Badenoch demands ‘team effort’ from new shadow cabinet to win back voters’ trust
New Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said appointments to her top team are ‘based on meritocracy and with a breadth of experience and perspective’.
Kemi Badenoch said she will “win back the trust of the public”, as she announced her shadow cabinet.
The new Conservative Party leader appointed former policing minister Chris Philp as shadow home secretary, replacing leadership rival James Cleverly who ruled out taking a senior frontbench role.
She gave senior roles to other former leadership rivals, with Robert Jenrick confirmed as shadow justice secretary and Mel Stride as shadow chancellor.
“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 was meeting for the first time on Tuesday morning.
Dame Priti Patel, another former leadership contender, will become shadow foreign secretary.
She 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 a “private holiday”.
Alex Burghart takes the shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster role along with the Northern Ireland portfolio he previously held.
Ed Argar is shadow health secretary, Kevin Hollinrake is shadow housing secretary, Victoria Atkins is the shadow environment secretary and Andrew Griffith is the shadow business secretary.
Mims Davies adds responsibility for Wales to her shadow women and equalities role, 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 Mrs Badenoch’s parliamentary private secretary.
James Cartlidge continues as shadow defence secretary while the appointments of shadow education secretary Laura Trott, shadow chief whip Dame Rebecca Harris and party co-chairmen Nigel Huddleston and Lord Dominic Johnson had already been announced.
Former party chairman Richard Fuller has become the shadow Treasury chief secretary.
