Kemi Badenoch is set to begin naming her shadow cabinet ahead of its first meeting on Tuesday.
The new Tory leader is yet to name her top team following her victory in the leadership election on Saturday, although several MPs have been widely tipped for frontbench roles.
Former Treasury minister Andrew Griffith has been reported to be in contention for the shadow chancellor job, while other potential frontbenchers include former energy security secretary Claire Coutinho and interim shadow culture secretary Julia Lopez.
But one appointment emerged on Sunday night without an official announcement after interim chief whip Stuart Andrew revealed he was being replaced by Essex MP Dame Rebecca Harris.
Dame Rebecca, who has represented Castle Point since 2010, has been a whip since 2018.
It is also understood that Ms Badenoch has appointed Nigel Huddleston and Lord Dominic Johnson as joint chairmen of the Conservative Party.
They will join the new Tory leader at party headquarters on Monday morning to meet staff, the PA news agency understands.
Ms Badenoch wants her team in place before she holds her first shadow cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
But it is not clear whether there will be a new shadow education secretary in time for education questions in the Commons on Monday afternoon.
The announcement of the new shadow cabinet follows Ms Badenoch’s victory over former immigration minister Robert Jenrick in the Tory leadership race on Saturday.
In her first media appearance since that victory, she told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that she would tell “hard truths” to the country and her party.
But she drew criticism for suggesting that the Partygate scandal that saw Boris Johnson fined for breaking lockdown rules had been “overblown”.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel