Neil Kinnock was Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from 2 October 1983 to 18 July 1992. He convincingly defeated Roy Hattersley, Eric Heffer, and Peter Shore in the 1983 leadership election, which was prompted by Michael Foot's resignation following the disastrous general election result earlier that year. Kinnock's period as Leader encompassed the bulk of the Thatcher premiership and the first two years of the Major premiership. Kinnock resigned in 1992 after losing his second election as Leader.

In British politics, the Shadow Home Secretary is the person within the shadow cabinet who shadows the Home Secretary; this effectively means scrutinising government policy on home affairs including policing, national security, and matters of citizenship. The Shadow Home Secretary also formerly had responsibility for the criminal justice system and the prison service; these responsibilities are now held by the Shadow Justice Secretary. If the opposition party is elected to government, the Shadow Home Secretary often becomes the new Home Secretary, though this is not always the case. The office has been held by Labour MP Yvette Cooper since 29 November 2021.