Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 20 October 1949.
Mr Herbert Morrison
, Lewisham East
12:00,
20 October 1949
So that there shall be no risk of the House being restricted in the Debate—for example, if the question of legislation should emerge, either on our side or if the Opposition might wish to suggest it, I do not want the House to be inhibited from debating it—I think the most convenient form would be for the Government to put down a Motion which will enable the Debate to take a quite wide form.
The Opposition are the political parties in the House of Commons other than the largest or Government party. They are called the Opposition because they sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons Chamber. The largest of the Opposition parties is known as Her Majesty's Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of Government. The Opposition often votes against the Government. In a sense the Official Opposition is the "Government in waiting".
