His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition in the context of "Political opposition"

The Conservative and Unionist Party, commonly the Conservative Party and colloquially the Tories, is one of the two main political parties in the United Kingdom, along with the Labour Party. It sits on the centre-right to right-wing of the left–right political spectrum. Following its defeat by Labour at the 2024 general election it is currently the second-largest party by the number of votes cast and number of seats in the House of Commons; as such it has the formal parliamentary role of His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition. It encompasses various ideological factions including one-nation conservatives, Thatcherites and traditionalist conservatives. There have been 20 Conservative prime ministers.

The Conservative Party was founded in 1834 from the Tory Party and was one of two dominant political parties in the 19th century, along with the Liberal Party. Under Benjamin Disraeli it played a preeminent role in politics at the height of the British Empire. In 1912 the Liberal Unionist Party merged with the party to form the Conservative and Unionist Party. Its rivalry with the Labour Party has shaped modern British politics for the last century. David Cameron sought to modernise the party after his election as leader in 2005, and the party governed from 2010 to 2024 under five prime ministers, latterly Rishi Sunak.

The Leader of His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition, more commonly referred to as the Leader of the Opposition, is the person who leads the Official Opposition in the United Kingdom. The position is seen as the shadow head of government of the United Kingdom and thus the shadow prime minister of the United Kingdom.

Originally by convention, the Leader of the Opposition is the leader of the largest political party in the House of Commons that is not in government. When a single party wins outright, this is the party leader of the second-largest political party in the House of Commons. The role has since been codified by statute.

The frontbench of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition in the Parliament of the United Kingdom consists of the Shadow Cabinet and other official shadow ministers of the political party currently serving as the Official Opposition. The Opposition front bench provide Parliamentary opposition to the British Government frontbench and has been the Conservative Party since 5 July 2024. The current Leader of the Opposition is Kemi Badenoch, following her victory in the 2024 Conservative Party Leadership Election.

Shabana Mahmood (/ʃəˈbɑːnə məˈmuːd/, born 17 September 1980) is a British politician and barrister who has been serving as Home Secretary since 2025. She previously served as Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor from 2024 to 2025. A member of the Labour Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Ladywood since 2010. Mahmood identifies as belonging to the more socially conservative Blue Labour faction of the Labour Party.

In 2002 Mahmood graduated with a degree in law from Lincoln College, Oxford. She went on to complete the Bar Vocational Course at the Inns of Court School of Law in 2003. As a barrister her specialism is professional indemnity. Her selection as the Labour Party candidate for Birmingham Ladywood for the 2010 general election caused some dissent in the constituency party, but was found by an inquiry led by a member of the National Executive Committee to be legitimate. She became one of the first female Muslim MPs, along with Rushanara Ali and Yasmin Qureshi. Between 2010 and 2024, while the Labour Party was the Official Opposition, she held various shadow frontbench positions, including Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury from 2013 to 2015.

The 1975 Conservative Party leadership election was held in February 1975. The party's sitting MPs voted Margaret Thatcher as party leader on the second ballot. Incumbent leader Edward Heath stood aside after the first ballot, in which he unexpectedly finished behind Thatcher. The Conservatives were the official Opposition to the Labour government, so Thatcher also became Leader of the Opposition.