Kemi Badenoch today tried to quell signs of a rift with James Cleverly over the prospect of leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
The Tory leader dramatically brought the former Home Secretary back into the fold yesterday as part of a shadow cabinet reshuffle.
Sir James will be taking on Angela Rayner in the housing brief as the Conservatives struggle to revive their fortunes.
However, touring broadcast studios this morning he did not give a full-hearted endorsement of Mrs Badenoch’s remark that she is ‘increasingly of the view that we will need to leave’ the ECHR.
Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme if he agreed with the comment, Sir James said: ‘Well, she has commissioned a review by the shadow attorney general and it is right that we look at this.
Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly visited a housing development in Middlesex today
The Tory leader dramatically brought the former Home Secretary back into the fold yesterday as part of a shadow cabinet reshuffle
‘It was incredibly frustrating when I was trying to deport people and we had judges making what I regarded as completely perverse decisions, leaning on the European court and so it is absolutely right that we look at that.
‘I am going to wait for the outcome of that review.’
Asked again if he agreed with Mrs Badenoch, Sir James said: ‘I completely understand her position on that. She has commissioned a review.’
Challenged that he did not appear to be in step with the leader, he replied: ‘No, that is what you are saying. What I am saying is she has commissioned a review and I am going to wait to see what that review (concludes).
Sir James added: ‘I have said what I believe. What I have said is that leaving the European Convention on Human Rights will not necessarily be a silver bullet and we need to look at the wider implications, we need to look at how we are going to do that.
‘Kemi has commissioned a review to do just that. I think that is the right thing to do.
‘If the review sets out how we can make that work then of course, and that becomes party policy, I will completely understand that and I will abide by that.
Mrs Badenoch has dismissed suggestions that the pair do not agree on the ECHR
Pressed by broadcasters later whether Sir James was signed up to her position on the ECHR, Mrs Badenoch said: ‘James and I have always had the same position on the ECHR, and that is that if we need to leave, then we should leave, but it’s not a silver bullet.
‘That is why we have a commission on this very issue, which will be reporting at party conference.
‘So I wouldn’t bring someone into the shadow cabinet if they didn’t agree with me.’
