Can Badenoch's new team take the fight to Starmer?

Slightly overshadowed by political developments in the United States, the new Conservative shadow cabinet has been announced and has held its first meeting.

- SEAN O'GRADY

The recently elected leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch, has tried to make the best of the talent available (and willing to serve) within the denuded parliamentary group.

She has told her colleagues “We can turn this around in one term,” ie that the Tories can be back in power by the end of the decade. She also said: “Our party’s problems will only be solved with a team effort, and I am confident my shadow cabinet ministers will deliver effective opposition as we seek to win back the trust of the public.” So, can the new top Tories triumph?

Is this a united team?

Not quite. There have been a few comparisons made between Badenoch and Margaret Thatcher, and to some extent, Badenoch has applied the same principle as her long-ago predecessor in appointing ministers – “Is he [or she] one of us?” The great majority of her cabinet appointments are drawn from her own loyal supporters, and only six of them publicly supported other candidates.

On the other hand, for two of the most senior appointments, she has tried to balance things up a bit by accommodating colleagues who ran against her – Mel Stride on the more liberal wing as shadow chancellor, and Priti Patel as shadow foreign secretary. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, is a Badenoch man.