"It has been an honour to lead the Party's foreign affairs team"
Former Tory leadership candidate Tom Tugendhat is set to replace Dame Priti Patel as shadow foreign secretary.
The Telegraph reported that Tugendhat will return to the Conservative front bench when leader Kemi Badenoch reshuffles her team next month.
Dame Priti announced that she would leave the role to take up a new position focused on strengthening the party’s international relationships.
Announcing her departure on X, she wrote: “It has been an honour to lead the Party’s foreign affairs team in Parliament over the last two years.
“I’m pleased to continue supporting Kemi and the Conservative Party in a new role strengthening our relationships with fellow conservatives and centre right parties around the world.”
She also confirmed that she would continue to serve as the MP for Witham in Essex.
Tugendhat’s return to a senior position comes after he finished fourth in the 2024 Conservative leadership election.
The former British Army reserve and Territorial Army officer has held several senior positions during his political career, with a focus on international affairs and security.
He served as security minister under both Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, having previously spent five years as chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.
Dame Priti joined Badenoch’s shadow cabinet after finishing sixth in the Conservative leadership contest. She previously held senior government positions, including serving as home secretary under Boris Johnson for three years.
The changes come as Badenoch prepares for a wider Conservative reshuffle in the coming weeks.
A reshuffle had already been expected because shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho is due to take maternity leave.
There has also been speculation about the future of shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride, although people within the party have played down suggestions that he could lose his position.
Some Conservative sources still believe Badenoch could choose to replace him as part of the changes.
Coutinho is viewed by many within the party as a potential future shadow chancellor. The shadow energy secretary is understood to have impressed colleagues with her performances in Parliament and the media.
However, Badenoch is unlikely to appoint Coutinho to the role while she is away from the front bench on maternity leave.
The Conservative leader will also need to appoint a new shadow housing secretary following Sir James Cleverly’s resignation.
Cleverly stepped down from the front bench to focus on establishing his campaign to become London’s next mayor.
However, he has not yet been selected as the Conservative candidate for the May 2028 mayoral election and has not resigned as the MP for Braintree.
