Opposition is the act of opposing, resisting or combating someone or something. Opposition can also refer to a political party that is opposed to the current government and seeks to replace it. The term can also be used to describe a situation in a game of chess.
A key role of the opposition is to scrutinise government policy in parliament. They do this by asking questions and sitting on select committees. At Prime Minister’s Questions, the leader of the opposition can ask the prime minister up to six questions. They are also able to use their right to table amendments on legislation in the House of Lords, although this is less common.
They can also use the opposition to raise awareness of issues that are important to their constituents. For example, in October 2020, Labour used one of their opposition days to press the government to extend free school meals for children through half-term, following a campaign by footballer Marcus Rashford.
The opposition also appoints shadow ministers who develop policies and examine the work of departments. The leader of the opposition and shadow cabinet members sit on the opposite side to government ministers in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The leader of the opposition and shadow cabinet earn an additional salary to reflect this status, while opposition whips and assistant whips in both Houses are paid their normal MP salaries. This arrangement allows the opposition to retain its expertise even if they have no overall control of the House. A similar principle applies to select committee chairs, whose membership is allocated according to the number of seats each party holds in the House.
About the Author
