Who makes up Kemi Badenoch’s newly appointed shadow cabinet?
Kemi Badenoch has appointed a cross-party shadow cabinet in a bid to reunite the Conservatives after a fractious leadership campaign.
The newly-elected party leader unveiled her top team on Tuesday morning ahead of its first meeting.
The top jobs were split between One Nation moderates, Boris Johnson-backing right-wingers and those who backed Ms Badenoch’s leadership bid.
And, in appointing leadership rivals Mel Stride, Priti Patel and Robert Jenrick, she has made a clear effort to bring the divided party back together.
Announcing the team, Ms 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.”
Ms Badenoch’s shadow cabinet is made up of:
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer: Mel Stride
Mel Stride, the second to be knocked out of the Tory leadership race after Priti Patel, has bagged himself one of the most important shadow cabinet jobs. The MP for Central Devon made a name for himself as the mouthpiece for Rishi Sunak’s election campaign, being wheeled out on the broadcast round on an almost weekly basis. He was a loyal ally of Mr Sunak, having served as his work and pensions secretary throughout his time in office. Before that, he did a brief stint as leader of the House of Commons from May to July 2019, and served as financial secretary to the Treasury and paymaster general from 2017 to 2019.
Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs: Dame Priti Patel
In a shadow cabinet largely dominated by One Nation wets, former leadership candidate Dame Priti Patel stands out as a significant right-winger. As an MP since 2010 and a former home secretary she brings significant experience but also a great deal of controversy, not least as the architect of the Rwanda deportation policy.
Dame Priti was one of the hardline Brexit Spartans to hold out against Theresa May’s deals. But prior to that she was sacked in 2017 from her international development secretary job for unauthorised meetings in Israel. Never a supporter of international aid she had proposed using UK aid money for Israeli military field hospitals in the Golan heights.
Shadow Home Secretary: Chris Philp
Chris Philp was promoted to the cabinet under Liz Truss, having become an early backer of her 2022 leadership tilt. But he went on to serve under Rishi Sunak as a junior minister in the Home Office, often coming out to bat for the Tories’ controversial Rwanda deportation scheme.
He will now be responsible for whether the Tories push to revive the plan, scrapped by Labour, in his job as shadow home secretary. Mr Philp takes the post at a time of surging small boat crossings, and will have plenty of ammunition to take the fight to Labour with in the months ahead.
Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland: Alex Burghart
An ally of the new leader, Alex Burghart had been given the Cabinet Office brief, placing him at the centre of operations. He has also been kept on as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, despite admitting last week he has not visited during his time in the role. Mr Burghart claimed that “getting the funding for trips” had “not been as easy” as he would have liked. He was appointed in July.
Shadow Secretary of State for Defence: James Cartlidge
One of the few names on the list to remain in the same post, he stays as shadow defence secretary, where he has been seen as doing a good job. In government he also served as minister for procurement in the MOD in the last Tory government. He once performed drums on the radio as part of a piece on MPs’ hobbies.
Shadow Secretary of State for Justice: Robert Jenrick
Robert Jenrick’s appointment as justice secretary comes just a week after Kemi Badenoch attacked him for having been asked because of a “whiff of impropriety”.
The former immigration minister was previously let go as housing secretary after admitting to having unlawfully granted planning permission to a controversial development.
But, in a bid to bury the hatchet, Ms Badenoch has given her former rival one of the top jobs in her shadow cabinet.
Mr Jenrick has also made headlines for his staunch belief that Britain must pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). And he is known for, as immigration minister, having ordered staff at a child migrant centre to paint over Mickey Mouse murals because he thought they were too welcoming.
Shadow Secretary of State for Education: Laura Trott
Another rising star, Laura Trott was a Tory special adviser between 2010 and 2016, leading on education and family policy in David Cameron’s Number 10 Policy Unit.
She became an MP in the 2019 General election and was promoted to become a parliamentary private secretary in the Department for Transport. But Ms Trott was one of the 62 government figures to quit over Boris Johnson’s handling of the Chris Pincher affair, and in the wake of scandals including Partygate, forcing the former PM out of office.
She returned to the spotlight as chief secretary to the Treasury under Rishi Sunak, and will now lead on Tory education policy under Kemi Badenoch’s leadership.
Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary: Ed Argar
Long tipped as a future justice secretary in Rishi Sunak’s cabinet, Ed Argar will take on Wes Streeting as shadow health secretary. The brief is vast, but he will be aided his time as a minister in the department between 2019 and 2022. And with Mr Streeting already warning of a tough winter for the NHS, health will be a key battlefield in the years ahead.
Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Kevin Hollinrake
Another One Nation Tory MP, he faces a tough task – replacing his new leader as shadow housing secretary. He will also find himself up against Angela Rayner as his opposite number on the Labour benches. Was widely seen as a steady hand when he was shadow business secretary.
Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Victoria Atkins
A key member of the One Nation group of Tory MPs, she was talked of earlier this year as a possible leadership candidate. In the end, she did not stand and backed Robert Jenrick for leader. Will lead the charge against Labour’s ‘tractor tax’ in the Defra role.
Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade: Andrew Griffith
Andrew Griffith had been tipped as a frontrunner to become shadow chancellor, but has been appointed to the business and trade brief instead.
He was financial secretary to the Treasury under Liz Truss when she unveiled her disastrous mini budget that sent markets spiralling.
He was then promoted to economic secretary to the Treasury before being moved to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology until the election.
The Arundel and South Downs MP was in charge of the space sector, but in an interview in January mixed up Mars and the Sun, while also mistaking Jupiter for Saturn.
He was a supporter of Kemi Badenoch throughout the leadership contest, but has not been rewarded with the top job he was tipped for.
Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and Shadow Minister for Equalities: Claire Coutinho
Claire Coutinho is seen as one of the Tories’ brightest rising stars, and was even tipped as a potential chancellor under Rishi Sunak.
She quickly ascended the ranks when the Conservatives were in power, working as an aide to Mr Sunak in the Treasury before becoming the MP for East Surrey in 2019 and then the youngest member of the cabinet in 2023.
Since the election, she has been the shadow energy secretary, but under Ms Badenoch’s leadership is being given the equalities brief on top of her existing job.
Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions: Helen Whately
The MP for Faversham and Mid Kent was an early supporter of Kemi Badenoch in the leadership race, backing her to “build a broader Conservative movement fit for our time”. Ms Whateley, who has held a number of junior ministerial positions, served as a health minister throughout Mr Sunak’s time as prime minister. Before that, she held ministerial positions in the Treasury and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, as well as serving as a vice chair of the Tory Party.
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport: Gareth Bacon
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport: Stuart Andrew
Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology: Alan Mak
Alan Mak holds a special place in parliament history as the first ethnic Chinese MP when he was elected for Havant in 2015.
It has taken him almost a decade to get to the front bench partly because of Brexit. He became a target for Brexiteers for promising to support Leave when he was selected but choosing Remain the referendum.
Now he has a crucial role as Shadow science, innovation and technology secretary with artificial intelligence at the heart of the UK’s future growth.
Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland and Shadow Minister of State for Energy and Net Zero: Andrew Bowie
Andrew Bowie, who was elected the MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine in 2017, will keep his role as shadow energy minister, having served in the department in both government and in opposition since February 2023. The 37-year-old, who will also take a position as secretary of state for Scotland, has previously served as a vice-chairman of the party.
Shadow Secretary of State for Wales and Shadow Minister for Women: Mims Davies
Mims Davies, who has served as shadow minister for women and equalities since the Tories’ election defeat in July 2024, has been kept in the role – but there has been a notable tweak to the job description. Ms Badenoch, who has long railed against corporate equality and diversity drives, has removed the “and equalities” section of the job title. Ms Davies has held a number of junior ministerial positions in the past, primarily having served in the department for work and pensions.
Opposition Chief Whip (Commons): Dame Rebecca Harris
Dame Rebecca Harris has 14 years experience as an MP and spent seven of them as a party whip. She will need all that experience to keep a fractious group of Tory MPs together considering that Ms Badenoch only received the backing of a third of them and did not top the poll until the final round.
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons: Jesse Norman
Jesse Norman is seen as one of the party’s genuine intellectuals and is the author of a number of acclaimed historical books. Well liked across the House and within the different factions of the Tories he was always a strong candidate to be shadow leader of the Commons.
Shadow Leader of the House of Lords: Lord True
Co-Chairmen of the Party: Nigel Huddleston & Lord Johnson
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury: Richard Fuller
Richard Fuller, who served as the interim chair of the Conservative Party after Richard Holden stepped down following the July election, was tasked witch taking responsibility for the party’s historic election defeat. The MP for North Bedfordshire has limited ministerial experience, with his only government post being a brief stint as economic secretary – a position he held for four months in 2022.
Also attending:
Parliamentary Private Secretary: Julia Lopez
This may be a tough pill to swallow for Julia Lopez who has been one of Kemi Badenoch’s biggest cheerleaders since they were both elected together in 2017. A demotion out of the shadow cabinet is a bit of a surprise but Ms Lopez, the MP for Hornchurch and Upminster, can use this role to be Ms Badenoch’s key lieutenant and will have her ear.
