James Cleverly, former Foreign and Home Secretary, has announced that he will not be part of the shadow cabinet under the next Conservative leader, expressing his intent to shift his focus to a broader range of issues from the backbenches. This decision comes after Cleverly, a prominent figure representing Tory moderates, unexpectedly lost his chance to make the final two in the Conservative leadership race.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Cleverly revealed he felt “liberated” by his exit from the leadership contest and expressed reluctance to “be boxed back into a narrow band” of a frontbench role. Despite widespread expectations that he would reach the final ballot, Cleverly ended up in third place, leaving Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick as the remaining candidates for party members to choose from.
The new Conservative leader is set to be announced on Saturday, and while Badenoch has expressed openness to including her former rivals in her potential shadow cabinet, Cleverly has clarified his desire to focus on key areas outside of a frontbench role. Highlighting issues such as education, economic challenges, the ageing population, and broader questions of British identity, Cleverly’s decision signals his shift toward advocating for these topics on the backbenches.
