Philp was first elected as MP for Croydon South in 2015 and before joining Parliament set up businesses in finance and travel….reports Asian Lite News
Chris Philp has been appointed shadow home secretary by new Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. The former Home Office minister supported Badenoch’s leadership campaign.
On Monday it emerged that Badenoch had offered three of her former leadership rivals senior roles. Robert Jenrick, who was beaten in the final round, will serve as shadow justice secretary, while Mel Stride will be shadow chancellor and Dame Priti Patel will be shadow foreign secretary. Badenoch has now named her full shadow cabinet team ahead of their first meeting on Tuesday morning.
Ed Argar, a former justice and health minister, has been made shadow health and social care secretary, while Claire Coutinho keeps her job as shadow secretary of state for energy security and net zero, as well as taking on the shadow equalities brief.
Philp was first elected as MP for Croydon South in 2015 and before joining Parliament set up businesses in finance and travel. As well as serving as a junior minister in the Home Office under Rishi Sunak, he has previously held a number of other government roles including briefly serving as chief secretary to the Treasury under Liz Truss.
Badenoch’s shadow cabinet leans heavily on those who supported her leadership campaign. Of the line-up, 15 backed her, five did not declare for either of the final two, and just three backed Jenrick, including Jenrick himself.
Some Conservatives are already noting that it is strikingly similar to a line-up Sunak could have selected. Nine of the new shadow cabinet have been at the real cabinet table – perhaps unsurprising for a party which has just been ejected from government but nevertheless a sign that Badenoch has not opted for a radically fresh team.
One senior Conservative said, “For a party that just had a right vs right leadership contest the almost total absence of the right will not help.”
They warned that right-wing Conservative MPs, who mostly backed Jenrick’s campaign, are now more likely to agitate against Badenoch’s leadership.
Badenoch said her new shadow cabinet “draws on the talents of people from across the Conservative Party, based on meritocracy and with a breadth of experience and perspective”.
She added: “We will now get to work holding Labour to account and rebuilding our party based on Conservative principles and values. The process of renewing our great party has now begun.”
By giving jobs to some of her former rivals in the Tory leadership race, as well as figures from different wings of the party, Badenoch will be hoping to unite the Conservatives after they suffered their worst ever general election defeat in July. However, there was wrangling over which, if any, job Jenrick would take.
Sunak visits Bengaluru for spiritual blessings
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak along with his wife Akshata and family, visited the Sri Raghavendra Swami Mutt in Jayanagar, Bengaluru, to seek the blessings of Guru Raghavendra.
Accompanied by renowned in-law and philanthropist Sudha Narayana Murthy, the visit underscored the cultural ties and spiritual heritage connecting India and the UK.
The couple’s visit to the mutt, located in the fifth block of Jayanagar, was a moment of reverence and reflection, marking their connection to Indian traditions.
Guru Raghavendra is widely revered in the Hindu community, and his teachings resonate with many who seek guidance and wisdom. During their darshan, Sunak and his family participated in the rituals, embracing the spiritual significance of the occasion.
Rishi Sunak served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 2022 until his resignation in July 2023, making history as the first British-Indian leader. He was succeeded by Keir Starmer in 2024, a former barrister who entered Parliament in 2015.
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