Sir James Cleverly to make frontbench comeback as Kemi Badenoch reshuffles team

Sir James Cleverly is expected to return to the Conservative front bench as Kemi Badenoch makes changes to her senior team.

The Leader of the Opposition is expected to reshuffle her shadow cabinet on Tuesday.

A Conservative source said: “The Leader of the Opposition will be making some changes to her frontbench team today.

“The changes reflect the next stage of the party’s policy renewal programme and underline the unity of the party under new leadership.

“Sir James Cleverly is expected to return in a prominent frontbench role to take the fight to this dreadful Labour Government.”

Sir James served as both foreign secretary and home secretary when the Conservatives were in power.

He stood as a candidate in last year’s Conservative leadership election, but lost out on the Tory top job ahead of the final heat between Badenoch and her now-shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick.

Since the leadership contest, Sir James has returned to the Tory back benches as the MP for Braintree.

He has used his influential position as a former minister to warn against pursuing populist agenda akin to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

Appearing at the Institute For Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank last week, the senior Tory hit out at calls to “smash the system” and “start again from scratch”, branding them “complete nonsense”.

He also appeared to take a different position on net zero from party leader Mrs Badenoch in a recent speech, urging the Conservatives to reject climate change “luddites” on the right who believe “the way things are now is just fine”.

A list of full changes to the Conservative frontbench team will be announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Allies of shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride believe he will remain in his post, while attention will be focused on whether Badenoch keeps Jenrick in his current role.

The former leadership contender has strayed well beyond his justice brief, building a prominent social media presence with campaigns on a range of issues from tackling fare dodgers on the London Underground to the impact of immigration on housing.