UK: Badenoch Begins Shadow Cabinet Appointments

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • Two days after being elected as Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch has begun appointing her shadow cabinet ahead of its first meeting on Tuesday.[1]
  • Mel Stride, former work and pensions secretary, has been appointed as shadow chancellor; Priti Patel, former home secretary, has been appointed shadow foreign secretary; and Robert Jenrick, whom Badenoch defeated to become leader last weekend, has accepted the role of shadow justice secretary.[2][3]
  • Laura Trott has been appointed shadow education secretary, Neil O'Brien has been appointed as shadow education minister, and both Nigel Huddleston and Lord Dominic Johnson have become Conservative Party joint chairmen.[4][5]
  • This comes after Rebecca Harris was also appointed as chief whip the night before. Despite coming third in the party's leadership race, James Cleverly announced last week that he would not accept a role in the shadow cabinets of either Badenoch or Jenrick.[6][7]
  • Badenoch was announced as the new Conservative leader on Saturday after defeating Jenrick by a margin of 54K to 41K votes. Badenoch is the first Black woman to lead a UK political party, and the fourth female leader of the Conservatives.[8]

Sources: [1]BBC News (a), [2]The Guardian, [3]Daily Mail, [4]The Telegraph, [5]The Mirror, [6]Sky News, [7]BBC News (b) and [8]Verity.

Narratives

  • Right narrative, as provided by Express and The Spectator (UK). Despite several roles still to be confirmed, Badenoch's surprise move to appoint Patel, Stride, and Jenrick — three former leadership rivals — into the shadow cabinet shows a Conservative focus on a united future. As Laura Trott's inaugural outing as shadow education secretary on Monday evening showed, Badenoch's team is ready to both defend the party's government record and shape a new policy agenda fit for the future.
  • Left narrative, as provided by The Guardian and INews. Badenoch has wasted no time in picking her shadow cabinet — a move that she may end up regretting given her already limited options following the Summer's electoral wipeout. Already viewed as a risky choice by the party, Badenoch must make sure that her combative style does not alienate the few Tory lawmakers that remain in Westminster. For better or for worse, if Badenoch is to survive as Tory leader she must accept the decisions she has now made.