The Opposition and shadow cabinet
The nutshell
The Opposition is the biggest party in the House of Commons that is not in government. Its job is to question the government and set out different plans, led by a team of senior MPs called the shadow cabinet.
Every fact on this page comes from Parliament's own guides and non-partisan research. Each source tag — like Parl — opens where a fact comes from.
The basics
What the Opposition is
The party with the most MPs forms the government. The next biggest party becomes theOfficial Opposition — the main party that is not in charge.Parl The leader of that party is called the Leader of the Opposition.
What the shadow cabinet does
The Leader of the Opposition picks a team of senior MPs called the shadow cabinet. Each member shadows one government minister. For example, a shadow chancellor follows the work of the chancellor.Parl The job of a shadow minister is to question that minister and to set out different plans.IfG
How the Opposition questions the government
The Commons sets aside 20 days each session for the Opposition to choose what MPs debate. These are called opposition days, and 17 of the 20 go to the largest opposition party. The Leader of the Opposition also gets to ask the first questions at Prime Minister's Questions.HoC
Money to do the job
Opposition parties get public money to help with parliamentary work. This is calledShort Money. It started in 1975 and is named after Edward Short, who was Leader of the House of Commons at the time.HoC
- Questioning the government in public helps voters see what it is doing
- A shadow cabinet gives the country a team ready to take over after the next election
- Short Money helps a smaller Opposition keep up with the government's resources
- The Opposition can delay and question a plan, but cannot block what the government decides
- Short Money is public money, and how much each party gets is often argued over
- A shadow minister runs no department, so the role is to question and plan, not to decide
The deep end6 min
Government and Opposition, side by side
UK Parliament sets out the two sides plainly. The party with the most seats in the House of Commons forms the government. The second largest party becomes the Official Opposition, and the Leader of the Opposition picks a shadow cabinet to follow the work of government departments.Parl The Official Opposition is sometimes described as a government in waiting, ready to take over if it wins the next election.
What shadow ministers actually do
The Institute for Government, an independent research body, records that shadow ministers are appointed by the Leader of the Opposition and usually take roles that mirror the government. The job of a shadow minister is to scrutinise the minister being shadowed and to develop policies for the party.IfG A shadow minister runs no department and signs off no spending, so the role is to question and to plan, not to decide.
The tools the Opposition has
The House of Commons Library sets out the Opposition's formal rights. Under the rules of the Commons, 20 days each session are set aside for the Opposition to choose the subject for debate, and 17 of those opposition days go to the largest opposition party.HoC These debates cannot force the government to change course, but each one puts a subject on the record and makes ministers answer for it.
Paying for the Opposition's work
Opposition parties do not have the staff and researchers that government departments have. To help close that gap, public money called Short Money is paid to opposition parties for parliamentary work. The House of Commons Library records that Short Money was introduced in 1975 and is named after Edward Short, then Leader of the House of Commons.HoC How much each party should receive has been changed and argued over by different governments since.