British opposition leader Rishi Sunak announced his shadow cabinet on Monday, appointing senior spokespeople to mirror the government’s cabinet roles. Some former ministers reprised their previous roles, despite the Conservative Party's historic election defeat.
Andrew Mitchell will manage the foreign policy brief in the interim shadow cabinet. The reshuffle follows the resignation of former Foreign Secretary David Cameron. The Conservatives faced a record loss, including the seats of former Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and several other cabinet ministers.
In his resignation speech, former Prime Minister Sunak accepted responsibility for the election loss, as Labour Party’s Keir Starmer was declared the new leader on Friday.
Richard Holden, narrowly retaining his seat by 20 votes, resigned as Conservative Party Chairman. He called for a thorough review of the election campaign, suggesting a fresh perspective would best serve the party’s needs.
The shadow cabinet lineup includes James Cleverly retaining the home office brief, and James Cartlidge taking on defence matters. Chris Philp will be Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, replacing Penny Mordaunt, who lost her seat. Former business minister Kemi Badenoch was assigned the "levelling up" brief.
Jeremy Hunt continues with the finance brief, while former deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden becomes deputy leader of the opposition.
Interim Chairman Richard Fuller emphasized the need for the Conservative Party to regroup and reflect on the election results, challenging the party to candidly assess its strengths and areas for improvement.
