Badenoch Appoints Shadow Cabinet in Attempt to Rebuild Conservative Party

Kemi Badenoch celebrates after being announced as the new Conservative Party leader in central London, following the vote by MPs and party members after she beat Robert Jenrick (left) in the final ballot, Nov. 2, 2024. PA

New Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has appointed most of those who stood against her in the leadership race to her shadow Cabinet.

Badenoch said appointments to her top team are “based on meritocracy and with a breadth of experience and perspective” as she attempts to rebuild a party riven by infighting following a disastrous general election defeat.

She has appointed the relatively unknown former policing minister Chris Philp as shadow home secretary, replacing leadership rival James Cleverly, who had ruled himself out of a senior frontbench role.

Familiar Faces Return

Dame Priti Patel, another leadership contender and a former home secretary, will take on the role of shadow foreign secretary.

Patel was forced to resign from her Cabinet role as international development secretary in 2017 after holding unsanctioned meetings with senior Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while on what was described as a “private holiday.”

Badenoch gave senior roles to other former leadership rivals, with second-placed Robert Jenrick confirmed as shadow justice secretary and Mel Stride as shadow chancellor.

Stride previously served as work and pensions secretary and is regarded as being more towards the centre than the right-wing of the party.

Jenrick previously served as immigration minister, health minister, housing secretary, and Treasury secretary under successive prime ministers.

During his leadership campaign, the former solicitor advocated leaving the European Convention on Human Rights and called for a tougher stance on immigration, but caused controversy when he suggested the Israeli flag should fly at British ports.

However, there was no role for leadership contender and former army officer Tom Tugendhat.

Former Health Secretary Victoria Atkins is now shadow environment secretary and Andrew Griffith is the shadow business secretary.

Dame Priti Patel speaking as she launches her Conservative Party leadership campaign, in London on Aug. 30, 2024. PA

New Faces

Less familiar faces appointed by Badenoch include Ed Argar as shadow health secretary and Kevin Hollinrake as shadow housing secretary.

Helen Whately has become shadow work and pensions secretary, Gareth Bacon takes the transport brief, Stuart Andrew is the shadow culture secretary, and Alan Mak is the shadow science secretary.

With only 121 Tory MPs in total, some were asked by their new leader to take on a two briefs.

Alex Burghart takes on the role of shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster along with the Northern Ireland portfolio he previously held.

Mims Davies adds responsibility for Wales to her shadow women and equalities role, while Andrew Bowie will double up as shadow Scottish secretary and shadow energy minister, with Claire Coutinho continuing as shadow energy secretary.

Jesse Norman becomes shadow Commons leader while Lord True continues in the equivalent role in the upper chamber.

Julia Lopez, who had been shadow culture secretary, will now only attend shadow Cabinet as Badenoch’s parliamentary private secretary.

James Cartlidge continues as shadow defence secretary, while the appointments of shadow education secretary Laura Trott and shadow chief whip Dame Rebecca Harris had already been announced by Monday.

Trott, a former Treasury minister who backed Badenoch as leader, was one of the first appointments, allowing her to face Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson in Monday’s parliamentary session, when an increase to university tuition fees was announced.

Harris was revealed as the chief whip by the interim chief whip Stuart Andrew, who announced he was being replaced by the Essex MP on Sunday.

Laura Trott speaking in the House of Commons in her new role as shadow education secretary, in London on Nov. 4, 2024. PA

Joint Chairmen

Former party Chairman Richard Fuller has become the shadow Treasury chief secretary, while Nigel Huddleston and Lord Dominic Johnson were among the first appointments announced as the new joint Tory chairmen.

A supporter of the new leader, Huddleston moves from the shadow Treasury team in an effective job swap with Fuller.

The other new chairman, Johnson, worked alongside Badenoch as a trade minister and was Tory vice-chair under Theresa May. He was made a peer during Liz Truss’s brief spell in Number 10, serving as investment minister and being retained in that role by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

A major donor to the party, Johnson has held several ministerial roles and co-founded the hedge fund Somerset Capital Management with former Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Badenoch said on social media platform X: “I am delighted to have appointed my shadow cabinet, which draws on the talents of people from across the Conservative Party, based on meritocracy and with a breadth of experience and perspective, just as I promised during the campaign.

“Our party’s problems will only be solved with a team effort, and I am confident my shadow cabinet ministers will deliver effective opposition as we seek to win back the trust of the public.

“We will now get to work holding Labour to account and rebuilding our party based on Conservative principles and values.

“The process of renewing our great party has now begun.”

The new-look shadow Cabinet met for the first time on Tuesday morning.