Struggling Conservatives elect right-wing hardliner Kemi Badenoch as their leader
LONDON —Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke Badenoch (Kemi Badenoch), a prominent and outspoken lawmaker who many describes as a right-wing radical, has been appointed as the leader of Britain’s opposition Conservatives.
Badenoch (pronounced BADE-enock) has made history to be the first Black woman to lead a major political party in the United Kingdom. She vowed to initiate a “renewal” of the center-right Conservative Party by advocating for a reduced state intervention and rejecting the principles of identity politics.
Badenoch emerged victorious against rival candidate Robert Jenrick in an online and postal voting process among party members, securing 57% of the nearly 100,000 votes cast, in contrast to Jenrick’s 43%. At the age of 44, Badenoch succeeds former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who, in July, guided the Conservatives to their most unfavorable election outcome since 1832.
Badenoch served as a business secretary in Prime Minister Sunak’s administration, having been born in London to Nigerian parents and spending a significant portion of her childhood in Nigeria.
The newly appointed leader faces the formidable task of rehabilitating the party’s image following a prolonged period marked by internal divisions, scandals, and economic challenges. Her objectives include critiquing the policies of Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer on critical issues such as the economy and immigration, with the ultimate aim of restoring Conservative governance by the next election, anticipated by 2029.
The Conservative Party is currently trying to recover from a major election loss that ended its 14 years in power.
Responding to the party’s bad election results, she said, “We need to be honest — about our mistakes and about how we’ve lowered our standards.”
“It’s time to tell the truth, stand up for our values, plan for the future, reset our politics and thinking, and give our party and our country the fresh start they need,” Badenoch added.
The former software engineer wants to change the system. She supports a low-tax, free-market economy and aims to “rewire, reboot, and reprogram” the British government. Like her rival Jenrick, she opposes multiculturalism and favors lower immigration, but she hasn’t pushed for Britain to leave the European Convention on Human Rights.
Badenoch, who is a self-proclaimed enemy of wokeness, is against identity politics, gender-neutral bathrooms, and government efforts to lower carbon emissions in the U.K. During her leadership campaign, she received criticism for saying “not all cultures are equally valid” and for stating that maternity pay was too high.
Kemi Badenoch, renowned for her pro-Israel stance, stated that Muslims in the northern regions of Nigeria see Israel as an ‘enemy.’ She asserted that individuals who harbor animosity towards Israel should not be welcomed in the United Kingdom.