Four out of 10 Conservative MPs have been given frontbench roles in Rishi Sunak’s interim opposition team. The move comes as the party announced its shadow cabinet last week. While some MPs have been given multiple roles, it is expected that the postings will be temporary. Sunak is expected to step down after leading the party to its worst-ever result in modern history. The party is expected to announce a timetable for a leadership contest next week.
The latest appointments mean that 51 of the 121 Conservative MPs elected now have frontbench roles. Among the latest appointments is Rutland and Stamford MP, Alicia Kearns, who has been appointed shadow Foreign Office minister. Other appointments include Danny Kruger, co-chair of the New Conservatives group in the party, who becomes a shadow defence minister.
The Conservative Party has announced that it is ready to provide “the opposition the public deserves”, with further appointments set to follow. Currently, no Tory MP has openly declared interest in the contest to replace Sunak. Some possible contenders, however, include Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat, Victoria Atkins and Suella Braverman, who Sunak sacked as home secretary last year. Former home secretary Priti Patel has also been tipped to run, as has Robert Jenrick, who quit as Sunak’s immigration minister last year after a row over legislation to deliver the now-ditched Rwanda deportation scheme.
The appointments come amid concerns that the party’s election thrashing has left them with reduced ranks. Nevertheless, the party has managed to fill its front bench roles with a significant portion of its MPs. With the announcement of a leadership contest next week, the public will be keen to see how the party will fare in the coming months
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