Who do you think would be the best party to be the Opposition?

[Houseplanter]

Assuming Labour form the next parliament, who would you like to see on the opposite benches? And why?

Conservatives? I'm sure they're the likeliest but not sure it's a given; they are extremely unpopular atm.

Personally, the Lib Dems.

I don't want the Tories in opposition because I genuinely think they need some down time to try to regroup their party and perhaps unify their vision a bit more. Plus, they'll just spend 4 years bitching.

I don't want Reform to have that level of infleunce because I disgree with much of their 'contract'.

I like lots of the Lib Dem manifesto but think it's unrealistic and so they'll make a counter to Laboour, who have a more sensible financial approach (I think). They've had their 10 years in the wildnerness after the ill-fated coalition decision and I think it's time we heard from them again.

I mean it has to be the Conservatives. Opposition - its about challenge, accountability, debate, scrutiny.

Its not about who you like.

None of those things are going to come from the rump of Tories likely to be on the opposition benches, they’ll be too busy heckling, lying and shouting insults.

Greens

I don't want to see Tories in opposition. All the bitching and swiping would continue, each blaming the other.

If we must have Labour we need someone other than Tory.

TUSC

Think there is a possibility of a lib dem opposition, who will be to the left of Labour. This is a much more appealing prospect than a failed Tory party that has been taken over by ukip/Reform. Tories can then be a smaller party to the right of the government.

🤞

I mean it has to be the Conservatives. Opposition - its about challenge, accountability, debate, scrutiny.

I think there was a time when the Conservative party could offer that.

I just don't think they can now, in their current manifestation. They need to get their act together because, imo, they are about as far from 'together' as it's possible for a main political party to be. And I'd prefer them to do that act togethering from a relatively harmless political position.

That's laughable. How can the Tories provide accountability and scrutiny?

Lib Dems

I think that is highly unlikely and it shall be the Tories. The need to sort themselves out and I can see a few more years of infighting which gives Labour a better chance to win in 2029

I would like to see the Green Party do well

The Opposition, and particularly the Leader of the Opposition have a very important role in a parliamentary democracy. A competent, effective opposition scrutinises the government, holds it to account and offers a credible set of alternative policies to deal with the issues of the day. Ultimately, they can be an alternative government and Prime Minister who are ready to take over running the country.

That’s why Reform would be a useless opposition, almost as bad as Corbyn’s shambolic Labour team. They would be incapable of performing any useful function. The Lib Dems would be better, but they wouldn’t have many experienced spokespeople. Which leaves the Tories. Realistically, they will be the opposition in 3 weeks time and I hope they are not too busy fighting a civil war to do their job properly.

I wonder which Tories will be left. Some with unassailable majorities in 2019 are in danger now.

All those that say the Tories; who will be leading the remnants? Grant Shapps? Kemi Badenoch? Suella Braverman?

The chances of them summoning a decent leader who can properly take a very powerful Labour to task seem remote.

Shapps and Braverman could easily be out on their ears. Badenoch’s got a big majority but other majorities just as big have been upended in by elections. Quite honestly I don’t think Tory safe seats exist any more.

You make good points about how poor a conservative opposition would be.

Part of my pondering was about how to vote in an alternative but I can't work out how. Labour will undoubtedly hold here.

Can you imagine the barracking? 400 plus Labour MPs versus 70 to 100 Conservative. Actually being heard in the Commons will be difficult

I'd like the Lib Dems, as they would raise issues that might be forgotten.

I think the current cesspit of Conservatives would make as dreadful an opposition as they have made in government.

I don't think the Tories will be a fit opposition. There will be hardly any of them left, and they will spend a lot of time fighting amongst themselves/ changing leader/lurching further and further to the right etc.
However, I personally wouldn't want a Lib Dem opposition, despite them traditionally being a party more affilated to my views, and a party I have voted for in the past. I think just on the gender issue, we need someone who will put the gender critical view across, and the Lib Dems, in conjunction with the Greens would just push further and further on that. I want an opposition to be hold government to account. I don't think the Lib Dems and Greens will do that at all. I think often with large majorities, a governments own backbench MP's act as an opposition, because they can protest and put their views across without being too concerned about toppling their own government. It is always worrying when we have no effective opposition, but the Tories are handwringing now when it is the FPTP electoral system that causes this, and they have never even thought about changing it.

I'd like the opposition to be a mixture of Lib Dems and Greens. Then we can make real progress away from the two-party system.
Use StopTheTories.vote for the tactical vote in your area. Organised voting like this, and us people getting together, is the way forward towards changing the political system so that next time, each of our votes will count, whoever we vote for.