Kemi Badenoch said her shadow cabinet shake-up reflects the Tories’ “mission of renewal” after a series of changes to her top team saw Sir James Cleverly return to the front bench.
The former foreign secretary will shadow Angela Rayner in the housing, communities and local government brief, while ex-Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden becomes shadow transport secretary.
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Gareth Bacon has been replaced by Mr Holden in his transport brief and demoted from the shadow cabinet, but remains minister for London.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.
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) July 22, 2025
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
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.”
