Kemi Badenoch sacks shadow chancellor Mel Stride and foreign secretary Priti Patel in major Conservative reshuffle

Kemi Badenoch sacked her shadow chancellor, Mel Stride, and the shadow foreign secretary, Priti Patel, in a sweeping Conservative reshuffle on Monday, replacing Stride with Andrew Griffith, and Patel with Tom Tugendhat.

Stride, who had been shadow chancellor since Badenoch became leader, was widely seen among Tories as failing to make an impression at a time when Labour had been under pressure over the economy.

Griffith, who was previously a high-profile businessman, moves from the shadow business brief, where he will be replaced by Claire Coutinho, the former shadow energy secretary.

A senior Conservative source described Griffith, the former chief operating officer of Sky and chair of Just Eat, as “a no-nonsense, pro-growth shadow chancellor with real business experience”.

“Kemi is changing the way the Conservative party approaches economic policy and creating a new economic leadership team for the next phase, focused on growth, higher living standards and fiscal credibility,” the source said.

Badenoch paid tribute to Stride but confirmed in a statement that he would return to the backbenches. “He helped us steady the ship, rebuild economic credibility and become an effective opposition, and I am genuinely grateful for his contribution,” she said, calling him “exceptionally loyal, and I will always be grateful to him for the work he has done”.

Stride said he would continue to back Badenoch’s leadership. “The Conservative party must continue to champion an approach which is both radical and deliverable … The Conservatives have a good story to tell on this now, and one that I know will continue to grow stronger and stronger under Kemi’s leadership,” he said.

Badenoch has also sacked Stuart Andrew, the shadow health secretary, who said in a post on X he would be returning to the backbenches.

Tugendhat, a former security minister, was a leadership candidate who had previously declined to join the shadow cabinet. Katie Lam, the hardline anti-migration MP who has been a key media voice for the Conservatives, will replace James Cleverly as shadow communities secretary, after he resigned from the shadow cabinet to run for London mayor.

Tugendhat, who has been outspoken on China and Iran since returning to the backbenches, said: “We’re facing the most dangerous moment in a generation. Too often, the government has responded with weakness. As shadow foreign secretary, I’ll ensure Britain chooses strength again.”

Patel announced on Sunday night that she would be leaving as shadow foreign secretary but said she would take on an “international role” with the party to build ties with other rightwing parties across the world.

In a statement, Patel said she also wanted to spend more time in her Essex constituency. “I’m pleased to continue supporting Kemi and the Conservative party in a new role strengthening our relationships with fellow conservatives and centre-right parties around the world,” she said. “At a time of profound global uncertainty, when our values and freedoms are under threat, conservatives must work more closely together.”

Coutinho will go on maternity leave shortly and will be covered by Julia Lopez, who had shadowed the now abolished science, innovation and technology department. Helen Grant, the shadow solicitor general, has also asked to leave the shadow frontbench.

Cleverly, who announced his run for London mayor on Sunday, denied he had quit the shadow cabinet following a shift to the right under Badenoch’s leadership. “I am going to put forward a classic Conservative case to be the mayor of London, and it’s about enterprise, it’s about opportunity,” Cleverly told Times Radio.

Cleverly, who lost the Conservative leadership race to Badenoch, is considered a more moderate voice in a party that has moved to the right as support for Nigel Farage’s rightwing Reform UK has grown.

But the appointment of Tugendhat as shadow foreign secretary would bring a key voice from the party’s more centrist One Nation grouping into the fold, though Tugendhat is hawkish on foreign affairs.

Badenoch has kept Chris Philp as shadow home secretary and James Cartlidge as shadow defence secretary. Joy Morrissey will be the new shadow minister for women and equalities, and Harriet Cross, another MP from the 2024 intake, is expected to become the new shadow Scotland secretary.

Damian Hinds replaces Andrew as shadow health secretary and Andrew Bowie, who was key to the Tories recent byelection win in Aberdeen, will be shadow energy secretary.