Robert Jenrick accepts role in Kemi Badenoch’s top team

Robert Jenrick has accepted the job of shadow justice secretary in Kemi Badenoch’s senior team, the BBC understands.

The new Tory leader is also expected to name Dame Priti Patel as her shadow foreign secretary and Mel Stride as her shadow chancellor.

Dame Priti, Stride and Jenrick were all candidates against Badenoch in the Tory leadership race, with Badenoch beating Jenrick in the final round.

By appointing not only former rivals but also figures from different wings of the party, Badenoch will be hoping to unite the Conservatives after a bruising election defeat.

However, there was wrangling over which, if any, job Jenrick would take and during negotiations one Conservative source, not close to the leadership, told the BBC: “Kemi just doesn’t like Rob. She thinks his whole schtick about her and whether she has any policies has done her lasting damage with the right and with Reform voters.

“This is only likely to further unravel.”

The pair clashed during the final weeks of the leadership campaign, with Jenrick accusing Badenoch of being “disrespectful” to Tory members by failing to set out policies.

Badenoch said she would not have used that word and, defending her own approach, said she would not make a promise “unless I know how I am going to deliver it”.

However, following the conclusion of the contest the two candidates exchanged warm words.

In her victory speech on Saturday, Badenoch praised Jenrick’s “energy and determination”, adding: “You and I know that we don’t actually disagree on very much, and I have no doubt that you have a key role to play in our party for many years to come.”

Jenrick in turn congratulated his opponent on her win and urged Conservatives to unite behind the new leader.

On Monday, a friend of Jenrick’s said: “Rob thinks the party needs to come together and take the fight to Labour.

“Unity could not be more important. He’s eager to expose Labour’s dreadful record on law and order.”

A formal announcement of Badenoch’s full shadow cabinet is expected before its first meeting on Tuesday.

Former Chief Secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott has been given the job of shadow education secretary, with Neil O’Brien appointed shadow education minister.

Trott and O’Brien have already appeared in their new roles in the House of Commons at Education Questions.

Nigel Huddleston and Lord Dominic Johnson have also been appointed as joint chairmen of the Conservative party, the BBC understands.

It follows the appointment of Castle Point MP Dame Rebecca Harris as Tory chief whip on Sunday evening.

The new shadow foreign secretary, Dame Priti, has represented the Essex constituency of Witham since 2010 and served in several government departments during the Conservatives’ time in power.

She was forced to resign as international development secretary in 2017 following unauthorised meetings with Israeli officials but was brought back into government by Boris Johnson, who gave her the senior role of home secretary.

At the Home Office she started the Rwanda policy, which aimed to deter people from crossing the English Channel in small boats by deporting them to the East African country but was later scrapped by the new Labour government.

A prominent Brexit supporter, she is seen as being on the right of the party. By contrast Stride comes more from the left.

Like Dame Priti he joined Parliament in 2010, winning the constituency of Central Devon, and has served in several government departments.

A close ally of Rishi Sunak, he was given the job of work and pensions secretary and during the general election was trusted to do frequent media appearances.

On Sunday Badenoch told the BBC she thought taxes had been too high under Sunak but has now given one of his most prominent supporters the much sought-after role of shadow chancellor.

New shadow education secretary Laura Trott has been MP for Sevenoaks in Kent since 2019, and served as number two in the Treasury under Jeremy Hunt when he was chancellor.

Neil O’Brien has been MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston since 2017 and was most recently a health minister. He resigned from Sunak’s government in November 2023 and took a more critical stance on the then-prime minister from the backbenches.

While Trott and Huddleston supported Badenoch in the leadership, O’Brien had supported her rival Jenrick.

The current Labour government has 120 ministers, meaning the Tories may struggle to shadow all posts given they only have 121 MPs.

Former Home Secretary and defeated leadership candidate James Cleverly last week ruled out serving in the shadow cabinet, telling the FT he had been “liberated” from 16 years on the political front line and was now “not particularly in the mood to be boxed back into a narrow band again”.

Former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, former Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, former Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell and former Environment Secretary Steve Barclay have also said they will return to the backbenches and not serve in the new shadow cabinet.