Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is set to announce a major reshuffle of her shadow cabinet later today, with former leadership rival Sir James Cleverly returning to the frontbench in a prominent role.
The shake-up, which BBC News understands will involve about half a dozen changes, comes as the Conservative Party continues to poll in third or fourth place nationally, behind Labour, Reform UK and sometimes the Liberal Democrats. Sir James, who previously served as foreign secretary and home secretary, has been on the backbenches since losing out in the October 2024 leadership contest.
Shadow chancellor Mel Stride is expected to remain in post, whilst shadow health secretary Edward Argar has confirmed he will step down following what he described as a “health scare.
Health Scare Prompts Departure
In a letter to Badenoch, the Melton and Syston MP said he had “listened to what the doctors said” and 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.
Argar, who served as a health minister during Boris Johnson’s premiership and later held justice and treasury roles, was appointed shadow health secretary when Badenoch formed her shadow cabinet in November 2024. His departure creates one of several vacancies the Conservative leader will fill in Tuesday afternoon’s reshuffle.
A party source confirmed the changes, stating: “The changes reflect the next stage of the party’s policy renewal programme and underline the unity of the party under new leadership. Sir James Cleverly is expected to return in a prominent frontbench role to take the fight to this dreadful Labour government.”
Cleverly’s Backbench Stint
Sir James has used his time on the backbenches to position himself as a voice against populist politics. Speaking at the Institute for Public Policy Research last week, he 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 from Badenoch on net zero, urging the Conservatives to reject climate change “luddites” on the right who believe “the way things are now is just fine.” These interventions have fuelled speculation about his future leadership ambitions should Badenoch fail to reverse the party’s fortunes.
The MP for Braintree received a knighthood in April 2025 as part of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list. His return to the frontbench is seen as an attempt by Badenoch to project party unity and bring experience back to her top team.
Wider Changes Expected
Whilst Stride’s position as shadow chancellor appears secure, attention will focus on whether Robert Jenrick remains as shadow justice secretary. The former leadership contender has built a prominent social media presence, campaigning on issues beyond his brief including fare dodgers on the London Underground and immigration’s impact on housing.
Current shadow cabinet members include Chris Philp as shadow home secretary, Dame Priti Patel as shadow foreign secretary, and Laura Trott in the education brief. No members of the 2024 intake of Conservative MPs are expected to receive promotions to the shadow cabinet.
The reshuffle had initially been expected to involve only minor changes to replace ministers stepping down for personal reasons. However, sources suggest Badenoch has opted for a more substantial reorganisation of her team.
Electoral Challenges Mount
The reshuffle comes against a backdrop of dire polling for the Conservatives. In May’s local elections, the party suffered its worst performance on record, losing control of 16 councils and winning just 20% of seats contested – the second lowest proportion in over 20 years.
Reform UK’s surge has particularly damaged Conservative prospects. The insurgent party won 677 seats and took control of 10 councils in May, marking the first time Reform or its predecessor the Brexit Party has controlled any local authorities. Recent polling suggests Reform would be the largest party if a general election were held now, with 271 seats to Labour’s 178 and the Conservatives reduced to just 46.
This represents a collapse from the 121 seats the Conservatives currently hold, placing them fourth behind the Liberal Democrats. The combined Labour and Conservative vote share has slumped below 50% for the first time, highlighting the fragmentation of British politics.
Leadership Under Pressure
Badenoch’s leadership has come under scrutiny eight months into the role. In a BBC interview in June, she acknowledged she was “going to get better” as leader, adding: “You don’t want people to be the very best they’re going to be on day one.
She insisted the Conservatives had “hit rock bottom” at the last general election and that changing the party would “not going to happen overnight.” However, some MPs are already positioning themselves for a potential future leadership contest, with Sir James seen as a frontrunner alongside Jenrick should Badenoch fail to improve the party’s standing.
Conservative mayor of Tees Valley, Lord Houchen, recently suggested his party would need to form a coalition with Reform at the next general election to keep Labour out of power. However, Badenoch has ruled out such an arrangement, arguing Reform seeks to destroy the Conservatives.
Labour Response
A Labour source dismissed the reshuffle, saying: “After initially claiming her shadow cabinet would be in place until the next election, Kemi Badenoch has already hit the panic button. The Tory leader can shuffle as many deckchairs as she likes, but it’ll still be the same old faces that were responsible for 14 years of failure.
The full list of changes is expected to be announced on Tuesday afternoon, with MPs and party members watching closely to see whether the reshuffle can inject new momentum into the Conservative opposition or merely rearrange familiar faces.
As one senior Conservative MP observed privately: “Reshuffles are always a gamble – you tend to anger more people than you please. With our poll numbers where they are, Kemi needs this to work.
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Image Credit:
Kemi Badenoch at Political Cabinet, 2024 – Photo by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
