Kemi Badenoch makes first senior appointments as Conservative leader
New Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch is in the process of choosing her top team after she beat Robert Jenrick in the race to replace Rishi Sunak.
Kemi Badenoch has officially begun appointing her shadow cabinet ahead of the first meeting of her new top team on Tuesday.
Sky News understands that Nigel Huddleston and Dominic Johnson have been appointed joint chairmen of the Conservative Party.
The role involves overseeing Conservative Campaign headquarters (CCHQ),
The two men, who held junior ministerial roles under Rishi Sunak, are expected to join the new Tory leader at CCHQ on Monday morning to meet staff.
The rest of the shadow cabinet are likely to be appointed throughout the day.
However, interim chief whip Stuart Andrew revealed yesterday he was being replaced by Essex MP Dame Rebecca Harris.
It is understood that Dame Rebecca Harris, MP for the Essex constituency of Castle Point, will be the party’s chief whip – replacing Stuart Andrew.
Mr Andrew wrote on the X social media platform: “It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as the Conservative Party Chief Whip.
“She [Harris] is a great friend and a brilliant whip. I wish her all the best in the role.”
Dame Rebecca’s role as chief whip will require her to maintain party discipline and to try and ensure MPs vote as Ms Badenoch would like them to.
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The 56-year-old has been the MP for Castle Point since May 2010 and supported the Leave campaign during the 2016 Brexit referendum.
She was also Comptroller of the Household between 2022 and 2024 – an ancient and largely ceremonial role handed to a government whip.
In a result announced on Saturday Ms Badenoch beat Robert Jenrick to replace Rishi Sunak as the party’s leader.
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The 44-year-old North West Essex MP is expected to appoint the members of her shadow cabinet before Tuesday.
She did not immediately announce who would make up her top team but suggested all of those who ran against her in the leadership race should be involved.
However, former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly revealed the day before the result that he would not be joining Ms Badenoch’s top team.
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He will return to the backbenches along with former prime minister Mr Sunak, former deputy prime minister Sir Oliver Dowden, ex-chancellor Jeremy Hunt and former Brexit, health, and environment secretary, Steve Barclay.
In an interview after becoming party leader, Ms Badenoch told the BBC the partygate scandal was “overblown” and the government should not have fined people for “everyday activities” during lockdown.
