Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Home Department – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 4 June 1964.
Mr Henry Brooke
, Hampstead
12:00,
4 June 1964
I want to make one thing absolutely clear. The Government were fully justified in bringing in the Commonwealth Immigrants Act when they did, despite the vigorous Opposition of both the other parties. At the same time, my hon. Friend should bear in mind the fact that the number of Commonwealth immigrants unemployed is less than one-third of the number who were unemployed when the control came into force two years ago. I hope that he will trust my right hon. Friends and myself to administer in a wise way these powers of control which Parliament has now given us.
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".
