
Cleverly set to return to Tory front bench as shadow housing secretary
Sir James served in the foreign office and as home secretary when the Conservatives were in power.
He stood as a candidate in last year's Conservative leadership election, but lost out on the Tory top job ahead of the final heat between Mrs Badenoch and her now shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick.
Since the leadership contest, he had returned to the Tory back benches as the MP for Braintree.
As well as Sir James's appointment, it is understood Kevin Hollinrake will move to the role of party chairman, replacing Nigel Huddleston, who will become shadow culture secretary.
Mr Hollinrake was previously in the shadow MHCLG job, which will be filled by Sir James.
Stuart Andrew will become shadow health secretary, replacing Edward Argar, who resigned citing health reasons.
Further changes are expected to be confirmed later on Tuesday, and a Conservative source said earlier that they will 'reflect the next stage of the party's policy renewal programme and underline the unity of the party under new leadership'.
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
Allies of shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride believe he will remain in his post, while attention will be focused on whether Mrs Badenoch keeps Mr Jenrick in his current role.
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.
Since moving to the backbenches, Sir James has used his influential position as a former minister to warn against pursuing populist agenda akin to Nigel Farage's Reform UK.
Appearing at the Institute For Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank last week, the senior Tory hit out at calls to 'smash the system' and 'start again from scratch', branding them 'complete nonsense'.
He also appeared to take a different position on net zero from party leader Mrs Badenoch in a recent speech, urging the Conservatives to reject climate change 'luddites' on the right who believe 'the way things are now is just fine'.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mrs Badenoch said she was 'saddened' that Mr Argar feels 'unable to continue' in his position, but agreed 'that you must put your health first'.
In a letter to the party leader dated July 9 and shared by Mrs Badenoch on X on Tuesday, Mr Argar said: 'I had a health scare earlier this summer and remain grateful to the doctors and hospital staff who looked after me.'
He added: 'I have been well looked after, but have also listened to what the doctors said to me, and have listened to my family, and have concluded that lightening my front-bench workload over the coming months, in order to complete my recovery and fully restore my health in that period, is the sensible approach.'
This afternoon I have decided to step back from my role in the Shadow Cabinet.
Despite the offer of an alternative role, I have decided to focus on constituency matters and I wish my successor in the Shadow DSIT brief all the best in what is a fantastic role. pic.twitter.com/w6QMOvAFuW
— Alan Mak MP 🇬🇧 🏴 (@AlanMakMP) July 22, 2025
Havant MP Alan Mak said that he will be 'stepping back' from the role of shadow science and tech secretary after being offered another job.
In a letter to Mrs Badenoch posted on X, Mr Mak said that it would 'enable me to focus on my constituency'.
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.'
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Spectator
24 minutes ago
- Spectator
Why I left the Conservatives
There comes a moment for many soldiers – and most politicians – when you realise the battle you think you're fighting isn't the one your leaders are waging. That moment came for me watching Kemi Badenoch tell Sky News's Trevor Phillips there are real differences between Reform UK and the Conservatives. She was right. The difference is the Reform leadership – voters grasp the scale of our national peril and back a party serious about addressing it. Many in Britain feel we may already have passed the point of no return. Our cities grow less cohesive, the country effectively bankrupt. For over a year, Conservative colleagues have insisted Reform was just a noisy protest vehicle. 'We're all saying the same things,' they claimed. But we're not. Kemi was correct: the differences are real – and it's those differences that brought me, with regret but clarity, to conclude I am no longer a Conservative. I remain a conservative – as do millions of voters – but our values now align more with Reform. This isn't hard when the government I supported presided over the arrival of well over four million mostly unskilled migrants and their dependents. You can't blame people for wanting better for their families – but you can blame a government, my government, for allowing 728,000 net arrivals in a single year. The army has 33 infantry battalions; since 2018, we've let in nearly 250 battalions' worth of undocumented young men of military age. And it was the Conservatives who launched the well-meant but job-exporting Net Zero agenda, pushing UK energy prices to four times those in the US. Now the Conservatives offer cautious reform: modest tax cuts, a managed Net Zero transition, an inquiry into the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights). Reform offers a sharper reset: immediate tax cuts, hard borders, and a clear-out of ideologically captured institutions. One wants course correction. The other believes only bold change can restore public trust. The Conservative party I thought I joined believed in sovereignty, secure borders, low taxes, personal responsibility, and cultural confidence. That party is no longer in government – and no longer deserves to be. It wasn't just defeated at the ballot box – it was hollowed out by careerists masquerading as conservatives. They got there thanks to CCHQ's obsession with the divisive dogma of 'diversity, equality, and inclusion' (DEI) over merit and sense. A government elected on promises of control and competence delivered drift, disillusionment, and denial. Reform's policies are not extreme. Some of my former media colleagues smear them as such. They should look to themselves. As a Sikh friend said: Reform is refreshingly colour-blind. Its platform is what the Conservative manifesto should have been: tax and regulatory reform, full border control, energy sovereignty, making Brexit work, restoring national pride, and the first duty of government – protecting the public. When I talk to people in Gravesham in Kent, the seat I served for 19 years, they don't bring up DEI or Net Zero. They talk about the boats. About crime, housing, doctors, bills, and broken services. And the quiet anger at seeing economic migrants in hotels seemingly prioritised over British citizens — including homeless veterans. They see a system that punishes effort and rewards dependency. This is not ideology. It is betrayal. A former cabinet minister friend recently said: 'Reform may win many more seats — and just split the vote again.' But that misses the point. The vote is already split. For millions, the Conservative party stopped being a conservative vehicle long before it was thrown out of office. Reform has taken up that mantle – and wears it with pride. 'They're the only party speaking common sense,' a local Reform supporter told me. 'The Tories became Labour-lite.' He's not wrong: think Chagos, woke policy drift, tax hikes, and the slow purge of the wealth creators who fund the system. From the refusal to cut migration, to cowardice in confronting public-sector radicals, to the erosion of free speech, the Conservatives chose to manage decline, not resist it. Labour, of course, is worse – not just timid but dangerous. Their instinct is always for more state, more spending, more control. The Conservatives at least hesitated before doing harm. Labour doesn't even pause. We cannot hand them another blank cheque in 2029 because the so-called Right remains divided. This is no time for technocrats or those who simply fancy being Prime Minister. It requires conviction. Kemi is a fighter – but she's surrounded by too many who'd be Lib Dems if the Lib Dems were winning. She can't charge from a trench full of MPs who won't follow her. I joined the Army to serve the country, not the institution. The same applies now. If we want to rescue Britain, we must be honest about who's still willing to fight for her. Reform is not perfect – but it is serious. I didn't leave the Conservative party, it left me. It used good people's votes to govern as Labour-lite and squabble over promotions. In doing so, it handed Britain to an ignorant and disastrous Labour government. Some may say I've moved to Reform because it may win my old seat. Of course, that's a consideration. But it's not the reason. I know the road from protest to power is long. Reform may flare bright and fade. It must grow beyond its extraordinary founder, lose some of its more combative edges, continue to attract serious talent, further professionalise, and develop to become a credible government-in-waiting. That will require discipline, time, and luck to challenge the deep vested interests in Parliament, the civil service, the unions, and the wider public sector. No: I've made this choice not because it's easy or inevitable, but because right-thinking people need to come together. As Ronald Reagan said, 'You gotta dance with the one that brung ya.' The Conservative party forgot to dance with the people who brought it to power. The challenge for Reform – and any future allies – is to become fully fit and credible for the rescue mission of 2029, which may well be the United Kingdom's last best chance.


Spectator
24 minutes ago
- Spectator
Exclusive: Ex-Tory MP defects to Reform
Reform UK has today unveiled its latest defector. Adam Holloway served as the Conservative MP for Gravesham in Kent from 2005 until 2024. A former soldier, he focused heavily on military matters in the Commons and served in the Whips' Office in the governments of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. His decision to switch parties follows a number of other ex-Tory MPs defecting including Jake Berry, Anne Marie Morris and Ross Thomson. More defections are expected in the coming weeks. In a statement, Nigel Farage told The Spectator that 'Adam's parliamentary and military experience will be vital as we look forward to the next general election.' He added that Holloway's 'bold move shows that we are the only serious option in Kent and is testament to the fantastic work our councillors are delivering across the region.' In May, Reform UK won 57 on Kent County Council, with the Conservatives reduced to just five wards overall. Holloway told The Spectator that he had decided to quit the party as he now believed that it was beyond salvation. He said that 'Kemi is a fighter but she's surrounded by too many who'd be Lib Dems if the Lib Dems were winning. She can't charge from a trench full of MPs who won't follow her.' With his experience in the Armed Servives, he is expected to lead heavily on Reform UK's campaigns to grant immunity from prosecution for former British soldiers.


The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Reform UK unveils ex-Tory MP Adam Holloway as latest defector
Nigel Farage has secured his latest defection from the Conservative Party, with ex-Tory MP Adam Holloway announcing he has become a member of Reform UK. The Reform leader will welcome Mr Holloway, a 60-year-old ex-army officer who was MP for Gravesham until July last year when he lost his seat to Labour, as the latest in a line of defectors from the Tories. He follows ex-Tory colleagues in parliament Dame Andrea Jenkyns Lee Anderson, Marco Longhi and Sir Jake Berry to jump ship to Mr Farage's party. Speaking as his defection was announced, Mr Holloway said: 'There comes a moment for many soldiers — and most politicians — when you realise the battle you think you're fighting isn't the one your leaders are waging. Many in Britain feel we may already have passed the point of no return. Our cities grow less cohesive, the country effectively bankrupt. 'That moment came for me watching Kemi Badenoch tell Trevor Phillips there are real differences between Reform UK and the Conservatives. She was right. The difference is the Reform leadership and voters grasp the scale of our national peril and back a party serious about addressing it. "I joined the Army to serve the country, not the institution. The same applies now. If we want to rescue Britain, we must be honest about who's still willing to fight for her." Mr Holloway was the Conservative MP for Gravesham from 2005 until last year's general election. He was briefly an assistant government whip in 2022 and held roles on the Home Affairs Committee and European Scrutiny Committee. He was replaced by Labour's Dr Lauren Sullivan at the election, losing his seat by 2,712 votes. During his time as a Tory MP, Mr Holloway was a vocal backer of his ex-colleagues Charlie Elphicke and Imran Khan, both of whom were convicted of sexual offences. Mr Holloway was found by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to have attempted to improperly influence judicial proceedings in attempting to have a judge block pre-sentencing character testimonies. Previously Mr Holloway was found by the sleaze watchdog to have breached MPs' rules by failing to register two rental properties and not declaring a payment and the source of a trip he took. Mr Holloway has also been asked to repay £1,000 after he tried to claim council tax on his parliamentary expenses twice. Mr Farage told The Spectator: 'Adam's parliamentary and military experience will be vital as we look forward to the next general election'. The Reform leader added that Mr Holloway's 'bold move shows that we are the only serious option in Kent and is testament to the fantastic work our councillors are delivering across the region'. The ex-MP's defection to Reform comes as Mr Farage seeks to show his insurgent right-wing party is not running out of steam after a recent surge in the polls. There have been no defections of sitting MPs to Reform since Lee Anderson joined the party in March 2024. Those who have defected have typically done so after losing their seats fighting as Conservatives in the general election. In parliament, Mr Holloway voted against conducting air strikes on ISIS in 2014 after visiting the border with the Islamic State, and abstained on a vote for air strikes in 2015. In 2008, Adam Holloway accepted a trip to Syria and Lebanon from an organisation that described its aim as to engage with terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah in order to 'facilitate dialogue between political Islam and the West'. The Conservative Party declined to comment on the defection.