Three ex-Cabinet ministers rule out joining Kemi Badenoch's Tory front bench team

Three senior Tories have ruled themselves out of joining a shadow cabinet led by new party leader Kemi Badenoch.

Steve Barclay became the latest prominent figure to rule himself out just hours before Ms Badenoch won the vote against Robert Jenrick on Saturday morning.

The former health secretary and current shadow environment secretary said he would return to the backbenches to focus on being North East Cambridgeshire MP and his responsibilities as a father.

“I look forward to giving my full support to our new Party leader and will continue to champion in the years ahead the values of personal freedom, economic liberty and greater opportunity that make our Party so special,” he tweeted on Saturday morning.

He joins former Cabinet ministers Jeremy Hunt and James Cleverly, who have also ruled out a return to the front bench.

This paves the way for fresh faces on the opposition benches as Ms Badenoch prepares to appoint her shadow cabinet in the coming days.

The party won just 121 seats in July’s election, a result that saw Labour take power for the first time since 2005.

Mr Hunt had been chancellor under former prime minister Rishi Sunak but will not continue in the equivalent shadow role.

He said: “I’ve told both the two leadership candidates that I’ll be stepping back from the shadow cabinet.

“We had a big drubbing in the election. I think we have to be humble and reflect on that and show new faces to the country. And you know, politics is a rough game, but I’m not complaining.”

Former foreign secretary Mr Cleverly had also been a contender for party leader but missed out in the final run-off. He told the Financial Times he sees his immediate future on the backbenches.

Meanwhile, Mr Sunak has committed to staying on the sidelines for this term, though it is uncommon for a former prime minister to return immediately to frontline politics.

He has, however, pledged to see out the term as Richmond (Yorkshire) MP amid suggestions he may be eyeing up a well-paid job in California.