Rishi Sunak has unveiled his interim shadow cabinet following the loss of 12 members in the recent general election. Lord David Cameron, the former Prime Minister who returned to the

cabinet in November, has resigned from his role as shadow foreign secretary. His former deputy, Andrew Mitchell, will take over the position.

Richard Holden has also stepped down as party chairman, citing "a very tough set of results." He is succeeded by Richard Fuller, former Economic Secretary to the Treasury, as interim chairman.

Key positions remain largely unchanged with Jeremy Hunt continuing as shadow chancellor and James Cleverly as shadow home secretary, roles they previously held in government. However, new appointments include James Cartlidge as shadow defence secretary and Ed Argar as shadow justice secretary, following the election defeats of Grant Shapps and Alex Chalk.

The Conservatives now hold only 121 seats, their lowest number in history, after losing 251 seats to Labour.

Statements and Resignations

Lord Cameron expressed his honor in serving as foreign secretary and pledged ongoing support for the party despite their disappointing election result. As a peer, he did not face his counterpart in the Commons.

Additional Changes

Kemi Badenoch moves to shadow secretary of state for levelling up, housing, and communities, replacing Michael Gove who stepped down as an MP.

Kevin Hollinrake becomes shadow business secretary, succeeding Badenoch.

Andrew Griffith is appointed shadow secretary of state for science, innovation, and technology.

Damian Hinds takes on the role of shadow education secretary, replacing Gillian Keegan.

Chris Philp is named shadow leader of the House of Commons, following Penny Mordaunt's ousting in Portsmouth North.

Helen Whately is now shadow transport secretary.

Julia Lopez becomes shadow secretary of state for culture, media, and sport, after Lucy Frazer lost her seat.

Continuing in their roles are Oliver Dowden as deputy leader of the opposition, Victoria Atkins as shadow health secretary, and Claire Coutinho as shadow secretary of state for energy security and net zero.

Reflection and Future Plans

Interim party chairman Richard Fuller emphasized the need for the party to regroup and reflect on the election results. In his resignation letter, Richard Holden called for a "thorough review" of the campaign, suggesting that new perspectives would be beneficial.

Rishi Sunak has stated he will remain as party leader until a successor is chosen, though the timeline for this process is not yet clear. Potential candidates include Robert Jenrick, Suella Braverman, Victoria Atkins, and Kemi Badenoch.

Other Confirmed Positions

Mel Stride - Shadow work and pensions secretary

Steve Barclay - Shadow secretary of state for environment, food, and rural affairs

Jeremy Wright - Shadow attorney general

Alex Burghart - Shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland

John Lamont - Shadow secretary of state for Scotland

Lord Davies of Gower - Shadow secretary of state for Wales

Stuart Andrew - Opposition chief whip

Laura Trott - Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury

John Glen - Shadow paymaster general

Tom Tugendhat - Shadow security minister

Andrew Bowie - Shadow veterans minister

Mims Davies - Shadow women and equalities

Lord True - Shadow leader of the House of Lords.

Photo by Prime Minister’s Office, Wikimedia commons.