It has been a busy few days for Reform UK. Having dominated the last summer recess, this week they are determined to do the same. This morning, the party unveiled their ‘shadow cabinet’, with prime jobs for Robert Jenrick (Shadow Chancellor), Richard Rice (Shadow Business, Energy and Trade), Suella Braverman (Shadow Education, Equalities and Skills) and Zia Yusuf (Shadow Home Affairs). It is part of Reform’s attempt to show that they are serious about building a team that can rebuild ‘Broken Britain.’
Yusuf, of course, has served as Reform’s Head of Policy since September, when he was appointed to succeed Simon Marcus during the party conference. At today’s unveiling of Reform’s spokespersons I asked Yusuf how he intended to balance the demands of his new role with his existing commitments. There was no answer then – but tonight it can be revealed that James Orr will be taking up the post, now that Yusuf is focusing solely on his new portfolio. An associate professor at Cambridge University, he is regarded as perhaps the leading thinker of the so-called ‘New Right’ which stresses the ‘politics of national preference’.
In a statement to The Spectator, Orr said:
As Senior Adviser to Nigel Farage, I have seen up close just how determined he and Reform are to fix broken Britain. In a few short months, Zia Yusuf has transformed our party’s policy capacity and I am delighted to be succeeding him as Head of Policy. Working alongside Danny Kruger in his role as Head of PrepGov, I will help to build the most serious policy operation in British politics – and give our Shadow Cabinet the support they will need to govern. Britain needs new ideas. Britain needs Reform.
Both he and Kruger are old friends and are cut from a similar cloth. Their work will be invaluable if Reform is to demonstrate that the party has a plan in place to turn this country around. Orr will also continue his work building a pipeline to bring through future talent, necessary to staff a future Reform administration.
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