According to Erskine May - 'There are opposition parties but only one is regarded as the 'Official Opposition' and that is the largest minority party which is prepared, in the event of the resignation of the government, to assume office.' (Erskine May para 4.6).
The Leader of the Opposition and some of the Leader's principal colleagues in both Houses form a group, known as ‘the Shadow Cabinet’, each member of which is given a particular range of activities on which it is their task to direct criticism of the Government's policy and administration and to outline alternative policies.
Since 1975, the Official Opposition has been entitled to financial assistance (known as ‘Short Money’) to help meet, among other expenses, the running costs of the office of the Leader of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition is also provided with a suite of offices at Westminster.
The Speaker's decision on the identity of the Leader of the Opposition is final - Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975 s 2(2). For the Speaker's ruling on the identity of the Leader of the Opposition and the main Opposition party, see HC Deb (29 June 2016) 612, c 340.
The following is from the Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975 ...
Other parties in Parliament are not properly regarded as forming a "Shadow Cabinet" but they often appoint spokespersons who concentrate on particular topics - e.g. on Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Defence etc.
Registration of Political Parties is addressed by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 Part 2. The term "party" includes and organisation or person - (section 40).
Political parties have various structures but are usually either unincorporated associations (e.g. The Labour Party) or Companies limited by guarantee - see Restless Stories 28 March 2025.
Links:
Hansard Society - Briefings - Back to Business: Opposition Parties
No comments:
Post a Comment