Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch is set to unveil a significant reshuffle of her shadow cabinet later today, marking a broader overhaul than initially expected.
While early reports suggested only minor changes to replace a few shadow ministers stepping down for personal reasons, BBC News now understands that Badenoch plans a more substantial shake-up involving around half a dozen appointments.
A key figure returning to the frontbench is Sir James Cleverly, the former foreign and home secretary. Once a rival in the Tory leadership contest, Cleverly is expected to be given a prominent new role. However, his exact position has not yet been confirmed.
Mel Stride is expected to remain in place as shadow chancellor, providing continuity in economic policy leadership.
One confirmed departure is Edward Argar, the shadow health secretary, who is stepping down following a health scare. In a letter to Badenoch, Argar, the MP for Melton and Syston, wrote that he had "listened to what the doctors said to me... and have concluded that lightening my front bench workload over the coming months in order to complete my recovery and fully restore my health... is the sensible approach."
The full list of changes is expected to be released on Tuesday afternoon. No new MPs from the 2024 intake are expected to be promoted to the shadow cabinet at this time.
Badenoch’s current frontbench lineup includes Chris Philp as shadow home secretary, Dame Priti Patel as shadow foreign secretary, and Laura Trott handling the education portfolio.
A party source confirmed the reshuffle, saying it “reflects the next stage of the party’s policy renewal programme and underlines the unity of the party under new leadership.” The source added that Sir James Cleverly’s return is intended to “take the fight to this dreadful Labour government.”
Cleverly has been on the backbenches since being eliminated in the Conservative leadership race in October 2024. Badenoch ultimately defeated Robert Jenrick, who now serves as shadow justice secretary. Cleverly was knighted in April 2025 in former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list.
The reshuffle comes eight months into Badenoch’s leadership, during a challenging period for the Conservatives. The party has consistently polled behind Labour, Reform UK, and at times the Liberal Democrats. May’s local elections saw the Tories lose control of 16 councils.
In a June interview with the BBC, Badenoch acknowledged the party’s struggles, stating she was “going to get better” as leader and that her transformation of the Conservatives “won’t happen overnight.” She added the party had “hit rock bottom” at the last general election.
Reacting to the reshuffle, a Labour spokesperson said: “After initially claiming her shadow cabinet would be in place until the next election, Kemi Badenoch has already hit the panic button. The Tory leader can shuffle as many deckchairs as she likes, but it’ll still be the same old faces responsible for 14 years of failure.” Photo by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street, Wikimedia commons.