Badenoch bets on experience as Griffith and Tugendhat claim shadow cabinet top spots
Andrew Griffith has been announced as the new shadow chancellor, replacing Sir Mel Stride in a Conservative Party reshuffle carried out before parliament returns on Tuesday.
Griffith, who was the shadow business secretary, will now lead on economic policy for the Tories heading up a new Conservative Economics Unit.
Kemi Badenoch’s decision to sack Stride came as part of a move to change the party’s approach on growth, living standards and credibility, a source said.
The Tory leader also moved Claire Coutinho from her shadow energy secretary brief to business. She will act as Griffith’s “deputy across the economic brief”.
The reshuffle earned the plaudits of senior business figures including AJ Bell founder Andy Bell and Luke Johnson, founder of Gail’s.
Gail’s entrepreneur Johnson said Griffith was “eminently qualified” to serve as shadow chancellor while Bell said Griffith was a “effective as City minister in diagnosing the regulation and risk aversion that is holding the economy back”.
A Conservative source said that Stride brought “seriousness and stability” although Griffith had “an incredibly impressive financial and business background” as the former chief operating officer at Sky. He is the only sitting MP to have held a leadership position at a FTSE100 company.
Julia Lopez, who was the shadow technology secretary, will cover for Coutinho while she is on maternity leave until the end of the year. Richard Fuller will remain as shadow chief secretary to the Treasury.
“Andrew and Kemi are in complete lockstep on how we back business, bring down taxes and regulation and get Britain working again,” the figure added.
Stride said it was an “honour” to serve in Badenoch’s shadow cabinet.
Reform UK economics spokesman Robert Jenrick said: “The Tories have just brought back Boris Johnson’s ;Net Zero Business Champion’ who co-authored Liz Truss’s mini-budget. They haven’t changed and still aren’t sorry for the damage they inflicted on our country. The Tories just cannot be trusted to cut handouts to illegal migrants, end mad net zero subsidies or to slash the ballooning benefits bill.”
Griffith and Tugendhat promoted
Earlier on Monday, it was announced that Tom Tugendhat was handed a promotion to the Conservative front bench.
The former security minister was appointed to Badenoch’s top team as shadow foreign secretary.
It means the former Home Secretary Priti Patel will be demoted as she takes on an “international role” to build alliances between the Conservatives and other centre-right parties across the world.
Patel also said her new role would give her “greater freedom” to represent her Witham constituency.
Badenoch said Patel had been “exceptionally loyal, hard-working and supportive during a very difficult period for the party”.
A source close to Badenoch meanwhile said that Tugendhat was given the “good news” when he was talking to Taiwanese officials about threats posed by China.
The former security minister has long been a staunch critic of governments in Russia, Iran and China. He was security minister in the Conservative government between 2022 and 2024.
In an opinion article for City AM in October, he said a parliamentary spy scandal involving the failed prosecution of Chris Cash and Christopher Berry showed that the government’s “evident fear of annoying Beijing shows we have reached the point where Whitehall believes Britain cannot sustain its own economy or defend its own interests without outside help”.
In his most recent substack newsletter, published just days ago, he wrote of the UK’s weak response to Russian provocation and out lack of preparedness:
“A few weeks ago a rust-bucket of a Russian warship tested its guns off our coast. In international waters, sure, but still a threat if ever I’ve seen one. And what did we do? We watched. No wonder Putin’s feeling cocky with us and his former deputy foreign minister Andrei Fedorov has threatened a military response to our support for Ukraine. They see us as a soft target.”
Reshuffle underway
A shadow cabinet reshuffle was triggered by James Cleverly’s resignation on Saturday night when he announced his intention to stand as a candidate for London mayor.
Cleverly, who was the shadow housing and communities secretary, will still have to win the Conservatives’ nomination in London. Katie Lam, who has been outspoken on economic and immigration issues since first entering Westminster in 2024, has replaced him.
Rebecca Paul has also replaced Nigel Huddleston as shadow culture secretary.
It was also revealed on Monday that Stuart Andrew, the shadow health secretary, would leave his post.
The change of guard on the opposition frontbench marks an effort by Badenoch to boost public support.
Some political strategists have predicted that Andy Burnham could call an election within months in a bid to shore up his political mandate.
It was reported on the weekend that Badenoch has written to the Cabinet Secretary, Antonia Romeo, to get early access talks to Whitehall before a potential vote. Opposition leaders are normally able to speak to government officials about 12 months before an election is due.
City AM/Freshwater Strategy polling shows that the Conservatives are level with the Labour Party on 23 per cent of the voter share, compared to 26 per cent for Reform UK.
Kemi Badenoch is one of the most popular politicians with a net approval rating of four, compared to -20 for Nigel Farage. Burnham is on a rating of 12.