Kemi Badenoch is preparing to reshuffle her shadow cabinet ahead of the Conservative Party's annual conference in Birmingham in October, as she takes an increasingly combative stance against Labour's Andy Burnham and Reform UK. The changes are being driven partly by personnel departures rather than dissatisfaction, though speculation is also swirling around some senior figures, suggesting Badenoch may be seeking to refresh her top team while she is riding a wave of improved personal ratings.

Claire Coutinho's Net Zero brief will need covering while she goes on maternity leave, shadow solicitor general Helen Grant is expected to step down after announcing she will not stand at the next election, and Julia Lopez requires a new role after Burnham scrapped the Science Secretary post she shadowed. Insiders do not expect major changes to top jobs such as shadow chancellor Mel Stride, shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel or shadow home secretary Chris Philp, though Katie Lam and Scottish MP Harriet Cross are tipped for promotion. Badenoch's stronger PMQs performances have coincided with stabilising Tory poll numbers, still behind Reform and Labour, while she has ruled out any pact with Nigel Farage; Italian PM Giorgia Meloni reportedly urged her to "stand your ground" during a meeting in Rome this week.