³ÉÈËÂÛ̳

Rishi Sunak has made more appointments to his interim opposition team, with four in ten Tory MPs now holding frontbench roles.

The former prime minister has made a string of junior appointments after confirming his shadow cabinet last week.

In a sign of the party's reduced ranks after its election thrashing, several now have more than one role, with Hamble Valley MP Paul Holmes holding three.

The postings are likely to be temporary, with Mr Sunak set to stand down after leading the party to its worst-ever result in modern history.

Party bosses are set to announce a timetable for a leadership contest next week.

The latest raft of appointments means 51 of the 121 Conservative MPs elected now have roles on the party's front bench.

Among these is Rutland and Stamford MP Alicia Kearns, appointed shadow Foreign Office minister, who responded for the party earlier in a debate on Gaza.

Mr Holmes, who was elected at the previous general election in 2019, has also been made a shadow minister at the department, alongside frontbench roles at the Northern Ireland Office and as a party whip.

In other appointments, Danny Kruger, co-chair of the New Conservatives group on the right of the party, becomes a shadow defence minister.

The party said the announcements meant it was ready to provide "the opposition the public deserves", with further appointments to follow.

So far no Tory MP has declared they will run in the contest to replace Mr Sunak, amid a debate within the party over when and how it should take place.

Possible leadership contenders include Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat, Victoria Atkins and Suella Braverman, whom Mr Sunak sacked as home secretary last year.

Former home secretary Priti Patel has also been tipped to run, as has Robert Jenrick, who quit as Mr Sunak's immigration minister last year after a row over legislation to deliver the now-ditched Rwanda deportation scheme.