Rishi Sunak appointed his shadow cabinet on Monday. Some senior ministers returned to roles they held in government before last week's parliamentary election, while former foreign secretary David Cameron resigned.
Andrew Mitchell will handle the foreign policy brief in the interim shadow cabinet, a team of senior spokespeople chosen by the opposition party leader to mirror the government cabinet.
The Conservative Party faced a historic election defeat last week. A record number of cabinet ministers, including former defence secretary Grant Shapps, lost their seats.
In his resignation speech, former prime minister Sunak took responsibility for the party's election loss. Labour Party's Keir Starmer became the country's new leader on Friday.
Richard Holden, who retained his seat by just 20 votes, also stepped down as Conservative Party chairman. In his resignation letter to Sunak, he called for "a thorough review into the general election campaign."
"While I will obviously feed into that, this would best take place with a new set of eyes to help provide the clearest view," he wrote.
The shadow cabinet includes James Cleverly holding the home office brief, while James Cartlidge will handle defence matters, according to the party's statement.
"The Conservative Party has had a difficult election and it is important that we regroup and reflect on these results," new interim Chairman Richard Fuller said in the statement.
"We should also challenge ourselves candidly and deeply on the strengths of the Conservative Party across the country and outline where improvements can be made."
Chris Philp will be Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, taking over from Penny Mordaunt, who was one of the senior lawmakers to have lost their seats. Former business minister Kemi Badenoch was given the "levelling up" brief.
Jeremy Hunt continues with the finance brief, while former deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden becomes deputy leader of the opposition, the party said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.