James Cleverly gets new role as Kemi Badenoch reshuffles top team

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has made Sir James Cleverly her shadow housing secretary as part of a reshuffle of her senior team.

The new role will see the former foreign and home secretary go head-to-head with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner in Parliament.

Announcing Sir James’s return to the front bench, Badenoch said her party was “moving into a new phase” and she wanted to “make sure all our heavy hitters are on the bench”.

In other changes, Richard Holden has been appointed shadow transport secretary, with Julia Lopez taking over from Alan Mak as shadow science secretary.

In other moves confirmed by the party:

• Kevin Hollinrake becomes Conservative Party chair, replacing Nigel Huddleston, who moves to the culture brief
• Neil O’Brien is promoted to a new shadow cabinet role…