Support our Nation today - please donate here
News

Badenoch demands ‘team effort’ from new shadow cabinet to win back voters’ trust

05 Nov 2024 3 minute read
Newly elected leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, waves as she leaves party headquarters in Matthew Parker St, central London. Image: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

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.

Meritocracy

Mrs Badenoch said: “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 was meeting for the first time on Tuesday morning.

Who’s who

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”.

Priti Patel. Photo Andrew Boyers PA Images

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.

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.

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.


Support our Nation today

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
2 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Jeff
Jeff
1 hour ago

Trust? Honest Bob in the shadow cabinet? Patel who ran off to Isreal for off the books meetings (should forever be banned as a minster) and should be forever be associated with that poor woman with a police knee in her back at the protest for violence against women by an ex met officer (and noisy protest laws). Atkins ex prison minister, Philp ex justice and doesn’t know the difference between Congo and Rwanda, hows that justice thing in the UK doing today? These are all mostly the reason the Cons got handed its backside at the last election. The… Read more »

Fi yn unig
Fi yn unig
21 minutes ago
Reply to  Jeff

Their very shallow ‘talent’ pool dwindled to a puddle which then evaporated to a damp patch.

Our Supporters

All information provided to Nation.Cymru will be handled sensitively and within the boundaries of the Data Protection Act 2018.