Leaders At The Dispatch Box Since 1961
The most high-profile contributors at prime minister's questions are the prime minister and the Leader of the Opposition, who speak opposite each other at the dispatch box. Regular, fixed sessions have taken place since 1961, and the list below outlines the prime ministers since 1961 and Opposition party leaders they faced across the floor of the House of Commons:
| Prime Minister | Leader of the Opposition | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Harold Macmillan | Hugh Gaitskell | 1961–1963 |
| George Brown | 1963 | |
| Harold Wilson | 1963 | |
| Alec Douglas-Home | Harold Wilson | 1963–1964 |
| Harold Wilson | Alec Douglas-Home | 1964–1965 |
| Edward Heath | 1965–1970 |
|
| Edward Heath | Harold Wilson | 1970–1974 |
| Harold Wilson | Edward Heath | 1974–1975 |
| Margaret Thatcher | 1975–1976 | |
| James Callaghan | Margaret Thatcher | 1976–1979 |
| Margaret Thatcher | James Callaghan | 1979–1980 |
| Michael Foot | 1980–1983 | |
| Neil Kinnock | 1983–1990 | |
| John Major | Neil Kinnock | 1990–1992 |
| John Smith | 1992–1994 | |
| Margaret Beckett | 1994 | |
| Tony Blair | 1994–1997 | |
| Tony Blair | John Major | 1997 |
| William Hague | 1997–2001 | |
| Iain Duncan Smith | 2001–2003 | |
| Michael Howard | 2003–2005 | |
| David Cameron | 2005–2007 | |
| Gordon Brown | David Cameron | 2007–2010 |
| David Cameron | Harriet Harman | 2010 |
| Ed Miliband | 2010– |
Read more about this topic: Prime Minister's Questions
Famous quotes containing the words leaders and/or box:
“When the leaders choose to make themselves bidders at an auction of popularity, their talents, in the construction of the state, will be of no service. They will become flatterers instead of legislators; the instruments, not the guides, of the people.”
—Edmund Burke (1729–1797)
“Nobody has ever before asked the nuclear family to live all by itself in a box the way we do. With no relatives, no support, we’ve put it in an impossible situation.”
—Margaret Mead (1901–1978)