How the Tories can bounce back
Spectator (UK)Sep 23
UK: Badenoch Begins Shadow Cabinet Appointments
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Above: Conservative Party leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch lawmaker seen delivering a speech on the last day of the conference on Oct. 2, 2024. Image copyright: David Tramontan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The Facts
After being elected as Conservative Party leader on the weekend, Kemi Badenoch has appointed her shadow cabinet ahead of its first meeting on Tuesday.
Mel Stride, former work and pensions secretary, has been appointed shadow chancellor; Priti Patel, former home secretary, has been appointed shadow foreign secretary; Chris Philip, former policing minister, has been appointed shadow home Secretary, and Robert Jenrick has accepted the role of shadow justice secretary.
The Spin
Right narrative
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
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.
