TORY leader Kemi Badenoch moved to reshuffle her top team as the party flounders in the polls behind Labour and Reform.

She coaxed former leadership challenger James Cleverly off the back benches to shadow Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner in her housing and local government brief.

Mr Cleverly served as both home and foreign secretary under Rishi Sunak. Despite that, he is regarded as a Tory heavyweight.

He was expected to be Ms Badenoch’s rival in the final ballot for leader to succeed former PM Rishi Sunak last year, but lost that role to hard-liner Robert Jenrick after a surfeit of tactical voting among Tory MPs.

He replaces Kevin Hollinrake in his new role, with Mr Hollinrake moving to become party chair.

In other reshuffle moves, Ms Badenoch named Stuart Andrew to replace Edward Argar as shadow health secretary. Mr Argar resigned because of his own health issues.

Ms Badenoch said that she was saddened that Mr Argar feels unable to continue in his position, but agreed “that you must put your health first.”

Nigel Huddlestone replaces Mr Andrew at culture, shadowing Lisa Nandy, while Neil O’Brien joins the shadow cabinet in charge of “policy renewal and development,” which seems to be the least the Tories presently need.

None of this will greatly assist Ms Badenoch, about whom many Tory MPs are starting to despair.

Further changes were expected to be confirmed after the Morning Star went to print, and a Conservative source said earlier that they will “reflect the next stage of the party’s policy renewal programme and underline the unity of the party under new leadership.”