Category Archives: POLITICS

Can Zack Polanski ‘Regain His Mojo’ In A Crunch London By-Election?

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When Keir Starmer dramatically resigned as the MP for Holborn and St Pancras this week, all eyes quickly swivelled to Zack Polanski.

He was elected as Green Party leader just a year ago but he has quickly made a name for himself.

Polanski quadrupled the party’s membership numbers within just six months in the post, led the Greens to victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election and oversaw their best-ever performance in the local elections in May.

A YouGov poll even put them at second place, on 21%, behind Nigel Farage’s Reform UK for a brief stint in March.

But what goes up must come down, as the Greens soon found out.

Polanski attracted intense scrutiny after it emerged he had failed to vote in the local elections and that he had not paid council tax while living on a narrowboat for three years – though he has since been cleared by an ethics inquiry over the latter.

The London Assembly member was then slammed for questioning the police response to the Golders Green attack online and for sharing an Instagram post of a t-shirt featuring a picture of a guillotine and the words: “We’re only making plans for Nigel.”

Some progressives began drifting back to Labour after Keir Starmer was replaced by Andy Burnham in July, too.

The Greens are now down in fourth place on 13% according to YouGov’s latest poll, while Polanski himself has the lowest favourability ratings of all party leaders on 19%.

So it’s worth asking: why is he putting himself forward for a by-election now?

Polanski is still the most high-profile person within the left-wing party and it would a historic victory if the Greens took the seat, making it their first ever London constituency win.

The Green leader has long said he would consider running for parliament if a London seat became available, too.

He wasted no time signalling his desire to be selected by local Green members to be the party candidate for Starmer’s former constituency in the capital this week.

While the decision is not yet set in stone, Polanski is widely expected to be the party’s choice for the crunch vote in a head-to-head with Labour.

As Sky News elections analyst Robert Ford wrote on X, the stakes are high for both parties.

He said: “Greens have chance to turn the tide on recent decline and show Polanski is a winner. Labour have a chance to show that the Burnham bounce is real, consolidate the left in a London heartland seat, and deal a potential knockout blow to Green insurgency.”

He added that Polanski’s decision to join the contest meant it is “no longer just Green vs Lab”.

Ford claimed voters are now being asked: “Would you like the national leader of the Green party or a generic Lab backbencher as your local representative?”

Green MP Hannah Spencer with Polanski after she won the Gorton and Denton by-election in February
Green MP Hannah Spencer with Polanski after she won the Gorton and Denton by-election in February

via Associated Press

It’s rather precarious, though, especially as the seat is traditionally Labour.

The Greens themselves are trying to put their best foot forward, with one party official telling HuffPost UK they feel “confident” about Polanski’s chances.

Another senior insider shrugged off the idea that it was risky to put the Green leader forward, insisting he would be a “brilliant candidate”.

A third pointed out that the Greens won “lots of traditionally Labour seats” in London back in May during the local elections.

If he is chosen for the seat, he may have also have a slight advantage when it comes to winning over the left-wing votes.

Former independent candidate Andrew Feinstein announced he would not be standing in the by-election, and would instead back the Green leader.

Feinstein secured 19% of the vote in the constituency back in 2024, coming in second place behind Starmer.

If his 7,312 votes and the Greens’ 4,030 votes from the general election had been combined at the time, it would have significantly reduced Labour’s majority – though the party would still win by some margin on 18,884 votes.

Still, as Luke Tryl, the UK director for More in Common, told HuffPost UK if Feinstein’s voters “switch en masse to the Green Party, Polanski will need a much smaller swing to win”.

He said: “The seat’s demographics could help the Greens too: young, diverse, Remain-voting, with lower concern about migration than recent by-elections, it’s strong territory for Polanski, whose approval among 18-24s is almost nine times what it is among the over-75s.

“We know that high-profile candidates – whether it be Burnham in Makerfield or Farage in Clacton – can motivate voters and boost turnout in by-elections.”

Labour is yet to choose its own candidate for the crunch vote.

HuffPost UK was told by one source that it is “a slam dunk” that Camden Council leader and Starmer ally, Sagal Abdi-Wali, will be Labour’s candidate.

The local insider said: “It will be a straight Lab-Green fight, so Polanski has a chance. Sagal will be a strong candidate with cast-iron local credentials and a personal story that will resonate with huge chunks of the electorate.

“Her being Muslim and Somali will limit Polanski’s ability to attract people angry about Gaza.”

However, other party sources insist the candidacy is still up for grabs.

Tryl told HuffPost UK this by-election “will be a fascinating test of what the electoral landscape looks like on the left of British politics”.

He noted Burnham started to unite the left since replacing Starmer, he has “halved the share of 2024 Labour voters defecting to the Greens since the spring”.

A separate YouGov tracker shows 50% of respondents think Burnham is a better PM than Polanski would be, compared to 8% who believe it is vice versa.

Tryl added: “Polanski’s own popularity has tumbled, leaving him the least popular party leader in the country.

“On the raw numbers, that makes Labour look like a safe seat: Holborn and St Pancras isn’t even a top-100 target for the Greens, who’d need a 19-point swing to take it outright.”

But the pollster also observed that “support for Labour has eroded in the seat in recent years”.

“For Labour, this is one of the first real tests of whether Burnham has really managed to unite the left behind Labour again,” Tryl said. “For the Greens, it’s a test of whether Polanski can regain his mojo after a difficult few months.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Zia Yusuf Accused Of Plotting To Replace Nigel Farage Amid Donations Row

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Zia Yusuf has been accused of plotting to replace Nigel Farage amid heightened scrutiny over Reform UK donations.

The party has been reported to the Metropolitan Police after an undercover sting operation accused Reform of accepting foreign funding, which goes against British electoral law.

Investigative journalists from Verbatim accused the party of allegedly taking funding from a US company to commission three supposedly independent polls at £32,500 earlier this year.

Reform’s head of policy James Orr and Farage’s close aide Dan Jukes organised the donation and were unaware the donors were actually undercover reporters.

Jukes has been accused of suggesting a way to work around British electoral law, too, so an American donor could give £500,000 to Reform UK.

Jukes and Orr have stepped down after the report was broadcast by Channel 4 News.

Reform insists it is not guilty of any wrongdoing and called the incident a “hoax”.

Farage has downplayed the concerns about breaching electoral rules, claiming it was “loose pub talk” and “jack-the-lad-dery”.

Amid this serious chaos, Yusuf chose to publish a glossy social media, telling a detailed story about his childhood and life before politics.

“I’ve dedicated my life to serving,” the unelected politician said in the clip.

“I’ve spent my career getting things done, doing hard things in the real world. That’s exactly what I’ll bring to the office of home secretary.

“If you want another career politician doing TikToks about crisps, there’s plenty to choose from. If you want someone who will do whatever it takes to deliver on our promises, vote Reform.”

The clip was published shortly before Yusuf’s major speech in front of the party conference where he told Reform delegates the “fate of this country is down to us”.

It quickly sparked speculation that the Reform politician’s timing may have been strategic.

Former Farage ally Tim Montgomerie, who was recently suspended for publicly criticising the party, said: “The sooner Nigel Farage realises this man is running to replace him as leader, the better.”

Reform UK has been approached for comment.

Plenty of other commentators on social media seemed to think Yusuf might also have his eye on the crown.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Has Trump Finally Lost It? How The President Caused More International Chaos This Week Than Ever

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Donald Trump may actually have finally lost it this week.

While the US president already has a reputation for being unpredictable, mercurial and chaotic – to say the least – he seems to have taken it to a new level in the last few days.

The maverick Republican picked a fight with Canada by starting a trade war and then rubbed salt in the wound by renaming Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes on the border between their countries, Lake America.

He upped the pettiness by sharing AI videos showing Canadian geese with his trademark blonde hair and carrying machine guns patrolling the shores of “Lake America”.

Trump is also all over the place with the Iran war, a conflict he started in February.

The US-Israeli strikes against Tehran gave the Iranians the chance to seize control of the major oil shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz.

They have let almost no trade through the major waterway in the last six months and the global economy continues to suffer.

America’s allies in the Gulf are suffering the real-world consequences as Iran has retaliated by hitting US military bases in the region.

But the president seems to be in denial about the reality of the war.

He even posted an AI video of a US attack on an Iranian oil hub which never actually happened.

Trump appears to be testing new UK prime minister Andy Burnham, too.

The president has refused to deny reports America could stop supporting Britain’s claims to the Falkland Islands.

If the States did withdraw its backing for the British Overseas Territory – and instead start supporting Argentina’s claim to the archipelago – then it would spell major trouble for the UK-US “special relationship” and trigger Burnham’s first international crisis.

Could Trump be looking to punish the UK for not supporting his offensive on Iran, as a leaked Pentagon email from April suggested?

Or is it his way of forcing the government to spend more money on defence. With Trump, you simply can never tell.

This is not the first time the president has upended international diplomacy, of course – his insistence Greenland belongs to him continues to rile Nato members – but his behaviour does appear even more illogical than usual.

It hardly seems politically savvy to focus on the international stage when Americans are preparing to elect members to Congress in the November midterm elections.

The president may not be on the ballot paper but he needs Republicans to hold the Senate and the House of Representatives to get key legislation passed.

Current predictions suggest the electorate are poised to deliver a brutal blow to Trump and his party by handing control of Congress to the Democrats.

Americans are concerned about the cost of living and elected Trump on the promise that he would put “America First” and bring prices down.

Instead, his war in Iran has led to a spike in oil prices and pushed up the cost of living both in the US and around the world.

There is growing anger that he rarely seems focused on the everyday problems of the very people who voted him into the White House.

So why is he still doubling down on that bizarre decision this week?

Listen to Commons People as we unpack the fallout from the recent Trump drama and why he cannot continue to ignore his domestic problems.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Exclusive: Labour Mock Nigel Farage Over £5m Gift At Reform UK Conference

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Labour plans to mock Reform UK over the ongoing investigation into Nigel Farage’s £5 million gift at the party’s annual conference, HuffPost UK cam reveal.

A van will be circling the NEC venue in Birmingham showing an image of Farage shoulder-deep in wads of cash with the slogan: “You have 5 million questions to answer, Nigel. Tell us about the money.”

Labour will also be using the same slogan and picture to taunt Reform across its social media accounts.

The Reform conference comes less than after Farage won back his seat in the Clacton by-election last month.

He triggered the contest by resigning after a parliamentary standards probe was launched into his failure to declare the £5 million gift, which he received from Thailand-based crypto billionaire, Christopher Harborne, in 2024.

Farage claims he has not broken any rules, insisting “it was not a political donation”.

He has repeatedly pointed out that he was not even an MP when he received the gift, months before he ran in the general election.

Farage’s return to the Commons means the parliamentary investigation into the £5 million donation has resumed.

If he is found to have broken the rules, and is then suspended by parliament’s standards committee for more than 10 days, he could face yet another by-election.

The Metropolitan Police are also separately investigating four large donations to Reform.

A senior Labour source told HuffPost UK: “The scandals are piling up for Farage and Reform.

“Farage needs to realise that no amount of bluff and bluster at his party conference is going to make the questions go away.

“It’s time he finally came clean with the public and proved he’s not just in it for himself.”

When asked for comment, a Reform source said: “Boring.”

The ongoing controversy over Farage’s finances have coincided with a slump in the Reform’s fortunes.

The party has lost its dominant lead in the opinion polls to Andy Burnham’s Labour.

Earlier this week, Reform even slipped into third place after being overtaken by the Tories for the first time in 18 months in a poll for the More in Common think tank.

Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice also told the Spectator this week that the conference was geared towards making Britain “fall in love with Nigel Farage again.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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BBC’s Chris Mason Accuses Nigel Farage Of Spouting ‘Conspiracy Theories’ In Tense Interview

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Nigel Farage has been accused of sounding “conspiracy theory-like” by the BBC’s political editor in a tense exchange.

The Reform UK leader clashed with Chris Mason during his first sit-down interview since winning back his seat in the Clacton by-election last month.

Farage triggered the contest by resigning after a parliamentary standards probe was launched into his failure to declare a £5 million gift he received from a Thailand-based crypto billionaire.

Farage insisted he has not broken any rules, claiming “it was not a political donation” and pointing out that he was not even an MP when he received it in 2024.

Although the Reform boss increased his majority, his main challenger was Count Binface because Labour, the Tories, Lib Dems and Greens all refused to take part.

Now Farage back in the Commons, the parliamentary investigation into the donation has resumed.

If he is found to have broken the rules and is suspended by parliament’s standards committee for more than 10 days, yet another by-election could take place.

When Mason asked what “on earth was the point” of last month’s by-election, Farage insisted the committee – which is made up of Tory, Labour and Lib Dem MPs plus seven members of the public – would not give him a fair hearing.

Asked about the a separate Metropolitan Police investigation into four large donations to Reform UK, Farage insisted “we live in a complainant society”.

He said: “If you complain about me, automatically that triggers an investigation. So we’re under investigation every day for virtually everything we do, because the other political parties are constantly writing to all the authorities.

“There is a whole ecosystem with a century of development around this, and we come along from virtually nowhere and threaten the whole thing.

“So I think what you’re seeing is the establishment, in a very coordinated way, fighting back. But do you know something, it isn’t going to work.”

Mason replied: “Doesn’t that sound a bit conspiracy theory-like? This ‘the whole world’s out to get us’ stuff.”

Farage insisted there was a “degree of collusion” between Reform’s opponents, who he claimed have been working to “attack” his party since its success in May’s local elections.

He added: “It’ll keep coming. This won’t stop. Every single thing we do will be questioned in all sorts of ways. This will not stop. They will continually try and do this to us.”

Asked who “they” are, Farage said: “People who, people who hold positions of power, influence, and money don’t want new kids on the block succeeding.

“It’s the whole ecosystem.”

He then suggested he and Donald Trump had “sat and talked” about the people who allegedly work against them, before changing his mind and adding: “I haven’t actually discussed this with him.

“But I can see the similarities because again, he was an outsider, he wasn’t part of the system.”

When Mason put it to Farage that scrutiny was “inevitable” considering he is angling to one day be prime minister, the Reform leader replied: “There’s been a wilful attempt, and it’s gone on now for months, to say that everything to do with Reform, that every individual involved with Reform is somehow a crook.

“That’s been the attempt that’s been made.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Diane Abbott Dubbed ‘Putin’s Useful Idiot’ For Claiming Russian Threat Is ‘Nato Fiction’

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Diane Abbott has been dubbed “Putin’s useful idiot” after she downplayed the threat posed to the West by Russia.

The veteran Labour MP said it was “a Nato fiction” being used to justify a boost in defence spending, which she opposes.

Her comments come just a month after it emerged she had previously described the war in Ukraine as “a Nato campaign against Russia”.

Andy Burnham has insisted that the UK will hit Nato’s target of spending 3.5% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) on defence by 2035.

In a post on X, Abbott said: “The imminent threat from Russia is a Nato fiction to justify their complete capitulation to Trump’s demands for more military spending. The increase should not go ahead.”

Her comments sparked an angry backlash from politicians and pro-Ukraine campaigners.

A spokesman for Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “Those views are reprehensible. Ukraine is an innocent party in this. Everyone should be foursquare behind Ukraine and against Russian aggression.”

Posting on X, Tory MP Ben Obese-Jecty said Abbott was “playing the role of Putin’s useful idiot”.

“To rail against increased defence spending by claiming the threat Russia pose is ‘a Nato fiction’ shows she is dangerously out of touch,” he said.

“Over four years into the war in Ukraine, and with escalating sub-threshold activity, we are agreed that increasing defence spending is a matter of national security. It beggars belief that a senior Labour politician could be so naïve.”

The Ukraine Solidarity Campaign said: “There are legitimate debates to be had about defence spending.

“Denying the Russian regime is a threat to democracy all over the world is not legitimate, particularly when the speaker describes Russia’s war on Ukraine as ‘the Nato campaign against Russia’.”

Abbott, the longest serving female MP in the Commons, lost the Labour whip last year after she argued in a letter to The Observer in 2023 that Jewish, Irish and Traveller communities experience prejudice rather than racism.

She got the whip back after Burnham replaced Keir Starmer as prime minister in July.

A No.10 spokesman said: “As the PM said yesterday, the UK stands in full solidarity with Germany following Russia’s egregious and reckless attack in Leipzig.

“Our commitment to supporting Ukraine from Russia’s illegal invasion is ironclad.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Andy Burnham Tears Into Kemi Badenoch With Timely Liz Truss Reminder

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Andy Burnham hit back at Kemi Badenoch’s criticism over his delayed appearance in front of fellow MPs with a quick reminder of Liz Truss.

The prime minister succeeded Keir Starmer on July 20, just days after Westminster’s scheduled summer recess began.

He therefore did not have to answer any direct questions from his opponents in the House of Commons for the first six weeks for his premiership.

So the Conservatives’ leader Badenoch used her first opportunity on Tuesday to remind MPs how Burnham enjoyed the summer without much scrutiny.

Burnham replied: “The Honorable Lady said the fact that I had been in my position for 43 days.

“Can I turn that round and say that means in six days, this government will have outlived the Truss government? And will be here for a lot, lot longer.”

Truss was forced out of office in October 2022, after just 49 days in Downing Street.

Her own MPs kicked her out following the economic turmoil caused by her disastrous mini-Budget, which contained £45 billion of unfunded tax cuts, sending interest rates and inflation up while the value of the pound went into decline.

Truss’s name is now regularly used as a stick to beat the Conservatives by its opponents.

Burnham also used his time at the despatch box to remind the Leader of the Opposition just how many of her own front bench had been tightly tied to the Truss government.

“I noticed yesterday she appointed a new shadow cabinet,” the prime minister said. “The new shadow chancellor, I welcome him to his position too – I believe the author of the mini-Budget?”

This jibe sparked uproar from across the House, as Burnham added: “I think at least half of the shadow cabinet supported the Liz Truss government.”

Badenoch removed Mel Stride and promoted Andrew Griffith to the top job over the bank holiday.

Griffith robustly defended the mini-Budget during the dying days of Truss’s premiership when he was financial secretary to the Treasury.

He said: “We think they’re the right plans because those plans make our economy competitive.

“What we politicians are responsible for is making the economic decisions that will drive continued growth.”

Truss also welcomed news of Griffith’s promotion on Monday, writing on X: “Congratulations to Andrew Griffith on becoming Shadow Chancellor.

“The economic establishment of the last three decades has failed Britain. They must be taken on.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Reform UK Slump To Third Place Behind Labour And Tories As Farage Returns To Commons

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Reform UK have slumped to third place behind Labour and the Tories in the latest blow for Nigel Farage, according to the new poll.

The survey, by the More in Common think-tank, puts Labour in the lead on 26%, three points ahead of the Conservatives, with Reform a point behind on 22%.

It is Reform’s lowest vote share since January 2025, and the first time they have been behind the Tories in 18 months.

The poll also puts Restore Britain, the right-wing party led by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, is on 4%.

The findings were released as Farage was sworn in again as MP for Clacton following his by-election victory over Count Binface last month.

They pile further pressure on the Reform leader to turn around the party’s fortunes as they prepare to hold their annual conference in Birmingham later this week.

More in Common director Luke Tryl said: “The poll tells us two things: the Conservatives seem to be moving in the right direction, and Reform face a growing threat from both sides, as Restore Britain erode their support on the right, and the Conservatives gain ground on their centre flank.

“Reform is now sitting around 10 points below their peak last autumn.”

Farage has endured a torrid few months after it emerged he had not declared a £5 million gift from a Thailand-based crypto billionaire shortly before he first became Clacton MP at the 2024 general election.

Parliament’s standards commissioner is carrying out an investigation into the row, which could lead to another by-election if Farage is found guilty and suspended from the Commons for more than 10 days.

The Reform leader’s woes have coincided with a steady fall in support for his party.

A senior Tory source said: “It’s still a long way to go, but it’s now clear Reform are going backwards.

“A pointless by-election vs a bin, chronic infighting, and still no answers on the fishy £5m personal donation – Farage is floundering and his party has now slipped to third in the polls.

“It’s surely only a matter of time before Farage decides to throw in the towel.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Kemi Badenoch Accused Of ‘Shuffling Deckchairs On The Titanic’ With Tory Frontbench Shake-Up

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Kemi Badenoch has been accused of “shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic” after she axed two Tory big beasts as she freshened up her top team.

The Conservative leader sacked former cabinet ministers Priti Patel and Mel Stride in the second reshuffle of her leadership.

Andrew Griffith – one of the architects of Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-Budget – replaced Stride as shadow chancellor, while Tom Tugendhat takes over from Patel as shadow foreign secretary.

Tory rising star Katie Lam replaces James Cleverly – who is bidding to be the party’s London mayoral candidate – as shadow housing secretary.

Another member of the Conservatives’ 2024 intake, Rebecca Paul, has been appointed shadow culture secretary.

Former cabinet minister Damian Hinds returns to the Tory frontbench as shadow health secretary, taking over from the sacked Stuart Andrew.

Other changes include Harriet Cross becoming shadow Scottish secretary.

She takes over from Andrew Bowie, who is replacing Claire Coutinho as shadow energy secretary.

Coutinho, who is currently on maternity leave, becomes shadow business secretary.

A Reform UK spokesman said: “Kemi is simply moving the deckchairs around the titanic with this reshuffle.

“She has promoted ardent supporters of net zero and the ECHR into senior positions, despite saying she wouldn’t .

“The Conservatives haven’t learned a thing from their failures in office.”

Labour chair Bridget Phillipson said: “Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives have learnt nothing since they were kicked out of office by the British people.

“Promoting a key architect of Liz Truss’s disastrous mini Budget tells you all you need to know about Badenoch’s complete lack of judgement.

“The Tories’ top team is crammed full of the same vandals who hammered family finances and left our public services crumbling. No wonder they’ve made no progress in the last two years.”

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Kemi Badenoch Sacks Tory Big-Hitters In Brutal Frontbench Reshuffle

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Tory big-hitters have been axed from the party’s frontbench team in a brutal reshuffle by Kemi Badenoch.

Former cabinet ministers Mel Stride and Priti Patel have both been sacked by the Conservative leader.

Shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew was also ousted as Badenoch shook up her top team amid speculation Andy Burnham could call a snap election.

In a surprise move, Patel announced on X that she was leaving her post as shadow foreign secretary to take on an “international role” strengthening the Tories’ links with other centre-right parties around the world.

She is being replaced by Tom Tugendhat.

Stride’s sacking as shadow chancellor is a surprise as he had recently bolstered his backroom team with three new advisers. He has been replaced by shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith.

Badenoch said: “Like Priti, Mel came into the job at an exceptionally difficult point for the Conservative Party.

“He brought experience, seriousness and stability when those things were badly needed. He helped us steady the ship, rebuild economic credibility and become an effective opposition, and I am genuinely grateful for his contribution.”

A senior Tory source said Badenoch wanted a new approach to the party’s economic policy.

“Kemi is changing the way the Conservative Party approaches economic policy and creating a new economic leadership team for the next phase, focused on growth, higher living standards and fiscal credibility,” the source said.

“The team will be led by Andrew Griffith, a no-nonsense, pro-growth shadow chancellor with real business experience.”

Claire Coutinho, who is currently on maternity leave, is being moved from the shadow energy portfolio to become shadow business secretary and Griffith’s number two.

A Tory source said: “Andrew and Kemi are in complete lockstep on how we back business, bring down taxes and regulation and get Britain working again.”

In a post on X, Stride said: “The Conservative party must continue to champion an approach which is both radical and deliverable.

“It is essential that the next Conservative government does things very differently, backing business like never before and getting government out of the way.

“The Conservatives have a good story to tell on this now and one that I know will continue to grow stronger and stronger under Kemi’s leadership. I am now looking forward to continuing to make a real contribution to the Conservative team in parliament and beyond, to build and amplify our vision for Britain, from the backbenches.”

James Cleverly has already announced he is standing down as shadow housing secretary as he bids to become the Tory candidate for London mayor.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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