Has Badenoch’s new cabinet got any chance of ‘turning things around’?

Slightly overshadowed by political developments in the United States, the new Conservative shadow cabinet has been announced and has held its first meeting. 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? 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 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. Most notably, two of Badenoch’s rivals have declined jobs, with Tom Tugendhat reportedly turning down the foreign affairs portfolio, and James Cleverly taking time out after a bruising campaign. The downside of Stride’s experience as a Treasury minister is his role in the Treasury’s “loan charge” policy a few years ago, which tried, controversially, to claw back allegedly unpaid tax.