Sir Mel Stride replaced as shadow chancellor amid Conservatives reshuffle
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has reshuffled her shadow cabinet, replacing Sir Mel Stride with Andrew Griffith as shadow chancellor. The move aims to revitalize the party's economic strategy and improve its standing against Labour and Reform UK ahead of the upcoming party conference.
Why it matters
This reshuffle signals a strategic pivot for the UK's main opposition party as it attempts to regain economic credibility and electoral momentum.
Image source, PA/Reuters By André Rhoden-Paul and Iain Watson , Political correspondent Published 31 August 2026 Sir Mel Stride and Dame Priti Patel have left the shadow cabinet as part of a significant reshuffle of the Conservative top team by leader Kemi Badenoch.
Andrew Griffith will replace Sir Mel as shadow chancellor, while Tom Tugendhat will take the place of Dame Priti as shadow foreign secretary.
Badenoch is forming a new shadow cabinet before the party's conference in October.
With most polls putting the Conservatives in third place, lagging behind Labour and Reform UK, the Tory leader will be hoping a refreshed shadow cabinet will help boost her party's popularity.
Claire Coutinho, previously the shadow energy secretary, after her maternity leave will replace Griffith as shadow business secretary and act as his deputy.
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