The result is in. Kemi Badenoch is the new leader of the Conservative party. She faces a daunting task trying to transform the party, following its worst ever defeat earlier this year. The new Tory leader won with 56.5 per cent of the vote with her rival Robert Jenrick on 43.5 per cent.
So, who will be the key players in ‘Team Badenoch’? She faces an uphill task on funding, campaigns, staffing and party management. In the aftermath of July’s election defeat, and a drop-off in party donations, Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) has been forced to cut back on staff numbers. Meanwhile, there aren’t that many Conservative MPs to choose from when it comes to building a crack team. With the parliamentary party totalling 121 MPs, it won’t be hard to get a job. Around 100 frontbench posts will need to be filled to shadow the government, with some MPs likely to have multiple roles.
Filling the key positions with the right people could be what decides whether Badenoch sinks or swims as leader. Notably, neither James Cleverly nor Tom Tugendhat will serve in Badenoch’s shadow cabinet – both have decided to return to the backbenches.
Here are the appointments in full:
Shadow chancellor: Mel Stride. The former leadership contender has been rewarded for his efforts with what is arguably the most senior job in Badenoch’s shadow cabinet. Stride has long been tipped as a frontrunner for the role of shadow chancellor (with some in the party viewing his leadership bid as clever positioning for the role). However, his decision to back James Cleverly meant it was up in the air whether Badenoch would give him such a key role. Stride brings with him plenty of relevant experience, having served as work and pensions secretary and prior to that chair of the Treasury select committee.
Shadow foreign secretary: Priti Patel. The former Home Secretary has been appointed as Badenoch’s shadow foreign secretary. It’s another sign of Badenoch attempting to reach out across the party, bring in fellow leadership contenders and make the most of the experience that remains in the parliamentary party. Patel was the first to be knocked out of the contest (followed by Stride). As for what she may bring to the job, as international trade secretary in 2017, Patel ran into trouble when she met the leader of one of Israel’s main political parties without telling the Foreign Office. In the years since, she has gained more ministerial experience and her appointment now suggests that Badenoch take a much more pro-Israel line than the Labour government. Her appointment does beg the question of whether Tom Tugendhat, the third candidate to be knocked out, was approached about the role. It was seen by his supporters as one of the only positions he would consider taking.
Shadow home secretary: Chris Philp. The former policing minister has been given the Home Office brief. An early backer of Badenoch, Philp described her as a ‘ferocious and fearless defender of genuine conservative values’ when he endorsed her over the summer. Having served as minister of state in the home office between October 2022 and July 2024, Philp comes into the new role with experience of the department. He faces one of the toughest policy challenges – so far Badenoch has refrained from saying the UK should leave the ECHR (despite calls to do so from the right of the party). She has promised a radical approach but has not offered specifics.
Shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland: Alex Burghart. The 2017 intake Badenoch loyalist has been rewarded with not one but two jobs. Burghart – an Essex MP like his boss – played a key role on parliamentary engagement in Badenoch’s leadership campaign. As for his new briefs, he has Cabinet Office experience – serving as parliamentary secretary in the department during Rishi Sunak’s government. Seen as one of the brains in the Tory party, he now has two meaty briefs with which to prove himself. Badenoch has spoken of issues in Whitehall previously so reform could be on the agenda. As for Northern Ireland, any Brexit policy will come up against the commitments in the Windsor Framework.
Shadow defence secretary: James Cartlidge. The shadow defence secretary remains in post – having taken on this role for Rishi Sunak during the interim period. Cartlidge backed Badenoch early on in the campaign and has been rewarded for his efforts. He said Badenoch could communicate with the public so the party’s message ‘cuts through’. Cartlidge was a minister of state in the Ministry of Defence between April 2023 and July 2024. This is one area where the Tories hope to win back the advantage over Labour with stronger commitments on defence funding.
Shadow justice secretary: Robert Jenrick. After some confusion, Jenrick has been confirmed as shadow justice secretary. On Monday night, allies of Jenrick said the runner up accepted the role of shadow justice secretary – as he wants to help unite the party. The problem? No one in the Badenoch camp would confirm this – with talk that they instead wanted the focus to be on Patel and Stride, who had just been announced. On Jenrick’s appointment, there are two things to note. First, the relationship between Jenrick and Badenoch after the contest always had the potential to be tricky. The mixed messages confirm this may be the case. Second, will Jenrick push for the Tories to leave the ECHR from his shadow cabinet role? The convention runs across various justice issues – yet Badenoch has so far resisted calls to say the UK must quit it.
Shadow education secretary: Laura Trott takes on the role, leaving her former position as shadow chief secretary to the Treasury. Trott, who had a stint working for George Osborne in No. 11 prior to entering parliament, was an early backer of Badenoch’s. She will be helped by Neil O’Brien, who is to be shadow minister of state for education. O’Brien is a 2017-er who (unlike the majority of the intake) backed Robert Jenrick over Badenoch.
Shadow health and social care secretary: Ed Argar. At last, a senior Robert Jenrick backer has a role! Argar, who endorsed Jenrick for leader early on, has been appointed to the health brief. He brings plenty of experience to the role having served as a minister of state in the department for three years.
Shadow ‘Levelling Up’, housing and communities secretary: Kevin Hollinrake. A former Sunak loyalist, Hollinrake backed Badenoch in the leadership contest. He now takes over from Badenoch in the brief. However, it’s hard to imagine Hollinrake’s exchanges with his counterpart Angela Rayner being quite as ferocious. How the Tories choose to respond to Labour’s planning reforms will in part define what type of conservatism Badenoch adopts. In Canada, the right – led by Pierre Poilievre – has made housebuilding a priority.
Shadow environment secretary: Victoria Atkins. Atkins moves from the health brief to the environment. Given Atkins backed Robert Jenrick rather than Badenoch this could be read as a demotion. However, it’s worth pointing out that Atkins represents a rural seat in Lincolnshire (Louth and Horncastle). She is understood to be keen to lead the fight against Labour over their approach to farmers, farm and rural voters more generally.
Shadow business secretary: Andrew Griffith. An early backer of Badenoch, Griffith has been handed the business brief. As a former chief operating officer of Sky with a long career in business prior to entering parliament, Griffith will be looking to create some clear dividing lines with Labour following their budget which has led to a business backlash.
Shadow energy secretary: Claire Coutinho. Coutinho stays in her current brief – one she also held when the party was in power. It suggests continuity on net zero – with the Tories adopting an approach whereby they agree with the general aim but question the speed (and cost to consumers) of the green transition under Labour.
Shadow work and pensions secretary: Helen Whately. Whately, who backed Badenoch for leader, has been given the challenging work and pensions brief. With Labour promising welfare reform and facing a parliamentary party likely to be resistant to it, this will be a key department when it comes to opposition. It’s also the case that until the welfare bill comes down, any economic growth or plans for tax cuts will be harder to make happen.
Shadow transport secretary: Gareth Bacon. Formerly shadow minister for London, the Orpington MP backed Badenoch during the leadership contest – suggesting she was best placed to deal with the Reform threat.
Shadow culture secretary: Stuart Andrew. Andrew moves from the shadow whip role to the brief largely regarded as the most fun in government. Key issues include Labour’s football Bill. There is also the question of how Andrew approaches the culture war debate from the brief – with his counterpart Lisa Nandy claiming she would end culture wars.
Shadow science, innovation and technology secretary: Alan Mak. Mak is promoted to the shadow cabinet after taking on a key role in the Badenoch leadership campaign. One question for Mak is the approach this government takes to social media firms in contrast to Labour. Badenoch previously told The Spectator she was a ‘huge fan’ of Elon Musk.
Shadow Scotland secretary: Andrew Bowie. The West Aberdeenshire MP takes over the Scotland brief – he will also serve as a shadow minister of state in the energy department.
Shadow Wales secretary: Mims Davies. Davies backed James Cleverly in the leadership contest. She attended Swansea university.
Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury: Richard Fuller. Fuller moves from the party chairman brief to a shadow Treasury role, working under Mel Stride.
Chief whip: Rebecca Harris. Like Badenoch, Harris is an Essex MP. She has seven years experience as a whip, and was Badenoch’s first whip when she entered parliament so the pair know one another well. Given no candidate won the support of more than a third of MPs, party management will be key if Badenoch is to make her leadership a success. Therefore it matters that Badenoch has a chief whip she trusts.
Shadow leader of the House: Jesse Norman. Norman backed Badenoch in the leadership contest. The experienced politician will now lead on Commons’ business.
Shadow leader of the Lords: Lord True.
Party co-chairman: Nigel Huddleston and Dominic Johnson. Badenoch has chosen to split the role between the MP for Droitwich and Evesham and the Conservative peer. As a businessman and financier, Johnson is likely to play a key role in fundraising – something the party is in bad need of. Huddleston, meanwhile, will be tasked with fixing the party machine.
Parliamentary private secretary: Julia Lopez. One of Badenoch’s fellow 2017-ers and loyal backers, Lopez has been given a role traditionally viewed to be a fairly junior position. However, Lopez will be attending shadow cabinet. What’s more, appointing someone Badenoch trusts suggests an awareness of the need to keep the party on side through parliamentary engagement.
As for the back of house roles, key positions are yet to be announced.
Chief of staff: This is the most senior role for a non-politician and the expectation is that it could go to Lee Rowley should he want it. Rowley is a former 2017 intake MP who ran Badenoch’s campaign. The son of a milkman, he is a socially liberal free-marketeer who held a succession of junior posts under four Tory premiers. Passionate about housing, he was well liked in parliament. Another potential candidate for an adviser role could be Henry Newman, the former Michael Gove adviser who now runs The Whitehall Project Substack (which has led to him being described as the ‘de facto leader of the opposition’ after various stories of Labour cronyism). He worked with Badenoch in government.
Other ex-MPs set to be tapped for policy commission roles include Rachel Maclean and Mark Jenkinson and perhaps Simon Clarke. Badenoch boasts a loyal team of special advisers who have served her both in government and now throughout this campaign.
The long time Badenoch media aide Dylan Sharpe, who previously worked for Theresa May’s 10 Downing Street as head of broadcast before a stint with HS2, is expected to continue to work on her communications. James Roberts has been key to Badenoch’s parliamentary engagement over the past 18 months too.
Given Badenoch’s interesting relationship with the media, could she be tempted to bulk up her team with some former hacks to help build relations? Could Badenoch’s media allies such as Liam Halligan at the Telegraph be tempted to lend a hand?
Listen to Katy Balls, Michael Gove and Cindy Yu discuss the leadership results on Coffee House Shots:
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