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James Cleverly will return to the Conservative frontbench as Kemi Badenoch reshuffles her shadow cabinet.
A Conservative source said the former Tory leadership contender who served as home secretary would have a “prominent role” in the revamped team.
In the first confirmed change, Edward Argar stepped down as shadow health secretary after what he described as a health scare earlier this summer.
Kevin Hollinrake, the shadow housing and communities secretary, has also reportedly been moved to become party chair, taking over from Nigel Huddleston.
Responding to Argar’s letter, Badenoch wrote on X that she would be “making a few changes to my front bench later today”, with the bulk of the formal announcements expected in the afternoon.
It was not known what job Cleverly could take, but a Conservative source said the former leadership contender who served as home secretary and foreign secretary would have a “prominent role” in the reshuffled team.
“The leader of the opposition will be making some changes to her frontbench team today,” a Tory source confirmed. “The changes reflect the next stage of the party’s policy renewal programme and underline the unity of the party under new leadership.
“Sir James Cleverly is expected to return in a prominent frontbench role to take the fight to this dreadful Labour government.”
A source close to the shadow chancellor, Mel Stride, said they believed he would be staying in post.
In his letter to Badenoch, posted on X, Argar said that following the health incident this summer, another issue was discovered, and that he would step down from his role to focus fully on his health. Badenoch replied saying she was “saddened” at the news.
A series of reports said that Hollinrake, an MP since 2015 who served as shadow business secretary after last year’s election before Badenoch moved him to the communities brief, would replace Huddleston as party chair.
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Cleverly, who also served as foreign secretary, had returned to the backbenches after losing the leadership contest in the final round of MPs votes, meaning Badenoch faced Robert Jenrick in the members’ vote. Jenrick, who is still ambitious for the leadership, has maintained a prominent public profile as shadow justice secretary.
In a speech last week, Cleverly warned the Conservatives against pursuing a populist agenda that would try to ape Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
He also discounted the idea that he hoped to replace Badenoch, saying his party had to “get out of this habit of cycling through leaders in the hope that ditching this one and picking a new one will make life easy for us”.
Cleverly had been linked to a run as the Tory candidate for mayor of London – and would not be drawn on his future ambitions when he gave the speech last week. He received a knighthood in April last year as part of Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list.
