Leaders of political parties in the United Kingdom
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This article lists the Leaders of political parties in the United Kingdom to provide insight into the politics of the United Kingdom. It contains details including which party the leader belongs to, the leader's seat, and which form of leadership that person holds.
Leaders in the House of Commons
National party leaders are usually members of parliament. Some (including Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish parties) designate a separate leader in the House of Commons, or their leader is absent from the House of Commons and holds membership of a devolved body.
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| Rishi Sunak Leader of the Conservative Party |
Keir Starmer Leader of the Labour Party |
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| Leader | Party | Leader's seat | Number of seats[1] | Leader since | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rishi Sunak | Conservative Party | Richmond (Yorks) | 347 | 24 October 2022 | |
| Keir Starmer | Labour Party | Holborn and St Pancras | 200 | 4 April 2020 | |
| Stephen Flynn[a] | Scottish National Party | Aberdeen South | 43 | 6 December 2022[2] | |
| Ed Davey | Liberal Democrats | Kingston and Surbiton | 15 | 27 August 2020 | |
| Gavin Robinson[b] | Democratic Unionist Party | Belfast East | 7 | 29 March 2024[3] | |
| N/A[c] | Sinn Féin | N/A | 7 [c] | ||
| Liz Saville Roberts[d] | Plaid Cymru | Dwyfor Meirionnydd | 3 | 14 June 2017[4] | |
| Caroline Lucas[e] | Green Party of England and Wales | Brighton Pavilion | 1 | 6 May 2010[5] | |
- ^a Leads the party in the House of Commons. The leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Humza Yousaf, has sat as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Pollok since 5 May 2016.
- ^b Interim leader following the resignation of Jeffrey Donaldson.
- ^c In accordance with party policy, no elected Sinn Féin members of parliament have ever sat in the House of Commons.
- ^d Leads the party in the House of Commons. Plaid Cymru's leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth, has sat as a member of the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) for Ynys Môn since 2 August 2013.
- ^e Caroline Lucas has been the Green Party of England and Wales' only MP since taking her seat in May 2010. At the time, and until 3 September 2012, she was also the leader of the party. From 2 September 2016 to 4 September 2018, Lucas was co-leader of the party alongside Jonathan Bartley. She has remained leader in the House of Commons due to being the party's only MP, unrelated to her former status as (co-)leader. Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay have been co-leaders of the party since October 2021.
Leaders in the House of Lords
| Leader | Party | Members[6] | Leader since | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas True, Baron True | Conservative Party | 278 | 14 July 2016 | |
| Baroness Smith of Basildon[7] | Labour Party | 173 | 27 May 2015 | |
| Lord Newby[8] | Liberal Democrats | 80 | 13 September 2016 | |
Leaders in the Scottish Parliament
| Leader | Party | Leader's seat | Number of seats |
Leader since | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humza Yousaf | Scottish National Party | Glasgow Pollok | 64 | 27 March 2023 | |
| Douglas Ross | Scottish Conservatives | Moray | 31 | 5 August 2020 | |
| Anas Sarwar | Scottish Labour | Glasgow (region) | 22 | 27 February 2021 | |
| Patrick Harvie | Scottish Greens | Glasgow (region) | 7 | 22 September 2008 | |
| Lorna Slater | Lothian (region) | 1 August 2019 | |||
| Alex Cole-Hamilton | Scottish Liberal Democrats | Edinburgh Western | 4 | 20 August 2021 | |
Leaders in the Senedd
| Leader | Party | Leader's seat | Number of seats |
Leader since | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaughan Gething | Welsh Labour | Cardiff South and Penarth | 30 | 16 March 2024 | |
| Andrew RT Davies | Welsh Conservatives | South Wales Central (region) |
16 | 24 January 2021 | |
| Rhun ap Iorwerth | Plaid Cymru – Party of Wales | Ynys Môn | 13 | 16 June 2023 | |
| Jane Dodds | Welsh Liberal Democrats | Mid and West Wales (region) |
1 | 3 November 2017 | |
Leaders in the Northern Ireland Assembly
| Leader | Party | Leader's seat | Number of seats |
Leader since | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michelle O'Neill | Sinn Féin | Mid Ulster | 27 | 23 January 2017 | |
| N/A[f] | Democratic Unionist Party | Belfast East (as an MP) | 25 | 1 May 1997 | |
| Naomi Long | Alliance Party of Northern Ireland | Belfast East | 17 | October 2016 | |
| Doug Beattie | Ulster Unionist Party | Upper Bann | 9 | 17 May 2021 | |
| N/A[g] | Social Democratic and Labour Party | Foyle (as an MP) | 8 | 12 December 2019 | |
| Jim Allister | Traditional Unionist Voice | North Antrim | 1 | 7 December 2007 | |
| Collective leadership | People Before Profit | N/A | 1 | N/A | |
- ^f The interim leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Gavin Robinson has sat in the House of Commons as an MP for Belfast East since 2015.
- ^g The leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), Colum Eastwood has sat in the House of Commons as an MP for Foyle since 2019.
References
- ^ "State of the parties - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ Sim, Philip (6 December 2022). "Stephen Flynn elected as new SNP leader at Westminster". BBC News. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ "DUP: Gavin Robinson appointed interim leader by party officers". BBC News. 29 March 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Liz Saville Roberts new Plaid Cymru leader in Commons". BBC News. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ "Caroline Lucas elected first Green MP". Channel 4 News. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ "Lords membership - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Parliamentary career for Baroness Smith of Basildon - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "Dick Newby is new Lib Dem Lords leader". Lib Dem Voice.