Leaders of political parties in the United Kingdom

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 minor parties (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.

Rishi Sunak's first speech as Prime Minister Front (cropped).jpg Official portrait of Keir Starmer crop 2.jpg
Rishi Sunak
Leader of the Conservative Party
Keir Starmer
Leader of the Labour Party
Leader Party Leader's seat Number of seats Leader since
Rishi Sunak Conservative Party Richmond (Yorks) 356 24 October 2022
Keir Starmer Labour Party Holborn and St Pancras 195 4 April 2020
Stephen Flynn Scottish National Party Aberdeen South 44 6 December 2022
Ed Davey Liberal Democrats Kingston and Surbiton 14 27 August 2020
Jeffrey Donaldson Democratic Unionist Party Lagan Valley 8 17 December 2019
N/A Sinn Féin N/A 7
Liz Saville Roberts Plaid Cymru Dwyfor Meirionnydd 3 14 June 2017
Caroline Lucas Green Party of England and Wales Brighton Pavilion 1 6 May 2010
^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 In accordance with party policy, no elected Sinn Féin members of parliament have ever sat in the House of Commons.
^c Leads the party in the House of Commons. Plaid Cymru's leader, Adam Price, has sat as a member of the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr since 5 May 2016.
^d 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 Leader since
Nicholas True, Baron True Conservative Party 251 14 July 2016
Baroness Smith of Basildon Labour Party 166 27 May 2015
Lord Newby Liberal Democrats 84 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 22 27 February 2021
Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater Scottish Greens Glasgow (Harvie)
Lothian (Slater)
7 22 September 2008 (Harvie)
1 August 2019 (Slater)
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
Mark Drakeford Welsh Labour Cardiff West 30 6 December 2018
Andrew RT Davies Welsh Conservatives South Wales Central 16 24 January 2021
Adam Price Plaid Cymru – Party of Wales Carmarthen East and Dinefwr 13 28 September 2018
Jane Dodds Welsh Liberal Democrats Mid and West Wales 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 Democratic Unionist Party Lagan Valley (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 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
^e The leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Jeffrey Donaldson has sat in the House of Commons as an MP for Lagan Valley since 1997.
^f 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.

This page was last updated at 2023-06-11 15:28 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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