Part of Leader of the House – in the House of Commons at 10:30 am on 23 April 2009.
Chris Bryant
Deputy Leader of the House of Commons
10:30,
23 April 2009
On both sides of the House. In addition, under our current arrangements, Standing Orders limit the Government in significant ways—for instance, they ensure that there are 20 Opposition Days a year. Furthermore, after both the Budget and the Queen's Speech there are five days of debate in which the topic is decided by the Opposition, not the Government. That is more flexible and a better system.
Opposition days are days allocated in each session for the discussion of subjects chosen by the Opposition. The Opposition generally use them to raise questions of policy and administration.
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".
