Badenoch blocks Shapps from standing as Conservative candidate

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has blocked former MP Grant Shapps from standing again as a Conservative candidate. She told the BBC she leads a "new party full of new people."

The decision represents a significant break with the party's recent past as Badenoch seeks to reshape the Conservative brand following electoral defeat. Shapps, who held multiple cabinet positions under previous Conservative governments, lost his seat in the general election that brought Andy Burnham's Labour government to power.

By rejecting his candidacy, Badenoch is signaling her determination to refresh the party's parliamentary ranks and distance the Conservatives from the previous administration.

The move comes as Badenoch positions herself in opposition to Burnham's early policy agenda. She has criticized the new prime minister for acting like he is "still a mayor" and called on him to "lift his sights" to address broader national issues. She has also challenged Burnham on social care funding, demanding he rule out tax rises, and called for emergency legislation to halt early prisoner release schemes.