Badenoch vows ‘mission of renewal' as Cleverly returns in Tory reshuffle
Sir James served in the Foreign Office and as home secretary when the Conservatives were in power before spending months on the back benches after coming third in the Tory leadership contest last year.
The MP for Braintree in Essex has since used his influential position as a former minister to warn against pursuing a populist agenda akin to Nigel Farage's Reform UK.
He has also urged the Conservatives to reject climate change 'luddites' on the right who believe 'the way things are now is just fine,' in a speech widely seen as at odds with the net zero stance of the Tory leader.
His frontbench comeback is among a series of appointments made by Mrs Badenoch on Tuesday, also including Kevin Hollinrake as party chairman, replacing Nigel Huddleston, who will become shadow culture secretary.
Stuart Andrew will become shadow health secretary, replacing Edward Argar, who resigned citing health reasons.
Julia Lopez has been appointed shadow science secretary, taking over from Alan Mak, who has left the shadow cabinet.
Gareth Bacon has been replaced by Mr Holden in his transport brief and demoted from the shadow cabinet, but remains minister for London.
As he prepares for his last parliamentary oral questions from the front bench, I want to put on record my sincere thanks to Ed Argar for serving in my Shadow Cabinet.
I wish him the very best for a speedy recovery and return to full health, and so I will be making a few changes… pic.twitter.com/FWoC7L19nd
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) July 22, 2025
Mrs Badenoch said: 'The Conservative Party's mission of renewal continues, and these changes demonstrate exactly that.
'This new frontbench team reflects the rich experience within the party – from the tenacious campaigners fighting for Britain, to the experienced MPs who will keep holding this disastrous Labour Government to account.
'Unlike Labour and Reform, the Conservative Party is unashamedly on the side of Britain's makers: the people that work hard, do the right thing and want to get on in life.'
The reshuffle confirms former leadership contender Robert Jenrick will remain in the shadow cabinet following questions about whether Mrs Badenoch would choose to keep him in his current post.
The former leadership contender has strayed well beyond his justice brief, building a prominent social media presence with campaigns on a range of issues from tackling fare dodgers on the London Underground to the impact of immigration on housing.
Labour Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves said: 'No amount of deckchair shuffling can hide that the architects of 14 years of Tory failure still sit around Kemi Badenoch's top table.
'The Conservatives haven't changed and they haven't once apologised for the mess they left behind.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Kemi Badenoch's reshuffle has done nothing to energise the Tory brand
SIR – Reform UK's recent fiscal swerve to the Left opened up a space on the Right for Kemi Badenoch to grab. She could have achieved this through her changes to the shadow cabinet (report, July 23). Instead, she chose to invite the arch-liberal centrist and aspiring Conservative leader Sir James Cleverly back into the tent. Bob Lyddon Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk SIR – Sir James Cleverly is a well-known Tory wet and supports Britain's membership of the European Convention on Human Rights. His promotion by Kemi Badenoch confirms that the Conservative Party has learnt nothing from its crushing general election defeat. David Saunders Sidmouth, Devon SIR – Sir James Cleverly's return to the shadow cabinet not only highlights Kemi Badenoch's lack of political flair and vision, but also confirms beyond any doubt that the Tories are a spent force. Let us not forget that it was Sir James who, as foreign secretary, naively reopened the Chagos dossier – among other blunders. Jean Maigrot London SW6 SIR – I have had many conversations with fellow Conservative Party members since last year's bruising defeat. Even now, more than 12 months on, there remains widespread dismay at some of the decisions made during our time in government – and, in many quarters, outright anger at the lack of decisive action taken on a host of issues that matter deeply to voters. To stand any chance of regaining power, the party will need to put forward an unapologetically bold and wide-ranging set of policies that address public concerns. The problem is that I simply can't see it happening. And if I – a paid-up member of the party – feel this way, I struggle to see how we can expect to win back the confidence of the wider electorate. James Luke Steeple Ashton, Wiltshire SIR – The existence of a Right and a Left in the Conservative Party, split over matters such as the ECHR, is a fundamental barrier to its recovery. It's all very well being a broad church, but the party consists of too many agnostics and atheists. No leader can square this circle. The answer is not to keep changing the leader, but to change the party and reset it according to conservative values. This would mean a significant slice of the parliamentary party moving elsewhere. Currently, the Conservatives are offering no alternative to Reform UK, never mind opposition to the Labour Government. Another harmful tax SIR – You report (July 22) Angela Rayner's suggestion that councils should be able to tax visitors' hotel stays in order to cash in on Britain's tourism industry. This is both dispiriting and completely unsurprising. The Labour administration seems to have no other idea than to levy extra taxes, oblivious to, or unconcerned about, the economic damage such short-term expedients are likely to cause. Mart Ralph Salisbury, Wiltshire SIR – The focus on a 'tourist tax' is a red herring when the 20 per cent VAT rate on hospitality and tourism services already creates a significant tax burden. All the major European destinations have much lower VAT rates than the UK. Adding a new tourist tax, on top of our high VAT, would be a devastating blow to our competitiveness. It would deter visitors, hurt local businesses, and ultimately reduce the total tax revenue generated by tourism. Instead of considering new taxes, we should focus on creating a more competitive tax environment that supports our hospitality and tourism sectors. Kate Nicholls Chairman, UKHospitality London WC1 Orgreave inquiry SIR – I am a blue-collar trade unionist and I agree that the country doesn't need an inquiry into the Battle of Orgreave (Letters, July 23). If the Left were real friends of trade unionists they would be pressing for a revival of at least a niche coal-mining sector in the UK, to include coking coal mines in Cumbria and South Wales. This industry could support our defence industry and green technology, given that railways, nuclear plants and wind turbines need high-grade steel – and high-grade steel needs coking coal. John Barstow Pulborough, West Sussex SIR – I was a young district nurse in 1984, and as such had to travel past Longannet power station in Kincardine, Fife, to visit an elderly lady to administer her insulin injection. However, 'Arthur's Army' of Yorkshire miners parked their bus across the lane I needed to access. Though my Mini clearly stated 'Fife Health Board', a baying crowd of men started to rock my car backward and forward, and stand in my way across the road. Terrified and alone, I put my foot down and accelerated away, running over several toes. So don't tell me police used undue force in their attempt to clear the strikers. Taught a lesson SIR – John Frankel (Letters, July 22) asks when schools became political. I was at boarding school in the early 1960s, and by far the best teacher taught history. Unfortunately, one of our history trips included a visit to a friend's house, where we were shown a promotional film for the 'ban the bomb' movement. We were left in no doubt that our teachers agreed with the views shown. Once a few parents became aware of this, the history teacher was sacked. Rachel Jameson-Till Etchingham, East Sussex SIR – During a lesson at the local grammar school I attended in the 1970s, the English mistress stated that The Daily Telegraph should be closed down. Adrian Bone Cranbrook, Kent Unrest in Essex SIR – It is worrying that Essex police have admitted escorting members of the pro-migrant activist group Stand Up to Racism to an asylum hotel at the centre of days of unrest (report, July 23). This group has shown that there are people in this country who think the influx of illegal immigrants should be condoned and supported. The unrest has nothing to do with racism, but much to do with criminality on a massive scale – worthy of widespread condemnation. Meanwhile, ministers appear to think they can stop the boats with words alone. I fear for my country. Carole Doggett Milford, Hampshire Today gets tough SIR – The newest Today programme presenter, Anna Foster, is a welcome addition, combining excellent knowledge and forthright interviewing. Prior to her arrival there had been an increase in petty pleasantries and personal chatter between presenters. Her recent lambasting of David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, was a brilliant example. Long may she continue to outwit political interviewees, who are too often let off the hook when they fail to respond to direct questions with straight answers. Dr Paul Veale Bath, Somerset Seaside Shakespeare SIR – There was a magical moment at a performance of Macbeth at the Minack open-air theatre in Cornwall one lovely summer's evening (Letters, July 22). The trees of Birnam Wood arrived by boat across the sea, with the actors brandishing large branches before coming ashore for battle. Wonderful. Pam Booth Hathersage, Derbyshire SIR – When a local cinema announced it would be showing a film of Romeo and Juliet, the school at which I then taught welcomed the opportunity to clarify the meaning of any parts that some pupils might have found difficult to understand. I remember thinking it was a rather disjointed version of the play. The reason for this became clear when the boy next to me exclaimed: 'Ey, sir – I thought he was dead.' He should have been. It was Tybalt. The reels were being shown in the wrong order. Hartlepool, Co Durham Girlguiding traditions worth keeping alive SIR – I have mixed feelings about the introduction of 72 new badges to be awarded to members of the Girlguiding movement (report, July 22), including ones to recognise having a good night's sleep, laughter and dancing. It is right that Guides move with the times, that badges reflect important issues of today, and that there is something to interest all girls. However, as a movement we should not forget our history, values and skills acquired over 125 years. When I became a Guide they were called proficiency badges, and we learnt new skills and improved others. We had to earn them and were proud to receive one. The Guide movement should march forward without forgetting its heritage and raison d'être. Christine Doughty Nottingham The pensions time bomb has already gone off SIR – When I was an actuarial student in 1988, the firm I worked for produced a paper entitled 'The Pensions Time Bomb', examining the unsustainable funding model of the Basic State Pension (where today's workers pay, via taxation, for today's pensions) and the decline in final-salary pension schemes. The key message was that, if urgent action was not taken, the pensions system would be broken within 25 years. This did not anticipate Gordon Brown removing the dividend tax relief on pension schemes in 1997, which only accelerated the decline in final-salary schemes. Today, almost the only people to benefit from such generous pensions are public sector workers. The Basic State Pension was set up in 1946, when retirement typically lasted only about five years. Today it can last well in excess of 20. We were concerned about these issues 40 years ago, and I find it deeply depressing to hear that Liz Kendall, the Work and Pensions Secretary, is only thinking about tinkering with the current system (report, July 22) many years after our predicted 'pensions time bomb' has exploded. Ian MacGregor London N2 SIR – I allowed myself a rueful smile when I read that the Government wants people to pay more into their pension funds (report, July 21). I am now 79 years old, and paid into a pension from the age of 18. Unfortunately, chancellors of all political stripes seem to regard pension funds as their personal piggy banks, to be robbed as and when required – a trend started by Geoffrey Howe in the 1980s and continued by Gordon Brown in 1997. Letters to the Editor We accept letters by email and post. Please include name, address, work and home telephone numbers. ADDRESS: 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 0DT EMAIL: dtletters@ FOLLOW: Telegraph Letters @LettersDesk
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Badenoch says she would copy drastic cuts of Argentina's president
Kemi Badenoch has signalled that she wants to use Argentina's state-cutting president as the template to revive Britain's economy and her own party's fortunes. The Conservative leader said that her plans to reduce government spending would take inspiration from Javier Milei, adding that she was 'terrified' by the size of Britain's debt. Badenoch also batted away speculation that she may not survive in post until the next general election, saying that if she paid attention to briefings by some Tory MPs about her being deposed, she would 'lose her mind'. It came after a mini-reshuffle of the Conservative frontbench, in which Badenoch brought back her former rival in the leadership contest, Sir James Cleverly, to shadow the housing secretary, Angela Rayner. Badenoch was asked on Thursday if Britain needed a Milei, whom she has previously paid tribute to, and whether she was such a leader. 'Yes and yes,' she told the Financial Times in an interview. 'Milei is the template.' • Javier Milei's chainsaw economics in Argentina could lead the way Milei has overseen massive spending cuts since he came to power, just over a year and a half ago. His trademark prop is a chainsaw, to demonstrate his approach to public spending. Measures implemented in Argentina under his leadership include dismissing tens of thousands of state employees, slashing pensions and freezing dozens of infrastructure projects. The tribute to Milei this week will lead to speculation that Badenoch will push for significant spending cuts — however, where these would fall remains unclear. She said: 'It's not about cutting bits of the state.' Badenoch warned against 'top slicing' spending, and said instead: 'It's about looking at what the state does, why it does it.' Despite the Tories having trailed in the opinion polls for months, Badenoch warned her party not to emulate Nigel Farage's party. She said: 'We cannot be a repository for disenchantment,' instead saying the Tories should be about 'offering hope, fixing problems'. • What Kemi Badenoch's reshuffle says about the state of the Tories Badenoch praised Milei in her leadership pitch to Tory members at the party conference last autumn, saying that he gave a speech with 'very similar themes' to one she delivered two years ago, and hoped to have been his source of inspiration. In January, Badenoch also said that Argentina was 'serious about freeing business from red tape'. At prime minister's questions at the start of the year, she said 'Argentina is taking a chainsaw to regulations', in an attempt to persuade Sir Keir Starmer to drop his plans to strengthen workers' rights that she argued would stifle business growth.
Spectator
an hour ago
- Spectator
Can anything stop Reform?
A close associate of Nigel Farage received phone calls from three civil servants in the past week, asking how they might help Reform UK prepare for government. Officially, mandarins won't begin talks with the opposition until six months before a general election, which might be nearly four years away. And Reform currently has just four MPs. But behind the scenes, the source reveals: 'I'm personally getting middle-ranking civil servants in various departments asking if they can help – people who actually understand how to get things done. They don't want to lose their jobs, but they want to tell us what's going on.' MPs may have departed Westminster for recess, but that also marks the firing of a starting gun on a highly consequential political summer. In Downing Street and the Treasury, work is under way on Sir Keir Starmer's party conference speech, the next Budget and a reorganisation of No. 10, in what's seen as a vital reset after Labour's turbulent first year in power. The government is facing two political onslaughts. The first is from Reform on crime, as Farage's six-week campaign, launched on Monday, promises 'zero tolerance' policing, 'nightingale prisons' and 30,000 new police officers. The second is from the Tories on the economy, as the Treasury prepares for tax rises this autumn. The question is no longer 'Could Reform win?' but 'Can anything stop them?'. The expectation is that Farage's party will pick up thousands of seats in the Welsh, Scottish and local elections next May and emerge as the largest party in 2029. 'The polls are much stickier than we expected,' a Reform source says. 'We could be the next government.' They are optimistic of winning in Wales and making gains in outer London boroughs next year and are eyeing councils in Norfolk, Suffolk, Hampshire, Coventry, Dudley and Tameside. One answer to what can stop Farage might once have been Farage himself, whose intensity used to waver between elections. Now allies describe a man for whom a working day of 4.30 a.m. to 11 p.m. is not unusual. 'All his bodyguards are ex-SAS and parachute regiment and they're knackered trying to keep up,' one friend says. 'He spent three days preparing for that crime press conference so he was across the detail. There is a seriousness there. Does he want to be prime minister? I'm not sure he does. But he feels: if not him, then who? He feels it's his duty, and perhaps his destiny.' Farage's allies point to an incident before his return to frontline politics last year, while he was campaigning in Skegness. 'This guy said to him: 'Thank you for coming here, Nigel, but why are you letting us down?' You could see Nigel's eyes go down. He knew he needed to get back in and fight for these people.' Another answer might once have been the sense that Reform is a 'boys' club' – yet at his press conference on Monday Farage was flanked by the Reform MP Sarah Pochin, a former magistrate, and Laila Cunningham, a Westminster councillor and ex-prosecutor who defected from the Tories. On Tuesday he announced the defection of Conservative Laura Anne Jones, now the party's first member of the Welsh Senedd. 'We used to be testosterone city,' says an insider, 'but these women are not window dressing.' A third answer might once have been media scrutiny by the centre-right press, whose loyalties tended to lie with the Tories. In 2019, the Daily Mail harangued Farage to back Boris Johnson to 'save Brexit'. Yet Farage met senior media figures for 'peace talks' and coverage is now much friendlier. Farage (hotfooting it from Royal Ascot) turned up wearing union jack shoes at the summer party held by News UK, which owns the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times, and also dined recently with Victoria Newton, the Sun's editor. Reform sources say that Rupert Murdoch 'has always liked Nigel because they are both disruptors'. Paper insiders say Murdoch is attracted to backing Reform, though his son Lachlan, the titular head of the company, is both less interested in British politics and less convinced by Farage. Newton apparently urged Farage to show that he is taking preparations for government seriously. 'Nigel doesn't need to be told these things,' a close ally notes. Farage's nemesis could still be the Labour government with its huge majority. But he's not alone in being urged to get serious. 'There have been a procession of people, including Tony Blair, telling Keir 'This isn't working',' says one of those advising him. 'He needs far more good people around him and he needs to get serious about being prime minister and not just assume everything is going to turn out fine. He needs to use his power, not just occupy it.' The PM's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, has three priorities for the summer and autumn: getting Starmer's conference speech and the Budget to tell the same 'story' about what Labour is about and where it wants to take the country; getting the best people into No. 10; and improving relations with the parliamentary party. A No. 10 reorganisation is coming, along with a reshuffle, probably in September. McSweeney is studying a report by Nathan Yeowell of the Future Governance Forum and Helen MacNamara, the former deputy cabinet secretary (published in mid-August), which recommends the creation of a new Downing Street department, with its own chief operating officer. Some would like to see MacNamara – the one official whose brains and cunning Dominic Cummings rated alongside his own – return to government. The reorganisation is intended, in part, to bypass Sir Chris Wormald, the cabinet secretary, who is seen both as a block to reform and as the PM's most perverse appointment. 'They can't fire him,' explains an exasperated ally. 'They're just having to find ways to work around him.' Wormald's critics are busily sharing two stories. The first is that he told another official how to bamboozle politicians by going into every meeting 'with a few QI points' – fascinating facts like those presented on the comedy quiz programme – to divert attention. The second is that he tried to impose Jeremy Pocklington, the permanent secretary at the Department of Energy, on the Ministry of Justice, against the wishes of Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood, because Pocklington needed the experience if he was to become cabinet secretary one day. This reinforced the idea that Wormald is more interested in civil service careerism than getting the best people to drive political change. Mahmood won the day. Another key appointment will be an economics adviser for Starmer, a job which still lies vacant. There is talk of Torsten Bell, the pensions minister, taking the role, but others want a bigger hitter. Former Treasury mandarins Jon Cunliffe, Tom Scholar and John Kingman are all on the wish list. 'It has to be someone who can speak with authority to the Chancellor,' says one senior aide. Starmer's critics will also have a close eye on his policy team, a frequent target of disapproval. Liz Lloyd, a Blair-era retread who runs delivery, led policy discussions at a recent cabinet away day. But ministers say her views differ from those of Olaf Henricson-Bell, the civil service policy chief, and Stuart Ingham, the PM's longest-serving aide, who many see as a problem. '[Ingham's] great at having a conversation about the history of progressivism, but he's not right for a government which needs snappy ideas that deliver,' a senior Labour figure says. If Starmer fails to sort all this out, then not only will he be unable to face down Farage, he might even have to confront a leadership challenge. While Angela Rayner is the favourite, both Andy Burnham and Sadiq Khan, the mayors of Manchester and London, are expected to make returns to parliament with half an eye on the succession. Labour strategists are acutely aware that the party's annual conference is in Liverpool, where Hillsborough campaigners (supported by Burnham) still aren't happy with the government's plans to impose a 'duty of candour' on public servants to avoid a cover-up like the one which followed the deaths of the football fans. 'If they don't sort out Hillsborough, Andy will kill them at conference,' says one MP. Could the Tories prove a thorn in Farage's side? The return of James Cleverly to the front bench in Kemi Badenoch's reshuffle this week gives the Tories another good media performer, but most of the others promoted are barely household names in their own households. Party membership has fallen by 8,000 since she became leader. At a summer party for Politico last week, one of her senior aides had a drink-fuelled argument with two former cabinet ministers over their demands for her to 'step it up'. The appointment of Neil O'Brien, one of the brightest brains in the party, as policy chief was widely welcomed by Badenoch's critics. But the decision to make plain-speaking Yorkshireman Kevin Hollinrake party chairman was interpreted as evidence that Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) is still not match-fit for the local elections. His predecessors, the co-chairs Nigel Huddleston and Dominic Johnson, are both said to have contemplated resignation in recent months. 'The operation is a shitshow,' says one former CCHQ hand. 'They had so little power and were sick of carrying the can for failure.' Another former aide is circulating details of a recent focus group in which Badenoch was described by one voter as 'repulsive'. So what might stop Farage? The best answer might be Reform themselves. Nick Candy, the treasurer, has not raised the millions he promised. Insiders say he has been distracted by his divorce from TV actress Holly Valance. 'She was more political than him,' a party source admits. 'Money is tight.' Then there are the internal rivalries, which burst into the open again last week when Zia Yusuf, the former chairman, went public to accuse Suella Braverman, the former Home Secretary, of 'covering up' the decision to grant a superinjunction to hide the leak of data on Afghans who worked for Britain. Her husband, Rael Braverman, who defected from the Tories to Reform several months ago, resigned in disgust. 'Suella was quite close to defecting,' a source says. 'Rael urged Zia to take it down and he doubled down.' Farage, in short, is not without his internal party problems and he might yet succumb to external attacks. 'Nigel is at the 'could' be the next government stage rather than the 'will' be stage,' an ally notes. But while it may be a long-distance race until the next general election, Reform remains the pace-setter of British politics.
