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Gareth Bacon has been replaced by Mr Holden in his transport brief and demoted from the shadow cabinet, but remains minister for London.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
Daily Mirror
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Keir Starmer urged to drop 'toxic' NIMBY term by Labour MPs
In recent months Keir Startmer has vowed to take on 'the NIMBYs' to get spades in the ground of major infastructure projects and deliver on promise to build 1.5million new homes Keir Starmer should drop the "toxic" term NIMBY for those who rally against developments in their own area, a group of Labour MPs have suggested. In recent months the PM has vowed to take on "the NIMBYs" - an acronym which stands for 'not in my back yard' - to get spades in the ground of major infrastructure projects. But Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, the Labour MP who chairs the Labour Rural Research Group, told The Mirror"many people rightly despise the term". "The term NIMBY isn't just toxic, it's politically pointless. We win nothing by labelling people 'anti development' or 'anti growth'," she added. It comes after The Mirror's Kevin Maguire wrote: 'Labour must find engaging story for the UK - or face election wipeout'. The group of 26 Labour backbenchers Labour Rural Research Group - set up to champion rural issues - have published their first report today on the attitudes of their countryside constituents. Their survey of 1,412 people found 56% "firmly do not see themselves as NIMBYs". Over 60% also agreed developments in their areas should go ahead "as long as it is delivered thoughtfully, and with consideration for local needs and identity". The report says: "The rhetoric in today's political world and media, which tends to focus on dividing lines, often pits rural against urban, and NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) against YIMBYs (Yes In My Back Yard). YIMBYs are often presented (in the media at least) as proud urban voters, whilst NIMBYs are seen as people living in rural or semi-rural communities." It also found almost three quarters believe rural communities have been overlooked over the past 15 years. And three in five feel their communities are in decline. The MPs' report said: "We must ensure that rural communities, left behind by successive Conservative governments, are front and centre of the Labour government's mission for inclusive growth and opportunity." Ms Riddell-Carpenter, who overturned ex-Tory Deputy PM Therese Coffey's massive majority in the Suffolk Coastal constituency last year, added: "Our report shows – in black and white – rural voters do not see themselves as NIMBYs, in fact many people rightly despise the term." She added: "They are rightly proud of, and ambitious for, their local area - they want to see new jobs, more affordable homes, and better opportunities for young people. We need to make sure that growth and development in rural areas matches this strong local identity, and that we put forward proposals that local people can be proud of in their back yard." A Labour source told The Mirror: 'Labour was elected to deliver change. We are proud of our ambition to create a fairer Britain. Working families don't feel that sense of fairness yet. People work hard and deserve a secure place to call home for them and their loved ones. 'Through our Plan for Change, Labour will unashamedly deliver on that promise. We'll build 1.5 million new homes during this Parliament, and create the infrastructure that gets them to work more quickly and seen by a doctor more swiftly.'
The Guardian
30 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Calls for clarity over whether UK police can release suspects' ethnicity and immigration status
Yvette Cooper is facing demands for clarity over the information that police forces are permitted to release to the public after claims of a 'cover-up' by the authorities over the immigration status of men accused of raping a child. The Warwickshire police and crime commissioner, Philip Seccombe, called for fresh national guidance after police were accused by Reform UK of failing to confirm that two Afghan men being prosecuted for the alleged attack on a 12-year-old girl were asylum seekers. There is increasing pressure on prosecutors and the police to release details about the ethnicity and immigration status of people facing a criminal charge. Cooper, the home secretary, said on Tuesday that the guidance should change to permit police to release the ethnicity or immigration status of criminal suspects but added that she was waiting for a review to be concluded by the Law Commission. Seccombe said: 'Like all forces, Warwickshire police finds itself in a difficult position of trying to carefully balance the legal safeguards which protect the integrity of the judicial process, while maintaining public order and simultaneously ensuring that public confidence is maintained through transparency and honesty. 'Currently police forces are in an invidious position when deciding what can and should be disclosed in sensitive cases, given that the national guidance is silent on both the ethnicity and immigration status of suspects. 'It is very easy to criticise and suggest that the balance of disclosure hasn't been correct, but it is much harder to take these decisions on the ground.' The alleged rape, said to have happened on 22 July, has become the centre of a political storm after the Reform leader, Nigel Farage, on Monday amplified claims of a police cover-up. On Tuesday the leader of Reform-led Warwickshire county council said police were refusing to confirm details of the two suspects charged after the alleged attack in Nuneaton. George Finch, the youngest council leader in England, alleged within days that Ahmad Mulakhil and Mohammad Kabir – the two men charged in the case – were asylum seekers, but police forces do not routinely release the immigration status of suspects. In a letter to Cooper, Finch claimed the police risked 'disorder breaking out on the streets' of the county. Cooper said on Tuesday that 'we do want to see greater transparency' from police forces and she wanted national guidance to change in relation to the release of information about suspects. Mulakhil has been charged with two counts of rape, while Kabir has been charged with kidnap, strangulation and aiding and abetting of the rape of a girl aged under 13. Both men are in custody and due to appear at Warwick crown court on 26 August. Warwickshire county council's chief executive briefed Finch confidentially about the immigration status of the two men, according to a letter by the force's chief constable, Alex Franklin-Smith. Franklin-Smith said he confirmed to Finch last Thursday that this information was accurate but that 'we wouldn't be releasing immigration status at point of charge as we follow national guidance'. The police chief said he had asked the Home Office to confirm the full immigration status of the two men, given that Finch had released some details publicly. He added: 'I am confident that Warwickshire police has treated this investigation seriously from the outset, working tirelessly to identify, locate, arrest and charge those suspected of being responsible for this awful crime as quickly as possible.' A Home Office spokesperson said: 'As the home secretary said yesterday, it has been widely reported that this case involves two Afghan individuals who are in the asylum system, some of which information has already been confirmed in open court. 'The home secretary has made clear that there is a strong public interest in maximum transparency wherever that is possible. 'That is why the Home Office and College of Policing are working together to strengthen and clarify the guidance around how and when information is released.'
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
When can we make a true comparison between Conservative and Labour governments
In MetroTalk: Readers debate governments track records, the cost of medical aid and weight-loss drugs(Picture:) Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments. 'Brexit has shown that Europe and the EU were never the problem with the UK' says reader In response to Gary, we do not need to wait and see. All the things listed didn't happen in the (barely one year) since Labour has been in power versus the 14 years the Conservatives were at the helm. It's, therefore, wrong to think you can now lay it all at Keir Starmer's feet, whatever his shortcomings. And as for the worsening uncontrolled immigration situation? Well, you can lay that squarely on Brexit. Europe has no reason to want to aid the UK anymore on this issue – it was hard enough when we were part of the EU! So yes, it's worse now. But Starmer is doing the right things to hopefully ensure we can once again control immigration to this country. It will take time. If there's one good thing to say about Brexit it is that it has shown that Europe and the EU were never the problem with the UK. So let's please stop this wilful ignorance about why things are the way they are now in this country. Agatha, Surrey Does a lack of strikes equal a 'sleight of hand'? I'm not sure why Gary from Essex (MetroTalk, Wed) chooses to characterise hospitals now meeting appointments due to lack of strikes as a government 'sleight of hand'. Does he perhaps feel that the previous lot's abysmal performance was in fact the norm and that any improvement must be some kind of trick?Martin, London 'Labour havent 'given in', doctors have been underpaid despite doing God's work', reader defends Labour parties performance This reader defends the Labour party and NHS doctors (Picture: Jack Hill –) Gary is right in that we will have to wait five years for a true comparison between Labour and Conservative performances. But I would like to address some of the points he made. Unemployment going up has nothing to do with Labour and, with regards to small businesses closing at their highest rate in more than ten years, file that under Brexit – which was under the Conservatives' watch. Government borrowing? Well that's squarely down to the Tory black hole, and Brexit again. Got a question about UK politics? Send in yours and Metro's Senior Politics Reporter Craig Munro will answer it in an upcoming edition of our weekly politics newsletter. Email alrightgov@ or submit your question here. As for waiting list times, they have improved. And, as the partner of a doctor, Labour haven't 'given in'. Doctors have been underpaid in relative terms for ten or so years – despite the fact they're doing God's work. As to his final point regarding illegal immigration being up, that's down to Brexit, which was voted for by every district in Essex – and I'm assuming that includes Greg by the sounds of things. Greg, Highgate Reader comments on the cost on providing medical aid to children from Gaza Adrian Appleby (MetroTalk, Wed) is worrying about how the UK is going to be able to afford treatment for children wounded because of the war in Gaza (MetroTalk, Wed). He needn't fret so much, the profits we've made from the sale of the bombs and the bullets and the various aircraft parts will more than make up for the damage wrought upon their tiny bodies from the blasts that killed their families…P Guy, Liverpool 'the lost art of queuing at bus stops' Further to your letter about the lost art of queuing at bus stops (MetroTalk, Wed), I once worked with a very experienced TV presenter and she had a saying to describe certain people who were slightly pushy in personality as 'last at the bus stop, first on the bus'. I always to this day smile at bus stops as I think of those extremely wise words. Jan, London Bring back the queue! Reader knows how to crack a smile on public transport (Picture: Getty Images) 'Nothing is perfect', reader expresses support for the NHS I find the words 'shames the NHS' on the front page of Monday's Metro unfortunate. Of course what this patient experienced with a rat found in her drawers was very unpleasant, but 'shame' is too strong a word and smacks of over-generalisation. This happens all too often, be it about the NHS or other issues. We have found the NHS to be wonderful in dealing with my husband's ill-health, in particular over the last few months. The staff have treated him with nothing but kindness, professionalism and patience, all while under enormous pressure. They could even have been forgiven for any mistakes made – within reason of course. Nothing is perfect and the NHS should not be castigated in this way. Pat Horitz, Dorking Reader asks, 'why should my taxes pay for other peoples weight-loss drugs'? Why should my taxes pay for other people's weight-loss drugs and follow-up support on the NHS (Metro, Tue)? It's not an illness. It's over-eating, bad diet and lack of willpower to stop. I don't mind paying for treatment of illness, but not this. KT, Edin 'Start treating people the same and help everybody' says reader Are school uniform prices getting out of hand? (Picture: Getty Images) Once again the government are being called upon to help pay for school uniforms for people on benefits, with debt adviser Money Wellness looking for grants to be made available across the UK for low-income households. What about the couples who are working hard to provide for their family but don't come into the government's bracket when it comes to extortionate prices for school uniforms that have to be bought from specific outlets? This includes state schools, not only private. Come on, if you care, start treating people the same and help everybody. Den, Dartford Is there something wrong with our electoral system? Further to Rory O'Kelly's summations (MetroTalk, Wed), there must be something terribly wrong with our electoral system when a party can win an election with 3million fewer votes than it received when it lost the election some years earlier. Roger Smith, Witham How quickly can you solve our crossword? I just wanted to give you guys a pat on the back for publishing my letter today light-heartedly taking the rise out of your inadvertent double entendre headline about rat droppings found in a lady's drawers. We all slip up now and then, and you could so easily have ignored my letter but you saw the funny side and didn't mind bringing attention to your slip up. I am impressed! Incidentally, thank you for a really good, free paper which I enjoy every day, especially the quick crossword. This morning, I achieved a personal best, solving it within four minutes. My chest will be puffed out all day. William Buckley, Reading Arrow MORE: The Metro daily cartoon by Guy Venables Arrow MORE: Dr. Sam's Clarity Kit hailed 'the best skincare' by customers to treat acne breakouts Arrow MORE: We've found Molly-Mae Hague's exact chunky pearl earrings – and they're gorgeous
