Badenoch blocks Shapps from standing as Conservative candidate

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has blocked former MP Grant Shapps from standing as a Conservative candidate. She told the BBC she leads a "new party full of new people." Shapps, who held multiple cabinet positions under previous Conservative governments, had sought to return as a parliamentary candidate but was rejected during the party's candidate selection process. The decision marks a significant break with the party's recent past as Badenoch seeks to reshape the Conservative brand following electoral defeat. It signals her determination to distance her leadership from the previous administration and rebuild the party with fresh faces. The Conservatives are now in opposition under Prime Minister Andy Burnham's Labour government, which took office in July 2026.