Jenrick accepts role of shadow justice secretary in rival Badenoch’s top team

Robert Jenrick has accepted the role of shadow justice secretary in his former leadership rival Kemi Badenoch’s senior team, the PA news agency understands.

The new Tory leader has also chosen Dame Priti Patel as her shadow foreign secretary and Mel Stride as her shadow chancellor.

All three ran as candidates against Ms Badenoch in the race to succeed Rishi Sunak.

The appointments to the opposition frontbench are an effort to unite different factions of the Conservative Party after a long internal election battle, it is understood.

The new Conservative leader said she would offer all her rivals in the race roles in her shadow cabinet, but former home secretary James Cleverly has already ruled himself out from such a job.

An ally of Mr Jenrick 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.”

Ms Badenoch earlier named Laura Trott shadow education secretary and Tory former minister Neil O’Brien shadow education minister, who both appeared in their new roles in the Commons at education questions on Monday.

Castle Point MP Dame Rebecca Harris has been tipped as the expected choice for the new chief whip, while Nigel Huddleston and Lord Dominic Johnson have been made joint chairmen.

Ms Badenoch has told Tory staff that Mr Huddleston and Lord Johnson have been appointed due to their broad experience within the party, it is understood.

Other potential frontbenchers include former energy security secretary Claire Coutinho and interim shadow culture secretary Julia Lopez.

In an address to Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) staff on Monday morning, Ms Badenoch identified winning back council seats at local elections as the first challenge the party faces.

She is also understood to have said the party can turn their situation around in one term and that policy will come soon, but the party needs to start with principles such as freedom of speech and personal responsibility.

Ms Badenoch is expected to name her full shadow cabinet team ahead of their first meeting on Tuesday.

The announcement of the new shadow cabinet follows Ms Badenoch’s victory over fellow finalist former immigration minister Mr Jenrick in the Tory leadership race on Saturday.

In her first media appearance since that victory, she told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that she would tell “hard truths” to the country and her party.

She also drew criticism for suggesting the so-called partygate scandal that saw Boris Johnson fined for breaking lockdown rules had been “overblown” while insisting it was time to “draw a line under all that happened over the last 14 years.”

“We need to look at how we can reorganise our economy to be fit for the future, not just doing what we always used to,” Ms Badenoch said.

“And I think that there is an exciting challenge there. I’m very optimistic about what we can do.”

Sir Keir Starmer congratulated Ms Badenoch on her victory on Saturday but accused the Tories of “still living in a fantasy world” as he addressed Labour MPs on Monday evening about the Conservative leadership.

The Prime Minister told a meeting of the parliamentary party: “While we’re getting on with the job, facing up to the real problems the country faces in our economy and public services, the Tories are still living in a fantasy world.

“While we’re having a national conversation about the future, they’re shouting into a void, sealed off from reality.

“While we changed our party, so we could change our country, they see no reason to change whatsoever.”

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokeswoman Sarah Olney MP said Ms Badenoch’s shadow team “can’t hold this Labour Government to account because their fingerprints are all over the biggest problems facing the country today”.