NEW Tory leader Kemi Badenoch told party workers to let your creative juices flow today.

The ominous instruction came as Ms Badenoch began assembling her top team to take on the government.

Hardliner Priti Patel, a strong supporter of Israel, was named shadow foreign secretary last night, while more centrist leadership rival Mel Stride becomes shadow chancellor.

Former Treasury chief secretary Laura Trott was handed the key role of shadowing the education department, central to Ms Badenoch’s anti-“woke” agenda.

And MP Nigel Huddleston and Lord Dominic Johnson are to be joint chairmen of the Conservatives, charged with rebuilding a demoralised and dwindling organisation now lurching to the right.

The rest of her shadow cabinet is expected to be named over the next day or so.

Ms Badenoch’s message to workers at Tory HQ was to focus on principles rather than policies, which she seems to have little time for.

The principles she itemised were “freedom of speech, freedom of association, free enterprise, personal responsibility.”

She said Tories “don’t have to do things they way they’ve always been done. Time to try something different. Let your creative juices flow.” 

Ms Badenoch insisted that victory was within reach at the next election.