Shadow Leader of the House of Lords

Last updated

Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords
Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
Lord True Official Cabinet Portrait, October 2022.jpg
Incumbent
Nicholas True, Baron True
since 8 July 2024
Appointer Leader of the Opposition
Formation1807
First holder Lord Grenville
Leader of the Opposition in the Lords
The Marquess of Crewe
Shadow Leader of the Lords
Website The Labour Party

The Shadow Leader of the House of Lords, also referred as the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords, and casually as the Shadow Lords Leader, is the person who leads the Official Opposition in the House of Lords. Their job is to work with the Leader, Lord Speaker and other senior Lords to organise business. They also work with the opposition Chief Whip and other party spokespeople to organise the party. The holder of this office would normally become Leader of the House of Lords if the party wins an election and forms the government. This position has been held by Lord True since 8 July 2024. In the nineteenth century, party affiliations were generally less fixed and the leaders in the two Houses were often of equal status. A single and clear Leader of the Opposition was only definitively settled if the opposition leader in the House of Commons or House of Lords was the outgoing prime minister. However, since the Parliament Act 1911, there has been no dispute that the leader in the House of Commons is pre-eminent and has always held the primary title.

Contents

Shadow Leaders of the House of Lords (1911-present)

This only lists leaders from the Parliament Act 1911, as that's when the Common's Leader of the Opposition was put as pre-eminent over the Lords. Previous Leaders are here

NamePortraitEntered officeLeft officePolitical party
The Marquess of Lansdowne Marquess of Lansdowne crop.jpg 13 November 191125 May 1915 Conservative
Vacant [A] 25 May 19156 December 1916
The Marquess of Crewe Marquess of Crewe.jpg 6 December 191621 November 1922 Liberal
Vacant [B] 21 November 192222 January 1924 Labour
The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston Curzon GGBain.jpg 22 January 19244 November 1924 Conservative
The Viscount Haldane Viscount Haldane.jpg 4 November 192419 August 1928 Labour
The Lord Parmoor Lord Parmoor - 19221128.jpg 19 August 19285 June 1929 Labour
The Marquess of Salisbury Lord Salisbury.jpg 5 June 1929~1930 Conservative
The Viscount Hailsham Hailsham1.JPG ~193024 August 1931 Conservative
The Lord Parmoor Lord Parmoor - 19221128.jpg 24 August 19317 October 1931 Labour
The Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede Lord Ponsonby.jpg 7 October 193125 October 1935 Labour
The Lord Snell The Lord Snell.jpg 25 October 193522 May 1940 Labour
The Viscount Addison Christopher Addison, 1st Viscount Addison.jpg 22 May 194023 May 1945 Labour
Viscount Cranborne [C] Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 1947.jpg 23 May 194526 October 1951 Conservative
The Lord Addison Christopher Addison, 1st Viscount Addison.jpg 26 October 1951~1952 Labour
The Earl Jowitt William Jowitt.png ~195214 December 1955 Labour
The Viscount Alexander of Hillsborough [D] Albert-Victor-Alexander-Earl-Alexander-of-Hillsborough.jpg 14 December 195516 October 1964 Labour
The Lord Carrington Peter, 6th Baron Carrington cropped.JPG 16 October 196419 June 1970 Conservative
The Lord Shackleton 19 June 19704 March 1974 Labour
The Lord Carrington Peter, 6th Baron Carrington cropped.JPG 4 March 19744 May 1979 Conservative
The Lord Peart 4 May 19794 November 1982 Labour
The Lord Cledwyn of Penrhost 4 November 198218 July 1992 Labour
The Lord Richard 18 July 19922 May 1997 Labour
The Marquess of Salisbury Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 2013-crop.jpg 2 May 19973 December 1998 Conservative
The Lord Strathclyde Official portrait of Lord Strathclyde crop 2.jpg 3 December 199811 May 2010 Conservative
The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon BaronessRoyallPortrait.jpg 11 May 201027 May 2015 Labour
The Baroness Smith of Basildon Official portrait of Baroness Smith of Basildon 2020 crop 2.jpg 27 May 20155 July 2024 Labour
The Lord True Lord True Official Cabinet Portrait, October 2022 (cropped).jpg 8 July 2024Incumbent Conservative

Notes

A During Asquith's coalition government of 1915–1916, there was no formal opposition in either the Commons or the Lords.
B The Labour Party did not appoint a leader in the Lords until it formed its first government in 1924.
C The Marquess of Salisbury from 1947
D The Earl Alexander of Hillsborough from 1963

See also

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