Former home secretary James Cleverly is expected to make a return to the Tory frontbench as Kemi Badenoch reshuffles her shadow cabinet. Cleverly has been content sitting on the backbenches since losing the leadership race in November, but with the Tories’ poll rating dropping to 17 per cent, the Braintree MP is returning to the fray.
Badenoch is using Argar’s departure as the chance to make what she calls ‘a few changes to my frontbench’
The full list of changes will be announced this afternoon, with Kevin Hollinrake likely to move from shadow levelling up secretary to party chairman. The 61-year-old Yorkshireman has proven his worth in recent months on the morning media rounds. With a difficult set of elections looming next May in Scotland and Wales, he could be the man sent out to bat by Badenoch.
So why has the Tory leader opted to shuffle around her frontbench? At the beginning of the year, Badenoch’s team were keen to stress stability, dismissing talk of an early reshuffle. But, as so often in politics, events have forced her hand. Ed Argar, the shadow health secretary, had a health scare earlier this summer. He has today stepped back from the frontbench to focus on his recovery. Badenoch is therefore using his departure as the chance to make what she calls ‘a few changes to my frontbench.’
Several other members of the shadow cabinet are reported to be having a difficult time personally. Not all are enjoying the arduous nature of opposition. So a refresh of the team can inject some new blood and try to put square pegs in square holes. The party whips have been taking soundings for weeks. ‘The right people have been called in to speak to the Chief’, said one senior source.
After so long in government, the 120 remaining Conservatives have had to rediscover the art of opposition. Some, such as Robert Jenrick and Andrew Griffith, have taken to it well. Others, like those typically found at the bottom of the Conservative Home league table, are still taking time to learn. But for Badenoch, facing a resurgent Reform UK, time is no longer a limitless commodity.
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