4.40 PMÂ
Mel Stride has been appointed Shadow Chancellor. The former leadership candidate, knocked out of the contest in the second round of voting and former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions demonstrated his grasp of the economic arena during the contest. Seen as a close ally of Rishi Sunak his is an appointment that plays to Kemi Badenoch’s pledge to pick a shadow cabinet based not just on her allies, but across the party, and by matching skillsets as her main criteria. He is also an experienced media performer.
Dame Priti Patel has been appointed Shadow Foreign Secretary. Another former leadership candidate, knocked out the contest in the first round and former Home Secretary and International Development Secretary has been indicating she’d be willing to return from two years on the back benches to the front bench. Badenoch had also indicated she wanted the talents of the leadership contenders alongside her if she won, this announcement does just that.
12:30 PM
Laura Trott has been appointed as the Shadow Education Secretary. Formerly the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and then the equivalent Shadow, she has been the MP for Sevenoaks since 2019, after a prolonged stint as a special advisor to first Francis Maude and then David Cameron. She was a prominent and early backer of Kemi Badenoch during the leadership contest.
Neil O’Brien has been appointed as Shadow Minister for Education. Having backed Badenoch in 2022, he switched to Robert Jenrick this year. He has previously served as Director of Policy Exchange, as a special adviser to George Osborne, and in a variety of ministerial roles since being first elected for Harborough in 2017. His Substack should be of interest to all readers.
Both have been appointed to be in place for Education Questions in the House of Commons this afternoon. Trott was reportedly keen on having a role focused on public sector reform – a sign those Cameronite instincts are well-ingrained.
7:00 AM
William Atkinson reporting.
Fresh off the back of her victory, Kemi Badenoch has begun appointing her Shadow Cabinet. Her first choice is Rebecca Harris as Chief Whip, replacing Stuart Andrew. Having first entered Parliament for Castle Point in 2010, she has previously served as a Deputy Whip and as Comptroller of the Household. It will be her job to corral our 121 MPs to vote the same way.
Nigel Huddleston and Dominic Johnson—a peer—were also reportedly appointed joint Party Chairmen, replacing Richard Fuller and becoming the party’s ninth and tenth Chairmen since the 2019 election. Huddleston has been an MP since 2015 and previously served in several ministerial roles. Johnson ran a hedge fund before serving in several roles, including Vice-Chairman.
The rest of the Shadow Cabinet appointments are expected by Tuesday.
