Opposition is the action of resisting or fighting against something. The word itself comes from the Latin for opposite, and it can be used to refer to a range of things: a person, idea or situation that goes against or disagrees with another thing. It can also be a political party that stands against the government and seeks to replace it.
The role of the opposition in Parliament is to question and scrutinise the Government. It can do this through various scrutiny functions available in Parliament such as questions, sitting on select committees and chairing them. It can also challenge and criticise the Government in the media. In some countries, the leader of the largest opposition in Parliament takes on the title ‘Leader of the Opposition’ and is expected to keep the Prime Minister informed of key developments.
In the United Kingdom, for example, the Opposition has a number of parliamentary privileges that allow them to hold the government to account. For example, 20 days of each year are set aside as Opposition Days, and they get to set the agenda. They are able to ask questions of the Government and are seated on the front bench opposite to ministers, so they can question them directly. They can also chair certain select committees and Public Bill committees, which are cross-party groups that examine specific issues.
The Opposition can even use a mechanism called a ‘humble address’, which allows them to request papers from the Government. This was most recently used by shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, who requested the release of information on the impact of Brexit.