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Badenoch now has the task of assembling a shadow cabinet to take on Sir Keir Starmer and the government.<\/p>\n
Who might be shadow chancellor?<\/p>\n
Some are talking up Andrew Griffiths, the energetic shadow science secretary who has appeared to relish the daily challenge of scrutinising government.<\/p>\n
Others point to former ministers Claire Coutinho or Laura Trott.<\/p>\n
Then there is the crucial role of chief whip \u2013 maintaining discipline in a parliamentary party famed for the opposite.<\/p>\n
Could Stuart Andrew, the man currently in the role, be kept on?<\/p>\n
Will Robert Jenrick accept the role he is offered?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s see.<\/p>\n
Expect too to see early talk of a need for a change in the leadership rules to increase the proportion of the parliamentary party needed to trigger a confidence vote, to try to ensure the new leader can\u2019t be too easily toppled.<\/p>\n
For the last four months we have pretty much had a shadow shadow cabinet, a team bodged together by Rishi Sunak in the aftermath of defeat with the job of being caretakers until this moment.<\/p>\n
But providing real, long term opposition is the mission now \u2013 starting with prime minister\u2019s questions on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s up for a political fight with Starmer and my goodness it\u2019s about time we had a fight with Starmer!\u201d one of her supporters tells me.<\/p>\n
Plenty of their colleagues agree, but some caution that the Conservatives must not confuse early bumps for the new government with a sudden enthusiasm for the Tories.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd are they actually prepared to be led?\u201d asks one figure of Conservative MPs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were enthusiastically rejected. Kemi gets that it\u2019s existential,\u201d says the same observer, hoping the party shares this assessment.<\/p>\n
As I wrote just before the result, the last time the Conservatives were crushed in a general election and turfed out of office, in 1997, it took the party 13 years and four leaders to find a future prime minister.<\/p>\n
Winning the only contest that really matters, a general election, from this starting point will be mighty difficult.<\/p>\n
But precedents are there to be broken and frequently have been in recent years.<\/p>\n
Kemi Badenoch\u2019s task is to break another one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
![\"Kemi](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/98f7\/live\/ea284330-9908-11ef-adf8-21c3a1c2995b.jpg.webp)
<\/picture><\/span>PA<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n