Shadow Leader of the House of Lords explained

Post:Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords
Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
Incumbent:Nicholas True, Baron True
Incumbentsince:8 July 2024
Appointer:Leader of the Opposition
Website:The Labour Party
First:Lord Grenville
Leader of the Opposition in the Lords
The Marquess of Crewe
Shadow Leader of the Lords
Formation:1807

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.

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

Namewidth=50PortraitEntered officeLeft officewidth=50Political party
The Marquess of Lansdowne13 November 191125 May 1915Conservative
Vacant25 May 19156 December 1916
The Marquess of Crewe6 December 191621 November 1922Liberal
Vacant21 November 192222 January 1924Labour
The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston22 January 19244 November 1924Conservative
The Viscount Haldane4 November 192419 August 1928Labour
The Lord Parmoor19 August 19285 June 1929Labour
The Marquess of Salisbury5 June 1929~1930Conservative
The Viscount Hailsham~193024 August 1931Conservative
The Lord Parmoor24 August 19317 October 1931Labour
The Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede7 October 193125 October 1935Labour
The Lord Snell25 October 193522 May 1940Labour
The Viscount Addison22 May 194023 May 1945Labour
Viscount Cranborne23 May 194526 October 1951Conservative
The Lord Addison26 October 1951~1952Labour
The Earl Jowitt~195214 December 1955Labour
The Viscount Alexander of Hillsborough14 December 195516 October 1964Labour
The Lord Carrington16 October 196419 June 1970Conservative
The Lord Shackleton19 June 19704 March 1974Labour
The Lord Carrington4 March 19744 May 1979Conservative
The Lord Peart4 May 19794 November 1982Labour
The Lord Cledwyn of Penrhost4 November 198218 July 1992Labour
The Lord Richard18 July 19922 May 1997Labour
The Marquess of Salisbury2 May 19973 December 1998Conservative
The Lord Strathclyde3 December 199811 May 2010Conservative
The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon11 May 201027 May 2015Labour
The Baroness Smith of Basildon27 May 20155 July 2024Labour
The Lord True8 July 2024IncumbentConservative

Notes

During Asquith's coalition government of 1915–1916, there was no formal opposition in either the Commons or the Lords.

The Labour Party did not appoint a leader in the Lords until it formed its first government in 1924.

The Marquess of Salisbury from 1947

The Earl Alexander of Hillsborough from 1963

See also