

The current Leader of the Opposition is Rishi Sunak, the Leader of the Conservative Party. Sunak assumed the position on 5 July 2024, after his party lost the 2024 election.^[3]

List of leaders of the opposition (1911–present)

List of leaders of the opposition since the Parliament Act

Portrait		Leader of the Opposition	Term of office			Elections	Party	Shadow cabinet
			Start	End	Duration
		Sir Edward Carson[F]	19 October 1915	6 December 1916	1 year, 49 days	—	Conservative (Irish U.)
		H. H. Asquith[1][G]	6 December 1916	14 December 1918	2 years, 9 days	1918	Independent Liberal
		Sir Donald Maclean[H]	14 December 1918	12 February 1920	1 year, 61 days	—
		H. H. Asquith[1]	12 February 1920	21 November 1922	2 years, 283 days	1922
		Ramsay MacDonald[2]	21 November 1922	22 January 1924	1 year, 63 days	1923	Labour
		Stanley Baldwin[3]	22 January 1924	4 November 1924	288 days	1924	Conservative
		Ramsay MacDonald[3]	4 November 1924	5 June 1929	4 years, 214 days	1929	Labour
		Stanley Baldwin[3]	5 June 1929	24 August 1931	2 years, 81 days	—	Conservative
		Arthur Henderson[J]	1 September 1931	25 October 1932	1 year, 55 days	1931	Labour
		George Lansbury[K]	25 October 1932	8 October 1935	3 years, 349 days	—
		Clement Attlee[2][L]	25 October 1935	11 May 1940	4 years, 200 days	1935
		Hastings Lees-Smith[†][M]	22 May 1940	18 December 1941	1 year, 211 days	—
		Frederick Pethick-Lawrence[M]	21 January 1942	February 1942	12 days	—
		Arthur Greenwood[M]	February 1942	23 May 1945	3 years, 112 days	—
		Clement Attlee[2]	23 May 1945	26 July 1945	65 days	1945
		Winston Churchill[3]	26 July 1945	26 October 1951	6 years, 93 days	1950	Conservative
						1951
		Clement Attlee[1]	26 October 1951	25 November 1955	4 years, 31 days	1955	Labour
		Herbert Morrison[N]	25 November 1955	14 December 1955	20 days	—
		Hugh Gaitskell[†]	14 December 1955	18 January 1963	7 years, 36 days	1959
		George Brown[N]	18 January 1963	14 February 1963	28 days	—
		Harold Wilson[2]	14 February 1963	16 October 1964	1 year, 246 days	1964		Wilson I
		Sir Alec Douglas-Home[1]	16 October 1964	28 July 1965	286 days	—	Conservative (Scot.U.)	Douglas-Home
		Edward Heath[2]	28 July 1965	19 June 1970	4 years, 327 days	1966	Conservative	Heath I
						1970
		Harold Wilson[3]	19 June 1970	4 March 1974	3 years, 259 days	Feb 1974	Labour	Wilson II
		Edward Heath[1]	4 March 1974	11 February 1975	345 days	Oct 1974	Conservative	Heath II
		Margaret Thatcher[2]	11 February 1975	4 May 1979	4 years, 83 days	1979		Thatcher
		James Callaghan[1]	4 May 1979	10 November 1980	1 year, 191 days	—	Labour	Callaghan
		Michael Foot	10 November 1980	2 October 1983	2 years, 327 days	1983		Foot
		Neil Kinnock	2 October 1983	18 July 1992	8 years, 291 days	1987		Kinnock
						1992
		John Smith[†]	18 July 1992	12 May 1994	1 year, 299 days	—		Smith
		Margaret Beckett[N]	12 May 1994	21 July 1994	71 days	—		Beckett
		Tony Blair[2]	21 July 1994	2 May 1997	2 years, 286 days	1997		Blair
		John Major[1]	2 May 1997	19 June 1997	49 days	—	Conservative	Major
		William Hague	19 June 1997	13 September 2001	4 years, 87 days	2001		Hague
		Iain Duncan Smith	13 September 2001	6 November 2003	2 years, 55 days	—		Duncan Smith
		Michael Howard	6 November 2003	6 December 2005	2 years, 31 days	2005		Howard
		David Cameron[2]	6 December 2005	11 May 2010	4 years, 157 days	2010		Cameron
		Harriet Harman[N]	11 May 2010	25 September 2010	138 days	—	Labour	Harman I
		Ed Miliband	25 September 2010	8 May 2015	4 years, 226 days	2015		Miliband
		Harriet Harman[N]	8 May 2015	12 September 2015	128 days	—		Harman II
		Jeremy Corbyn	12 September 2015	4 April 2020	4 years, 206 days	2017		Corbyn
						2019
		Sir Keir Starmer[2]	4 April 2020	5 July 2024	4 years, 93 days	2024		Starmer
		Rishi Sunak[1]	5 July 2024	2 November 2024	121 days	—	Conservative	Sunak
		Kemi Badenoch[1]	2 November 2024	Incumbent	267 days	—		Badenoch