JAMES Cleverly is set to return to the Conservative front bench as the shadow housing secretary, as Kemi Badenoch shakes up her top team.
The former foreign secretary is understood to be joining the shadow cabinet in the job shadowing Angela Rayner in the housing, communities and local government brief.
Cleverly 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 Cleverly's appointment, it is understood Kevin Hollinrake will move to the role of party chairman, replacing Nigel Huddleston, who will become shadow culture secretary.
Hollinrake was previously in the shadow MHCLG job, which will be filled by Cleverly.
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”.
Allies of shadow chancellor Mel Stride believe he will remain in his post, while attention will be focused on whether Badenoch keeps 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, Cleverly 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 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, Badenoch said she was “saddened” that 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 Badenoch on X/Twitter on Tuesday, 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.”
