November 4th 2024.
On Saturday, the Conservative party announced Kemi Badenoch as their new leader. After months of considering her options, Badenoch has finally chosen her top team to serve alongside her in the shadow cabinet. This comes after her predecessor, Rishi Sunak, stepped down four months ago following the party's worst defeat in history.
Badenoch's task is not an easy one - she must rebuild the Tories into a strong political force while facing a Labour Party with a massive majority in the House of Commons. To accomplish this, she will need to assemble a team from the 121 Conservative MPs. While this may seem like a large number, it pales in comparison to previous leaders. For example, Boris Johnson had over three times as many MPs to choose from after his landslide victory in the 2019 General Election.
To put things into perspective, the Labour government currently has 124 posts with 111 ministers filling them. If Badenoch wants to have a counterpart for each of these positions, she would have to assign roles to almost all of the Tory MPs elected in July. However, she also has the option of choosing from the House of Lords.
Badenoch will be meeting with her shadow cabinet for the first time tomorrow, where her team will be officially announced. So far, only a few members have been confirmed, including Dame Rebecca Harris as Chief Whip. Harris, who represents Castle Point in Essex, is replacing Stuart Andrew and will be responsible for maintaining discipline among Tory MPs during important votes.
It is no surprise that Harris is the first position to be appointed, as Parliament is still in session and there are crucial votes coming up, including the Budget in two days' time. In addition to her role as Chief Whip, Harris is also assisting Badenoch in selecting the rest of the cabinet. With her experience as a whip, she knows the strengths and weaknesses of each potential candidate.
The party chairmen, Nigel Huddleston and Lord Dominic Johnson, are also joining the top team. Huddleston, who represents Droitwich and Evesham, and Johnson, a banker who sits in the House of Lords, will replace Richard Fuller as Chairman of the Conservative Party. They will have the responsibility of overseeing the party's machinery, including the selection of election candidates.
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