Sir James Cleverly set to return to Tory front bench as shadow housing secretary

Sir James Cleverly is set to return to the Conservative front bench as the shadow housing secretary, as Kemi Badenoch shakes up her top team.

The former foreign secretary is understood to be joining the shadow cabinet in the job shadowing Angela Rayner in the housing, communities and local government brief.

Sir James served in the foreign office and as home secretary when the Conservatives were in power.

He stood as a candidate in last year’s Conservative leadership election, but lost out on the Tory top job ahead of the final heat between Mrs Badenoch and her now shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick.

Since the leadership contest, he had returned to the Tory back benches as the MP for Braintree.

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Changes

As well as Sir James’s appointment, it is understood Kevin Hollinrake will move to the role of party chairman, replacing Nigel Huddleston, who will become shadow culture secretary.

Mr Hollinrake was previously in the shadow MHCLG job, which will be filled by Sir James.

Stuart Andrew will become shadow health secretary, replacing Edward Argar, who resigned citing health reasons.

Further changes are expected to be confirmed later on Tuesday, and a Conservative source said earlier that they will “reflect the next stage of the party’s policy renewal programme and underline the unity of the party under new leadership”.

Allies of shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride believe he will remain in his post, while attention will be focused on whether Mrs Badenoch keeps Mr Jenrick in his current role.

The former leadership contender has strayed well beyond his justice brief, building a prominent social media presence with campaigns on a range of issues from tackling fare dodgers on the London Underground to the impact of immigration on housing.

Since moving to the backbenches, Sir James has used his influential position as a former minister to warn against pursuing populist agenda akin to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

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Letter

Appearing at the Institute For Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank last week, the senior Tory 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 on net zero from party leader Mrs Badenoch in a recent speech, urging the Conservatives to reject climate change “luddites” on the right who believe “the way things are now is just fine”.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mrs Badenoch said she was “saddened” that Mr Argar feels “unable to continue” in his position, but agreed “that you must put your health first”.

In a letter to the party leader dated July 9 and shared by Mrs Badenoch on X on Tuesday, Mr Argar said: “I had a health scare earlier this summer and remain grateful to the doctors and hospital staff who looked after me.”

He added: “I have been well looked after, but have also listened to what the doctors said to me, and have listened to my family, and have 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.”