Explain how the Opposition can hold the Government to account.

Labour – formally referred to as Her Majesty’s Opposition – is the second largest party in the commons, led by Jeremy Corbyn. The role of the opposition is to oppose, criticise, and scrutinise the government. The opposition is traditionally consulted on bipartisan matters and twenty days are set aside in the common’s yearly timetable for debate and criticism of government. In 2008, for example, the conservatives used an Opposition Day to call for an immediate inquiry into the Iraq war.

As the Official Opposition, it is the job of the party that is not in power to act as a check upon the government. There are many ways in which this function can be carried out. The job of members of the Shadow Cabinet is to closely monitor the work of individual departments and ministers and to highlight failures. Members of a shadow cabinet are often but not always appointed to a Cabinet post if and when their party gets into government. It is the Shadow Cabinet's responsibility to criticise the policies and actions of the government, as well as offering an alternative programme. The first shadow cabinet was instituted by UK leader of the opposition Hugh Gaitskell in 1951 to assist in opposing the policies of the government of Winston Churchill. A current example is the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, John McDonnell MP, who shadows George Osborne.

Within Parliament, the Opposition can scrutinise the activities of the government during debates, at Question Time, in Select and Public Bill Committees, and through using the time allocated to it to challenge executive policy and performance. One of the most public forms of scrutiny is Prime Minister’s Question Time. This occurs for half an hour on a Wednesday and the Prime Minister has to answer questions from MPs. Corbyn can ask six questions and he has enigmatically been inviting the public to submit questions to him. This scrutiny can be a testing time for Prime Ministers. Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, a self-confessed quiet man, was not a strong performer at Question Time and this contributed to his short duration as party leader.

Parliamentary committees involved with scrutiny provide the most extensive opportunities for the opposition. For example, the chair of the Public Accounts Committee must be from the Official Opposition. This is the oldest and most influential Select Committee. They have the aim of making Government departments account for their expenditure ensuring wastage is kept to a minimum and gaining maximum value for money from public organisations and government spending programmes.

Outside of Parliament the Opposition can use the media in all its forms to question government policy and to point out failings. For example, John McDonnell used the Guardian to write that he believes George Osborne is unfit to hold office.

To conclude, the Opposition is key to maintaining scrutiny within and outside of Parliament. Lawfully elected representatives of the people must be able to present and discuss alternative policy options even if they are not part of the government and do not have an immediate way of making their plans succeed.