Kemi Badenoch, born in Nigeria, has risen to the position of Conservative Party leader in the UK, marking a historic moment and bringing fresh perspectives to British politics.
Kemi Badenoch has been chosen as the new leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, triumphing over Robert Jenrick in the final leadership vote.
Badenoch, who spent a portion of her youth in Nigeria, becomes the first Black woman to helm a major political party in Britain.
She takes over from Rishi Sunak, whose leadership saw the Conservatives experience their worst election defeat ever this past July.
During her campaign, Badenoch promised to guide the Conservatives back to their “core principles” and vowed to conduct a series of policy reviews in the upcoming months aimed at reshaping the party’s platform.
As the party’s sixth leader in just under nine years, she is immediately tasked with uniting a divided Conservative Party.
In her victory speech, Badenoch stressed the importance of “telling the truth” and encouraged party members to “get down to business.”
She emphasized that her “primary responsibility” as Conservative leader is “to hold this Labour government accountable,” and added, “Our second duty is equally important – to spend the next few years preparing for governance.”
Badenoch secured victory with 53,806 votes, surpassing Jenrick’s total of 41,388.
Focus now turns to her choices for the shadow cabinet as she defines the party’s direction.
Only one out of every three Conservative MPs backed Badenoch’s leadership campaign.
Before the final vote, Badenoch suggested she might offer positions to her leadership opponents, including Jenrick. Nonetheless, shadow home secretary James Cleverly, who came in third place, has already turned down a frontbench position.
