Kemi Badenoch has appointed former Home Office minister Robert Jenrick as the new Shadow Justice Secretary in her reshuffled Shadow Cabinet. Mr Jenrick, who lost out to Ms Badenoch in the Conservative leadership contest, has accepted the role as he believes “the party needs to come together and take the fight to Labour”.
The move is seen as an attempt by the new Tory leader to unite the party after its general election defeat. Ms Badenoch has also appointed Mel Stride as Shadow Chancellor and Laura Trott and Nigel Huddleston as Shadow Education Secretary and Conservative Party co-chairman respectively.
Mr Jenrick was vocal on law and order and the UK’s membership of the European Convention on Human Rights during his leadership campaign. He is expected to use the role to “expose Labour’s dreadful record on law and order”.
The appointments of Ms Badenoch’s former leadership rivals demonstrate her desire to bring the party together, according to sources. Both Mr Stride and Ms Patel are experienced and long-serving Tory MPs, having entered Parliament in 2010.
