In an attempt to reinforce its status as the opposition party, leader Kemi Badenoch has decided to reshuffle the Conservative shadow cabinet; the first major shake-up since she became leader in November 2024.
The biggest name on the list: James Cleverly. Known for taking on the roles of foreign secretary under Liz Truss and home secretary for Rishi Sunak, now takes on a new role – shadow secretary for housing.
Cleverly will replace Kevin Hollindrake, who will become party chair. Current chair, Nigel Huddleston, will take over as shadow culture secretary.
Commenting on the appointment of James Cleverly, Lib Dem Cabinet Office spokesperson Sarah Olney said: “Kemi Badenoch has appointed the very man who said that replacing Liz Truss as Prime Minister would be a terrible idea. It’s like appointing an iceberg apologist to a role steering the Titanic.
Former shadow health secretary, Ed Argar, has stepped down from the role due to a recent “health scare,” as explained in his resignation letter. Replacing him is current culture secretary Stuart Andrew, a prominent member of the Conservative party since 2017.
Ministers including Mel Stride, Priti Patel, and Chris Philp have survived the reshuffle and will continue their jobs as shadow chancellor of the exchequer, foreign secretary, and home secretary respectively.
Among those retaining their position is justice secretary Robert Jenrick – who was previously up against Badenoch as leader of the party.
On the right of the party, Jenrick has reiterated the his commitment to reducing immigration, something that Reform UK is also pushing for.
While previously conveying his respect for Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, Jenrick has also stuck firmly by the Conservative party, stating that a vote for any other party, “will only take the country backwards.”
These changes come at a time of political turmoil for the party, as yet another one of their members has defected to Reform UK. Joining a string of defectors, Welsh Sennedd member Laura Anne Jones explained her belief that Reform is, “listening to the people of Great Britain,” while the Conservatives have become “unrecognisable,” over the years.
After falling behind Labour and Reform in recent YouGov voter intention surveys, Badenoch is making an effort to alter public perception of the party in order to regain the trust of centre-right and right wing voters, many of whom could switch to Reform at the next election.
Speaking on the restructure, Farage stated that the Conservatives will lose their status as a national party following the local elections results in May which saw the Conservatives struggle against the new party.
After disappointing results for the Conservatives in the last local election, this reshuffle is a clear attempt to solidify their place as the official opposition, especially in a period of political uncertainty.
Featured image via Fred Duval / Shutterstock.
