The Official Opposition: how to be effective in Parliament

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The Official Opposition: how to be effective in Parliament - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 54

12 Nov 2024

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Following Kemi Badenoch’s election, this episode explores the challenges she faces as the new Leader of the Opposition. What does it take to build an effective Opposition? What strategic decisions, policy initiatives, and personnel choices must she navigate? What resources and procedural tools can she use to challenge the Government and build a compelling public profile? How does she balance party cohesion with presenting a credible alternative government and preparing for future elections?

LISTEN

Nigel Fletcher, political historian and founder of the Centre for Opposition Studies, joins us to discuss what defines an effective Leader of the Opposition. We explore the nuances of opposition strategy, including the complex process of shaping a shadow cabinet. Badenoch must perform a high-stakes balancing act—critiquing government policy while preparing her party as a viable alternative. We debate critical aspects of her role, from parliamentary strategy to engaging effectively with the media. Her “straight-talking” style may attract public attention, but it also brings risks if her statements cross into controversial territory.

The episode covers essential resources at the opposition's disposal, such as "Short money" public funding, and explores the logistical challenges of running an efficient office without the governmental support systems ministers enjoy. We also examine the dynamics within the Conservative Party. With several prominent figures opting out of Badenoch’s shadow cabinet, how will she manage rival ambitions and maintain unity? And we explore the historical tactics the opposition has used in Parliament to pressurise the government and capture public support.

Tune in for an in-depth discussion of the intricacies of setting up an effective opposition—and a candid look at the challenges ahead for Kemi Badenoch as she embarks on this role.

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Our guest

Dr Nigel Fletcher

Dr Nigel Fletcher is an academic and political historian who co-founded the Centre for Opposition Studies. Until recently he was a Teaching Fellow in Politics and Contemporary History at King's College London. Before academia, Dr Fletcher worked for the Conservative Research Department during their last period in Opposition and became a Special Adviser to the Shadow Cabinet. He has also served as a local councillor on Greenwich Council, including as its Leader of the Opposition.

Resources

Nigel Fletcher, The worst job in politics - Becoming Leader of the Opposition (Centre for Opposition Studies, 2024)
Nigel Fletcher, How to be in Opposition - Life in the Political Shadows (Biteback Publishing, 2011)
Nigel Fletcher, The Not Quite Prime Ministers - Leaders of the Opposition 1783-2020 (Biteback Publishing, 2023)

What we talked about on this episode

The challenges Kemi Badenoch faces as the new Leader of the Opposition.
Building an effective Opposition: navigating strategic decisions, setting policy priorities, and selecting key personnel to structure a cohesive shadow cabinet.
Resources and tools for the Leader of the Opposition: accessing "Short money" public funding and procedural tools to effectively challenge the government.
Running an efficient opposition office without the extensive infrastructure and support available to the government.
The balancing act: critiquing government policies while positioning the party as a credible alternative.
Developing a strong public profile through effective media engagement and building public support.
The potential risks and rewards of Badenoch's “straight-talking” style.
Managing internal party dynamics: handling competing ambitions as high-profile figures opt out of the shadow cabinet.
Historical tactics the Opposition has used in Parliament to apply pressure on the government.

Transcript

Please note, this transcript is automatically generated. There are consequently minor errors and the text is not formatted according to our style guide. If you wish to reference or cite the transcript copy below, please first check against the audio version above.

Intro: [00:00:00] You are listening to Parliament Matters, a Hansard Society production, supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Learn more at hansardsociety.org.uk/pm.

Ruth Fox: Welcome to Parliament Matters, the podcast about the institution at the heart of our democracy, Parliament itself. I'm Ruth Fox.

Mark D'Arcy: And I'm Mark D'Arcy.

Ruth Fox: And in this special edition, we're going to look at the business of setting up shop as Leader of the Opposition.

Mark D'Arcy: Well, it's a new political era, we have a new Prime Minister, and now we have a new Leader of the Opposition. Kemi Badenoch had her first stint at Prime Minister's Question Time, to, it has to be said, mixed reviews. But one Prime Minister's Question Time doesn't the term of a Leader of the Opposition make.

There's an awful lot that goes into being the Leader of His Majesty's Loyal [00:01:00] Opposition. So what kind of things go into that operation? How is strategy determined? How Personnel decisions, like who's in the shadow cabinet and who's not, made. Well, with us to talk about all those questions and much, much more is Nigel Fletcher, one of the founders of the Centre for Opposition Studies, a political historian who's written books like the Not Quite Prime Ministers, a study of opposition leaders who didn't make it into Downing Street, and another book called Institutionalised Dissent about the role of opposition, plus another one still called How to Be in Opposition. So, Nigel, this is obviously very, very much your subject and you can see whole new chapters of your various books unfolding as Kemi Badenoch starts taking the decisions that will shape how she takes on Keir Starmer's government.

Nigel Fletcher: Yes, indeed. I wonder whether I should perhaps set up a book stall in sort of the reception of Portcullis House for new shadow ministers. to find my pearls of wisdom if they're of any use to them. But yes, it's one of the great delights, having made my sort of life studying opposition, which gets very little attention, really, [00:02:00] in the study of politics, when this cycle comes around and suddenly people are very interested in it and want to examine what is the role of the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow cabinet, and particularly for a party that's been in government for a long time, when they go into opposition, the real shock that they have of finding themselves without the support they're used to in government, and trying to get used to a whole new skill set, it suddenly focuses people's attention a lot more on this topic.

Mark D'Arcy: What are your impressions, first of all, of Kemi Badenoch at the very start of her term? Do you see the kind of the ship of opposition being constructed in the shipyard, if you like?

Nigel Fletcher: Yes, I think she has got a bit of a challenge that others perhaps haven't had in the past, that she has no experience of being in opposition.

This does tend to happen for leaders who come in after a long period of their party being in government.

Mark D'Arcy: She's only been in Parliament since 2017.

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