LONDON — On Saturday, Britain’s Conservative Party elected Kemi Badenoch as its new leader, aiming to recover from a significant election defeat that ended 14 years in power.
Badenoch, the first Black woman to lead a major British political party, won against rival lawmaker Robert Jenrick in a vote among nearly 100,000 Conservative members. She received 53,806 votes compared to Jenrick’s 41,388.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulated Badenoch on X, stating, “The first Black leader of a Westminster party is a proud moment for our country. I look forward to working with you and your party in the interests of the British people.” However, many congratulatory messages included criticism. Labour Party Chair Ellie Reeves remarked, “Kemi was part of the chaos of the last 14 years.”
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey acknowledged the historic significance of her win but added, “Voters across the country believe her party is too divided, out-of-touch and unable to accept Conservative failures over the past years.”
Scottish National Party deputy leader Keith Brown stated, “The election of Kemi Badenoch as leader has finalized the Tories’ lurch to the far right.”
Tony Travers, a professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science, noted that Badenoch occupies the right edge of her center-right party and is viewed by members as someone who offers “common sense.” He described her as “way less enthusiastic about progressive interpretations of the position of people of color in society than many white people on the progressive left, which will complicate things for Labour.” Badenoch succeeds former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who led the Conservatives to their worst election result since 1832, losing over 200 seats and reducing their tally to 121.
Badenoch now faces the challenging task of restoring the party’s reputation after years of division, scandal, and economic turmoil. She aims to critique Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s policies on crucial issues such as the economy and immigration and to return the Conservatives to power by the next election in 2029.
In her victory speech to Conservative lawmakers, staff, and journalists in London, Badenoch stated, “The task that stands before us is tough but simple. We must hold the Labour government to account and craft pledges and a plan for government.”
Travers emphasized that Badenoch will need to decide whether the party should shift further to the right to regain supporters lost to right-wing populist Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party or attempt to appeal to centrist voters necessary for winning a general election.
Despite what Travers described as a “historically terrible” result for the Conservatives, he believes the party has a remarkable ability to regenerate and recover. However, the fragmented political landscape may yield unpredictable outcomes in the coming years.
In the UK, parliamentary elections must occur at least every five years, but Prime Ministers can choose the timing. Addressing the party’s recent electoral defeat, Badenoch acknowledged, “We have to be honest — honest about the fact that we made mistakes, honest about the fact that we let standards slip.”
She emphasized, “The time has come to tell the truth, to stand up for our principles, to plan for our future, to reset our politics and our thinking, and to give our party, and our country, the new start that they deserve.”
Badenoch, who served as a business secretary in Sunak’s government, was born in London to Nigerian parents and spent much of her childhood in Nigeria. The 44-year-old former software engineer presents herself as a disruptor, advocating for a low-tax, free-market economy and pledging to “rewire, reboot and reprogram” the British state.
A critic of multiculturalism and a self-proclaimed enemy of wokeness, Badenoch has opposed gender-neutral bathrooms and government plans to reduce UK carbon emissions. During her leadership campaign, she faced backlash for stating that “not all cultures are equally valid” and for suggesting that maternity pay was excessive.
Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, predicts that the Conservative Party will likely swing towards the right in both economic and social policies under Badenoch. He anticipates she will focus on “boats, boilers, and bathrooms,” addressing trans issues, immigration, and skepticism regarding progress toward net zero.
While the Conservative Party remains largely unrepresentative of the country—its 132,000 members are predominantly affluent, older white men—its leadership has become more diverse. Badenoch is the Tories’ third female leader, following Margaret Thatcher and Liz Truss, both of whom became Prime Minister. She is the second Conservative leader from a non-white background, after Sunak, and the first with African roots. In contrast, the center-left Labour Party has only ever been led by white men.
Badenoch is known for her combative style, often engaging with journalists, Labour politicians, and even celebrities like actor David Tennant. She criticized Tennant for calling her out at an awards ceremony, labeling him a “rich, lefty, white male celebrity so blinded by ideology he can’t see the optics of attacking the only black woman in government.”
Badenoch will face her first major test as party leader when she confronts Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, a weekly event that features verbal sparring between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in front of a lively House of Commons.
