Kemi Badenoch moves Priti Patel out of her Shadow Cabinet as she launches major reshuffle of top Tory team

NewsPolitics KEMI Badenoch has moved Priti Patel out of her Shadow Cabinet as she launches a major reshuffle of her top Tory team. The former Home Secretary will be replaced as Shadow Foreign Secretary by Tom Tugendhat, who is making a return to the frontbench. Former Home Secretary Priti Patel Credit: PA Tory leader Kemi Badenoch Credit: Getty Dame Priti will instead become international secretary of the Conservative Party, building links with centre-Right parties around the world. The reshuffle, which could begin as early as today, is Mrs Badenoch’s first major overhaul of her top team since becoming Tory leader nearly two years ago. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Thank you! It comes as she seeks to revive the Conservatives’ fortunes and prepare the party for the possibility of an early general election. Mr Tugendhat has been on the backbenches since coming fourth in the 2024 Tory leadership contest eventually won by Mrs Badenoch. The former Army officer served in Iraq and Afghanistan before entering Parliament and later spent five years chairing the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. He also served as security minister before returning to the backbenches after the Tories lost power. Mr Tugendhat will now be tasked with sharpening the party’s message on foreign affairs and defence. A source close to Mrs Badenoch said: “Within Parliament, Tom has almost unrivalled credibility in foreign affairs as a former soldier, security minister and chair of the foreign affairs select committee. Most read in The Sun “Kemi actually gave Tom the good news while he was in Taiwan, talking to the Taiwanese government about the threat of China – a mark of how he is respected across the world. “Contrast that with Ed Miliband, who has spent his first months touring the world pushing his weird net zero agenda.” Mr Tugendhat is also one of Westminster’s fiercest China hawks and has repeatedly warned about the threat posed by Beijing. Mrs Badenoch reportedly gave him the news while he was in Taiwan meeting officials about the threat from China. Dame Priti’s new role will see her strengthen relationships with conservative and centre-Right parties across the globe. She is also expected to explore potential Rwanda-style migration deals with other countries if the Tories return to power. Dame Priti said she was “pleased to continue supporting Kemi and the Conservative Party” in the new job. The reshuffle comes after Sir James Cleverly announced he was leaving the Shadow Cabinet to pursue the Tory nomination for London mayor in 2028. Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho is also due to step away from the frontbench on maternity leave, while Helen Grant is leaving following successful treatment for breast cancer. The departures give Mrs Badenoch several senior jobs to fill as she puts a fresh stamp on her Tory team. Comment now