Kemi Badenoch on Saturday won the race to become the new leader of Britain’s Conservative Party, vowing to return the once dominant party to its “founding principles” to try to win back voters who handed the Conservatives their worst election defeat in July.
A staunch proponent of Brexit, 44-year-old Badenoch is known for her outspoken views and tough stance on divisive issues such as immigration and rights for transgender people, including in her role as minister for women and equalities.
Badenoch replaces former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who in July led the Conservatives to their worst election result since 1832. The Conservatives lost more than 200 seats, taking their tally down to 121.
A self-proclaimed straight speaker, Badenoch won the majority of votes among party members, the final stage in a months-long contest that saw a field of six whittled down to two. Robert Jenrick, a former immigration minister, came second.
Who is Kemi Badenoch?
- Badenoch was raised in Nigeria.
- She is the first black woman to lead a major political party in the UK
- During her campaign, Badenoch vowed to return the Conservatives to “first principles” and launch a series of reviews in the coming months to shape a new policy platform.
- She is also the sixth Tory leader in less than eight and a half years and faces the challenge of uniting a fractured party.
- Although a British citizen and born in the UK, during her parliamentary maiden speech Badenoch stated that she was “to all intents and purposes a first-generation immigrant”.
- Badenoch studied Computer Systems Engineering at the University of Sussex, completing a Master of Engineering (MEng) degree in 2003.
- Badenoch joined the Conservative Party in 2005 at the age of 25.
- Badenoch supported Brexit in the 2016 UK EU membership referendum.
- She has served in ministerial roles under three prime ministers.
During the leadership race — her second in two years, after placing fourth in a 2022 runoff — Badenoch vowed to reset the Conservative Party, arguing they had become too much like Labour and proposing smaller state intervention and a greater focus on families.
Her strong political views have courted controversy over the years, however, with recent comments about maternity pay having “gone too far” sparking a backlash, while her suggestion that “not all cultures are equally valid” reinforced her image as a so-called culture warrior.
She also faced a backlash when she said 5-10% of civil servants, or apolitical officials working in government, were “very bad” and “should be in prison” for undermining ministers – a comment her team said was a joke.
What it means for India
Badenoch is likely to run for PM in the next UK general elections scheduled for 2029.
Badenoch’s victory confirms a further shift to the right for the UK’s oldest political party, suggesting it may take a more hardline approach toward immigration, climate measures and culture politics in opposition.
Read more: ‘They kept trying to bring in migration’: Badenoch claims blocking India FTA over visa demands
Badenoch had said that she blocked the India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) due to demands for additional visas, according to UK media reports.
The shadow minister of Nigerian heritage suggested that one of the reasons the Sunak-led government could not finalise the FTA was because India was seeking greater concessions regarding migration.
“As business secretary, even as I was trying to do things to limit immigration, we had an India FTA where they kept trying to bring in migration and I said no. It’s one of the reasons why we didn’t sign it,” Badenoch told ‘The Telegraph’.
However, some of Badenoch’s former Tory ministerial colleagues argued that her claims are unlikely, as she was actively advocating for a deal and overseeing multiple rounds of negotiations aimed at an FTA that could significantly boost the £38 billion annual bilateral trading partnership.
