Kemi Badenoch rewards early backers with shadow cabinet posts

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New Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has promoted former policing minister Chris Philp to shadow home secretary as she rewarded both allies and rivals with prominent front bench roles.

Badenoch has been at pains to promote colleagues from all wings of her party as she seeks to unite the Tories after the party’s worst defeat in its history — including naming final leadership contender Robert Jenrick as shadow justice secretary.

However, her long-standing friends and many rising stars who endorsed her early in the race were heavily weighted among her shadow cabinet line-up, which was announced on Tuesday.

Former Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart was made shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and ex-innovation minister Andrew Griffith became shadow business secretary, while former energy secretary Claire Coutinho kept that brief in opposition.

Fellow allies Helen Whately, former social care minister, was named shadow work and pensions secretary, while ex-Treasury minister Alan Mak became shadow science and technology secretary.

Philp was another key backer to be rewarded, alongside Kevin Hollinrake who became shadow housing secretary, Gareth Bacon who became shadow transport secretary, and Jesse Norman who was appointed shadow Commons leader.

The full list of her senior top team was released on Tuesday morning ahead of her first shadow cabinet meeting.

The appointments also mean her key lieutenants will be flanking her on the front bench when she appears at the despatch box on Wednesday to quiz Sir Keir Starmer in prime minister’s questions in the Commons.

On Monday former work and pensions secretary Mel Stride was announced as her shadow chancellor, and ex-home secretary Dame Priti Patel as her shadow foreign secretary.

Other early appointments included Laura Trott, former Treasury chief secretary, becoming shadow education secretary, while fellow ex-Treasury minister Nigel Huddleston and ex-investment minister Lord Dominic Johnson were named party co-chairs.

The last phase of the leadership race saw tensions erupt into the open between Badenoch and Jenrick, following a race characterised by anonymous negative briefings from various camps.

The former immigration minister accused Badenoch of launching a “garbage” personal attack on him after she appeared to cast doubt over his integrity.

While she has made him shadow justice secretary, the move emerged on Monday before Badenoch’s team had wanted it reported, signalling that the antagonism between the pair may not have entirely dissipated.

Badenoch’s decision to award him the justice portfolio has raised questions about her approach to the European Convention on Human Rights. A pledge to quit the ECHR — a suggestion greeted with horror by lawyers in Parliament — was Jenrick’s central leadership campaign pledge, while Badenoch notably swerved making any such commitment.

Jenrick will now have influence over the party’s policy on the convention while presiding over the justice brief.

Badenoch gave key roles to several prominent former Jenrick backers, including ex-health secretary Victoria Atkins, who has become shadow environment secretary, and ex-health minister Edward Argar, who she made shadow health secretary.

More junior appointments are expected to be made in the coming days — although there is little prospect of the Conservatives matching Labour appointments post for post.

Starmer has appointed 124 government payroll positions; more than the 121 Tory MPs that were elected in July.

Some of the most experienced figures in the party have declined to serve on the front bench in opposition: former prime minister Rishi Sunak, former chancellor Jeremy Hunt and former international development secretary Andrew Mitchell have resolved to return to the backbenches.

Former home secretary James Cleverly and ex-security minister Tom Tugendhat — who were respectively knocked out third and fourth in the leadership race — have also decided against taking up shadow cabinet roles.