Tory reshuffle: James Cleverly set to make frontbench comeback as Kemi Badenoch changes her team
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Powys County Times
41 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Kemi Badenoch plays down prospect of leadership coup after Tory reshuffle
Kemi Badenoch has played down the prospect of a coup after unveiling her revamped Conservative top team. The Tory leader said she was not 'paying any attention' to reports that backbenchers are already plotting to oust her, less than a year after she was elected. The New Statesman reported that many Tory MPs who backed Mrs Badenoch in the leadership contest have privately turned on her, and believe her core team of advisers are 'lightweights and sycophants'. Faltering Conservatives may seek to trigger a vote of confidence in their leader in November, once a grace period protecting her from such a move ends, the magazine said. The claims came to light a day after Mrs Badenoch reshuffled the senior Tory ranks, appointing former minister Sir James Cleverly as her shadow housing secretary. Asked about suggestions that Tory MPs were already plotting a coup, Mrs Badenoch told the PA news agency: 'I would say that if nobody put their name to it, then I'm not paying any attention to it. 'People have been saying that about every single leader, and it's usually the same one or two people who say it about every single leader.' Speaking during a visit to a housing development in north-west London alongside Sir James, Mrs Badenoch added: 'I've been elected to get the Conservative Party back on track, and I'm very focused on doing that. 'We lost to a historic defeat last year for many reasons, not least of all, house building, not doing as well as it could have done.' The New Statesman said Mrs Badenoch had criticised her predecessor Rishi Sunak for making an early exit from D-Day commemorations in France during the 2024 general election campaign, and that she believed the gaffe was central to the party's loss. The magazine also claimed to have seen a notebook containing her handwriting, which included affirming phrases like 'You are a serious person who does big things', and suggesting the Tory leader was 'the standard bearer of the right'. Mrs Badenoch's team denied that she had lost any such notebook. In his first full day in the job, shadow housing secretary Sir James accused the Prime Minister of being more interested in finding accommodation for asylum seekers than 'hard-working young people'. He said he was 'furious' when the Prime Minister 'blithely' said there are 'plenty of houses' around the UK for asylum seekers. Sir Keir Starmer insisted there was 'lots of housing available' to accommodate rising numbers of homeless people and asylum seekers when he was questioned by senior MPs earlier this week. Sir James told Times Radio: 'I was furious, I genuinely couldn't believe he said this, when the Prime Minister was at the Liaison Committee and blithely said, 'Oh, there are plenty of houses around the UK for asylum seekers'.' Sir James also said he understands the frustrations of local people when asked about demonstrations outside hotels believed to be housing asylum seekers. There has been a series of protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, since an asylum seeker was charged with sexual assault. His new role makes him the opposition counterpart to Angela Rayner in her housing, communities and local government brief, but not in her deputy prime minister post. Ms Rayner said on Tuesday that immigration was among issues having a 'profound impact on society' as she updated the Cabinet on her work on social cohesion. Sir James was also asked for his view on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) after Mrs Badenoch launched a review and said she was 'increasingly of the view' that the UK should withdraw. He would not say whether he agreed as he toured broadcast studios on Wednesday morning. Mrs Badenoch told broadcasters: 'James and I have always had the same position on the ECHR, and that is that if we need to leave, then we should leave, but it's not a silver bullet. 'That is why we have a commission on this very issue, which will be reporting at party conference. 'So I wouldn't bring someone into the shadow cabinet if they didn't agree with me.'
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Kemi Badenoch plays down prospect of leadership coup after Tory reshuffle
The Tory leader said she was not 'paying any attention' to reports that backbenchers are already plotting to oust her, less than a year after she was elected. The New Statesman reported that many Tory MPs who backed Mrs Badenoch in the leadership contest have privately turned on her, and believe her core team of advisers are 'lightweights and sycophants'. Faltering Conservatives may seek to trigger a vote of confidence in their leader in November, once a grace period protecting her from such a move ends, the magazine said. The claims came to light a day after Mrs Badenoch reshuffled the senior Tory ranks, appointing former minister Sir James Cleverly as her shadow housing secretary. Asked about suggestions that Tory MPs were already plotting a coup, Mrs Badenoch told the PA news agency: 'I would say that if nobody put their name to it, then I'm not paying any attention to it. 'People have been saying that about every single leader, and it's usually the same one or two people who say it about every single leader.' Speaking during a visit to a housing development in north-west London alongside Sir James, Mrs Badenoch added: 'I've been elected to get the Conservative Party back on track, and I'm very focused on doing that. 'We lost to a historic defeat last year for many reasons, not least of all, house building, not doing as well as it could have done.' The New Statesman said Mrs Badenoch had criticised her predecessor Rishi Sunak for making an early exit from D-Day commemorations in France during the 2024 general election campaign, and that she believed the gaffe was central to the party's loss. The magazine also claimed to have seen a notebook containing her handwriting, which included affirming phrases like 'You are a serious person who does big things', and suggesting the Tory leader was 'the standard bearer of the right'. Mrs Badenoch's team denied that she had lost any such notebook. In his first full day in the job, shadow housing secretary Sir James accused the Prime Minister of being more interested in finding accommodation for asylum seekers than 'hard-working young people'. He said he was 'furious' when the Prime Minister 'blithely' said there are 'plenty of houses' around the UK for asylum seekers. Sir Keir Starmer insisted there was 'lots of housing available' to accommodate rising numbers of homeless people and asylum seekers when he was questioned by senior MPs earlier this week. Sir James told Times Radio: 'I was furious, I genuinely couldn't believe he said this, when the Prime Minister was at the Liaison Committee and blithely said, 'Oh, there are plenty of houses around the UK for asylum seekers'.' Sir James also said he understands the frustrations of local people when asked about demonstrations outside hotels believed to be housing asylum seekers. There has been a series of protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, since an asylum seeker was charged with sexual assault. His new role makes him the opposition counterpart to Angela Rayner in her housing, communities and local government brief, but not in her deputy prime minister post. Ms Rayner said on Tuesday that immigration was among issues having a 'profound impact on society' as she updated the Cabinet on her work on social cohesion. Sir James was also asked for his view on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) after Mrs Badenoch launched a review and said she was 'increasingly of the view' that the UK should withdraw. He would not say whether he agreed as he toured broadcast studios on Wednesday morning. Mrs Badenoch told broadcasters: 'James and I have always had the same position on the ECHR, and that is that if we need to leave, then we should leave, but it's not a silver bullet. 'That is why we have a commission on this very issue, which will be reporting at party conference. 'So I wouldn't bring someone into the shadow cabinet if they didn't agree with me.'
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Record number of police officers sacked amid drop in force numbers
Latest Home Office data reveals 426 officers were dismissed or had their contracts terminated in the 12 months to March. This is up 17% year on year from the previous record of 365 and more than double the number fired at the start of the decade, when 164 officers were dismissed in 2019/20. In May, ministers tightened rules on standards in efforts to improve confidence in policing, including for officers who fail background checks and commit gross misconduct to be sacked. The five largest forces in England and Wales together account for just more than half of all dismissals in 2024/25: the Metropolitan Police (151 dismissals, or 35% of the total), Greater Manchester (22, or 5%), West Midlands (15, or 4%), West Yorkshire (17, or 4%) and Thames Valley (14, or 3%). Three other forces had more than 10 dismissals in 2024/25: Devon & Cornwall (15, or 4% of the total), Avon & Somerset (12, or 3%) and Merseyside (11, or 3%). The latest 12-month period also saw 4,806 officers voluntarily leaving policing: the second-highest number since records began in 2006 and down slightly from the peak of 5,151 in 2023/24. The figures come as forces have warned the Government that funding levels fall short to keep the existing workforce. A total of 146,442 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers were in post at the end of March 2025, down almost 1% from 147,745 at the same point last year, which was the highest in modern times. Of the 43 police forces, the Metropolitan Police saw the largest drop of 1,022 FTE officers, down 3% from 34,315 to 33,293. Last month, plans for an average 2.3% rise in police spending per year faced backlash from police leaders, who warned a projected £1.2 billion shortfall will continue to grow and leave forces facing further cuts. Acting national chairwoman of the Police Federation, Tiff Lynch, had said: 'We will lose 10,000 experienced officers a year to resignation by the end of this spending review period, driven out by poor pay and unacceptable working conditions.' Chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council Gavin Stephens added that the amount 'falls far short' of what is needed to fund Government plans and to maintain the existing workforce. Ministers have committed to recruiting 13,000 more neighbourhood policing officers by 2029, with 3,000 extra recruits to be in post by spring next year. Meanwhile, the figures show there was a 17% decrease in the number of new recruits joining police forces, 7,874 excluding transfers, compared to 9,492 the year before. This follows a 42% decrease in the year 2022/23, when 16,355 joined policing. Reacting to the figures, the Conservatives said the falling police numbers were a 'devastating blow' to neighbourhoods dealing with rising crime and anti-social behaviour. The figures cover the last three months of the former Conservative government, and the first nine months of Labour in power. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: 'Labour has let down policing and has let down the public. 'We need police to catch criminals, respond to 999 calls, investigate crime and patrol our streets. 'Labour has massively increased our taxes, squandered the money, and now they're reducing police numbers. The public are less safe as a result of Labour's incompetence.' A Home Office spokesperson said the Government is determined to re-build neighbourhood policing, and there will be an extra 3,000 officers and PCSOs in communities by March 2026 following a £200 million investment. The spokesperson added: 'Officer numbers have been stable since last July despite falling between March and June 2024, however, the promising increase in neighbourhood policing shows that we are finally seeing more officers on our streets'.
