The real shock of the Tory reshuffle

Kemi Badenoch has saved the biggest news of the Tory reshuffle for last. This morning, the headlines were dominated by news of James Cleverly’s return. But this evening, the only story causing shockwaves is Lee Rowley’s departure as Badenoch’s chief of staff. His importance to the Kemi project cannot be overstated. The pair entered parliament together in 2017 and spent countless hours debating the future of the Tory party. After Rowley lost his seat in July 2024, Badenoch appointed him as her most senior adviser. ‘It’s like having another me out there’, she said of Rowley in an interview with this publication in December. ‘He is pretty much my closest friend in politics.’

Now he is out: destined to leave his role in October at the tail end of the party conference season. Reactions among MPs and aides are split tonight. Some praise the move, as proof that Badenoch is willing to sacrifice not just MPs, but loyal aides too. Others ask the obvious question: if Rowley is out, is anyone else safe? During her seven months of leadership, Badenoch has depended closely on a close knit circle forged from her fellow class of 2017. Rowley was her chief of staff, Julia Lopez, her PPS, Rachel Maclean, the strategy director, and Alex Burghart as her policy lead. Tonight only Burghart remains in post, following Maclean’s demotion and Lopez’s switch of posts to the Culture brief.

What comes next? Rowley’s replacement is Henry Newman, his former deputy. Newman’s task will be to steer Badenoch’s course through the next 12 months. As chief of staff, his role will matter much more to the Tories’ fortunes than the bulk of the front bench changes announced today. Badenoch has now shown that she can be ruthless as Keir Starmer in opposition when it comes to reshuffling her team. But the question is now whether she can demonstrate a similar improvement in her performance, as her party ponders whether their woes are to do with personality or structural weakness.