Kemi Badenoch grins on the day she was declared the new leader of Britain's Conservative Party in London, Britain, on November 2, 2024. – Reuters
Kemi Badenoch ascended to the helm of the Conservatives, becoming the first Black woman to lead a major British political party on Saturday. She secured her position after triumphing in a leadership contest, vowing to restore the party to its foundational values. At 44, Badenoch succeeds former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, promising to steer the party through a transformative phase following its crushing defeat in Britain's July election. She asserts that the party had drifted towards the political center by 'governing from the left'.
Positioned on the right of the Conservative Party, Badenoch is expected to advocate for policies that reduce state intervention and confront what she perceives as institutional left-wing thought. She emphasizes the need to uphold principles of free speech, free enterprise, and free markets. Badenoch's victory marks the fifth Conservative leader since mid-2016, securing 57% of party member votes in the final round of a months-long contest that narrowed down from six candidates to two. She defeated former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, who garnered 43% of votes.
Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged her win, highlighting that 'the first Black leader of a Westminster party is a proud moment for our country'. Badenoch, however, has publicly expressed her preference to not focus on her race. When asked at the Conservative Party conference earlier this year about becoming the first Black woman leader, she stated, 'I am someone who wants the color of our skin to be no more significant than the color of our hair or the color of our eyes.'
Vaughan Gething, the first Black leader of the Welsh Labour Party, resigned after just four months as the first minister of Wales due to a wave of ministerial resignations protesting his leadership. Badenoch pledged on Saturday to confront the party's issues head-on, declaring, 'The time has come to tell the truth.' She promised to address the key questions surrounding the Conservatives' devastating loss in the July election. 'It is time to get down to business, it is time to renew,' she asserted.
Badenoch's forthright views on identity politics and the value of officials have garnered both fervent supporters and detractors. She is set to significantly reshape the Conservatives, whose parliamentary representation plummeted to 121 seats in July from 365 in 2019. With the Labour government experiencing a rocky start, some Conservatives are growing optimistic about regaining power in the next election, due in 2029. However, more centrist Conservatives are concerned that Badenoch might alienate not only the moderate wing of the party but also some voters who were swayed by the centrist Liberal Democrats in the last election.
Badenoch's tenure as a former trade minister was often marred by disputes with the media, celebrities, and her own officials. Yet, her straightforward approach has also won over many supporters, including the Conservative members who selected her over Jenrick. 'The task that stands before us is tough, but simple,' she told party members. 'Our first responsibility as His Majesty's loyal opposition is to hold this Labour government to account. Our second is no less important; it is to prepare over the course of the next few years for government.'
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