Jenrick and Patel join Badenoch frontbench

Kemi Badenoch has appointed Robert Jenrick as shadow justice secretary, with Mel Stride shadow chancellor and Priti Patel shadow foreign secretary, as she began to put together a frontbench team billed as uniting the Conservatives.

- Peter Walker

There were, however, questions over whether Jenrick had sought another post, in a sign of potential tensions between the final two candidates to replace Rishi Sunak.

The appointment of three MPs who ran against Badenoch in the leadership contest followed her decision to make Laura Trott, a leading supporter of her campaign, shadow education secretary.

It remained unclear whether Jenrick's move to what could be seen as a mid-range shadow cabinet job was his first choice, after reports that he and Badenoch had been wrangling over his role. An ally of Jenrick said: "Robert was always keen to serve." Badenoch had already appointed two other supporters to jobs, with Rebecca Harris becoming chief whip, and Nigel Huddleston being made Conservative party co-chair alongside Dominic Johnson, a Tory peer and former donor.

Neil O'Brien, who had been widely tipped for a shadow cabinet job, was made number two in the education team, regarded by some observers as a slight snub for a supporter of Jenrick, who Badenoch defeated in a vote of Tory members.