Politics LIVE: Kemi Badenoch’s new top team takes shape as Tory ministers axed from front bench

Badenoch’s top team taking shape as poll shows almost 50 per cent of British public haven't heard from members of opposition

GB News understands former Home Secretary, James Cleverley, will join the shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government as Kemi Badenoch is conducting a wider shake-up of her top team.

Meanwhile, MP Kevin Hollinrake is expected to become chairman of the Conservative party, while it is understood MP Stuart Andrew will be appointed Shadow Health Secretary.

MP Nigel Huddleston will replace Andrew as Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the People's Channel understands.

The shadow cabinet reshuffles comes as a recent poll by Ipsos showed 49 per cent of people hadn't heard, seen, or read about a number of members of the opposition in the past two weeks.

14 per cent of pollsters meanwhile said they "didn't know", while the highest percentage said they had heard, seen or read about Newark MP Robert Jenrick.

Farage expecting more defections in Wales

Speaking to GB News following the announcement that long-serving Conservative MS, Laura Anne Jones, has joined Reform UK, the party's leader said he is expecting others to do the same.

When asked if he anticipates more politicians in Wales will defect to Reform, Farage said: "Yes, I am actually but look, if people are coming to Reform because they see it simply as the best life raft for their political careers then I'm not interested.

"But if they are coming to Reform because they really believe in what we are trying to do, they really believe our country is in deep and desperate trouble and it needs to be turned around and they want to be part of that project, then the door is open."

'Conservatives failed us', says Laura Anne Jones upon announcing defection to Reform UK 

Conservative Member of the Senedd Laura Anne Jones said she felt "failed" by the Tories upon revealing she has joined Reform UK.

Jones currently holds the role of Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Local Government, Housing and the Armed Forces, and has been part of the Conservative party for 31 years.

The newly-announced Reform UK member said: "The Conservatives failed us when last in power, with letdown after letdown, and now Labour in Westminster are just like Labour in Wales, completely incompetent, with totally the wrong priorities and have become a joke that isn’t funny.

“Reform is the only party that now represents decent hard-working people, with traditional, patriotic values.

"People who love their country and are as devastated as I am at the erosion of our beautiful country and its values, faith and traditions, Wales and the UK are now turning to Reform.

“There is so much to undo and put right, and Reform is the only party able to stop Labour and Plaid getting into bed together once again and taking our beautiful country into decline again.

“I strongly believe that I’ve joined a Party today that recognises and shares my ambition for Wales, for our great country, to make the dragon roar once more.

"I can’t wait to get started, help steer things in the right direction, fight for my constituents and for my beloved Wales, and take people along with me. With Reform, I truly feel that I am now part of the solution, not the problem. Let’s Reform Cymru.”

John Swinney slammed as having his 'head in the sand' over NHS Scotland 'meltdown'

John Swinney has been accused of having his "heads stuck in the sand" amid a "meltdown" in Scottish A&E departments.

Scottish Conservatives hit out after the latest weekly figures showed a slight drop in performance against a key waiting time target for A&E departments.

Public Health Scotland data showed that in the week ending Sunday July 13, 67.7 per cent of patients attending A&E were seen and then either admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.

That is down from 68 per cent the previous week, and performance continues to be well below the Scottish Government target of having 95 per cent of patients admitted, transferred or discharged within the four-hour target time.

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: "John Swinney should be ashamed to show his face. It’s the middle of summer, yet nearly a third of patients are still waiting over four hours in A&E.

"That’s not a system under pressure – it’s a system in meltdown after nearly two decades of chronic SNP mismanagement.

"Because of their incompetence, far too many Scots are needlessly losing their lives. These aren’t just statistics, they’re families grieving loved ones lost too soon.

"This is fast becoming Scotland’s national shame, but John Swinney and Neil Gray still have their heads stuck in the sand."

Suella Braverman says she is sympathetic with Epping protesters

Suella Braverman has said she is sympathetic with protesters in Epping over a hotel accommodating asylum seekers.

The former Home Secretary told GB News: "A lot of the people were protesting were mums, families, dads, children; these people are really furious.

"People are scared and have had enough of illegal migrants breaking into our country."

Suella Braverman praises GB News over migrant crisis expose

Former home secretary Suella Braverman has praised GB News presenter Patrick Christys' expose of people smuggling gangs.

Appearing on the People's Channel, the MP for Fareham and Waterlooville said: "GB News deserves a huge amount of credit for busting the myth on migration crisis.

"It shows the farce that is our asylum system...these are very determined, deliberate and criminal people who are breaking our laws."

READ: Edward Argar's resignation letter in full

As he prepares for his last parliamentary oral questions from the front bench, I want to put on record my sincere thanks to Ed Argar for serving in my Shadow Cabinet.

I wish him the very best for a speedy recovery and return to full health, and so I will be making a few changes… pic.twitter.com/FWoC7L19nd

— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) July 22, 2025

Edward Argar has thanked hospital staff in a letter to party leader as he stepped down as shadow health secretary.

In a letter to the party leader dated July 9 and shared by Badenoch on social media, Argar said: "I had a health scare earlier this summer and remain grateful to the doctors and hospital staff who looked after me."

He added: "I have been well looked after, but have also listened to what the doctors said to me, and have listened to my family, and have concluded that lightening my front-bench workload over the coming months, in order to complete my recovery and fully restore my health in that period is the sensible approach."

Edward Argar steps down as Shadow Health Secretary

Edward Argar has stepped down as shadow Health Secretary, citing personal health reasons.

The MP for Melton and Syston said he was stepping back from the role after a health scare earlier this summer.

Party leader Kemi Badenoch thanked him on social media, saying: "As he prepares for his last parliamentary oral questions from the front bench, I want to put on record my sincere thanks to Ed Argar for serving in my Shadow Cabinet.

"I wish him the very best for a speedy recovery and return to full health, and so I will be making a few changes to my front bench later today."

David Lammy says Israel will face further sanctions if Gaza ceasefire not achieved

David Lammy has said Israel will face further sanctions if a ceasefire deal is not achieved over the war in Gaza.

The Foreign Secretary told ITV: "There will be more, clearly, and we keep all of those options under consideration if we do not see a change in behaviour and the suffering that we are seeing come to an end.

"It’s important that we continue to work with international partners if we are to have the maximum result."

He added that he was "sickened" by Israel's actions in the heavily bombarded enclave, telling the BBC: "I described what I saw, yesterday in Parliament, as grotesque.

"These are not words that are usually used by a Foreign Secretary who is attempting to be diplomatic, but when you see innocent children holding out their hand for food, and you see them shot and killed in the way that we have seen in the last few days, of course Britain must call it out."

Angela Rayner set for showdown with Rachel Reeves as she demands tourist tax on millions of visitors

Angela Rayner has clashed with Rachel Reeves over a potential tourist tax amid a push to give a boost to cash-strapped local authorities.

The Deputy Prime Minister is pushing for councils to get the power to tax hotel stays, while Treasury officials are opposed amid fears it would be a fresh blow for hospitality businesses.

Rayner is aligned with big-name regional mayors, including Sir Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham, as councils push the Treasury to be allowed to charge their own taxes

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Blackpool South MP says town is 'too deprived' to take asylum seekers

The Labour MP for Blackpool South has told GB News the town is "too deprived" to take asylum seekers.

Chris Webb has also called for an investigation into the hotel at the centre of a migrant porn scandal, where asylum seekers were caught making pornographic content for OnlyFans.

Speaking to GB News, Chris Webb said: "The reason I'm alive is because of that hotel. My mum moved to Blackpool in the 80s to become a red coat there, and she moved to Blackpool, she met my dad, and here I am today.

“Back in 2021 when the then Conservative government put the asylum seekers in the Metropole hotel myself, the council and many others voiced our objection to it.

"It was the wrong place. Blackpool was already seen huge deprivation under the Tories because of austerity.

“Whilst we will always take our fair share of those fleeing war and persecution, I believed it wasn't the town to support these sorts of people with the complex needs that they have.

“Residents across Blackpool felt they were being forgotten about under the previous government."

Reform UK slams shuttering of Lindsey Oil Refinery - 'Gross negligence!'

Reform UK has slammed the announcement that Lindsey Oil Refinery is to shut after the Government said it was unable to find a buyer for it.

An open letter co-signed by party leader Nigel Farage said: "We are shocked that after just three weeks, the Government has given up on the Lindsey Oil Refinery and has instructed the Official Receiver to start winding it down.

"This appears to be gross negligence about the strategic importance of our fifth largest oil refinery. The Government has simply not tried properly to protect this asset.

"The Government appears to be taking an ideological stance against oil in favour of Net Zero. This absurd ideology means destroying almost 1,000 full time jobs (including contractors) and thousands more indirect jobs.

"Reform UK believes a different course of action is essential. We understand from our sources that the refinery can be profitable with the right management and ownership structure.

"The Government should be looking at joint venture structures such as the site being publicly owned and bringing in top operating expertise in a public private profit share arrangement.

"So far we have been denied access to the financial information by the Official Receiver, but given these events we trust this will now change.

"If Reform were in charge of the Government, we believe this important asset could be saved and nurtured back to profitable growth."

Blow to Rachel Reeves as UK borrowing costs for June soar to second highest on record

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been dealt another blow to her fiscal agenda as borrowing figures in the UK have soared to their second-highest level on record, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

For June 2025, Government borrowing jumped to a higher-than-expected £20.7billion last month as debt interest payments skyrocketed. The ONS highlighted borrowing over the period was £6.6billion higher than a year prior.

Furthermore, this represents the second highest June borrowing since records began, only behind that the figures seen in 2020 which came during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.