Kemi Badenoch Will Not Reshuffle Shadow Cabinet Before Next Election, Spokesperson Says

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch will not be changing her shadow cabinet around at all in the next four years, according to her spokesperson.

As questions over Labour chancellor Rachel Reeves’ future in the job continue to circulate – despite PM Keir Starmer’s insistence than she will be in the role for “many many years to come” at PMQs – the spotlight has turned onto the opposition party.

Asked by journalists if Mel Stride would stay in his post as shadow chancellor for the next four years – until the next general election – Badenoch’s spokesperson said: “Yes.”

Asked if that applies to every member of the shadow cabinet, he said: “Yes. We are very happy with our shadow cabinet as it is, thank you.”

At the moment, Badenoch has not appointed a deputy Tory leader.

Aside from Stride and herself, her shadow cabinet is made up 23 other Tory MPs including shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel, shadow home secretary Chris Philp, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Richard Fuller and shadow education secretary Laura Trott.

Her former rival in the Tory leadership contest Robert Jenrick is now the justice secretary.

The bold claim follows years of reshuffles within the Conservative party when they were in government, mainly driven by the repeated changes in leadership.

There were three Tory leaders (and therefore prime ministers) in charge between 2019 and 2024, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.

Badenoch herself held eight ministerial positions during that period, although some of them overlapped.

She was also the shadow housing, communities and local government secretary before she was elected as Tory leader and leader of the opposition in November.