UK: Badenoch Begins Shadow Cabinet Appointments
UK: Badenoch Begins Shadow Cabinet Appointments
The Facts
Two days after being elected as Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch has begun appointing her shadow cabinet ahead of its first meeting on Tuesday.
Mel Stride, former work and pensions secretary, has been appointed as shadow chancellor; Priti Patel, former home secretary, has been appointed shadow foreign secretary; and Robert Jenrick, whom Badenoch defeated to become leader last weekend, has accepted the role of shadow justice secretary.
The Spin
Despite several roles still to be confirmed, Badenoch's surprise move to appoint Patel, Stride, and Jenrick –— three former leadership rivals –— into the shadow cabinet shows a Conservative focus on a united future. As Laura Trott's inaugural outing as shadow education secretary on Monday evening showed, Badenoch's team is ready to both defend the party's government record and shape a new policy agenda fit for the future.
Badenoch has wasted no time in picking her shadow cabinet –— a move that she may end up regretting her already limited options following Summer's electoral wipeout. Already viewed as a risky choice by the party, Badenoch's must make sure that her combative style does not alienate the few Tory MPslawmakers that remain in Westminster. For better or for worse, if Badenoch is to survive as Tory leader she must accept the decisions she has now made for better or for worse.
