Badenoch is the first black woman to lead a party in Britain. He represents the right wing of his party.
13:19•Updated 14:40
Former trade minister in Britain Kemi Badenoch has been elected leader of the Conservative Party. He defeated the former immigration minister in the leadership race of Robert Jenrick with 57 percent of the vote.
Badenoch is the first black woman to lead a party in Britain. He takes office Rishi Sun too in place of.
Badenoch and Jenrick represent the right wing of the party. They take a hard line with regard to immigration and the EU and demand the reduction of the state administration and the loosening of zero emission promises.
A fierce opponent of multiculturalism
The 44-year-old Badenoch has served as British Minister for Trade, Business and Equality in Conservative governments. He is a software engineer by background.
Badenoch has become known as a flamboyant conversationalist, which has increased his popularity among his own people. He has said that he is against multiculturalism and woke thinking.
Badenoch’s statements have also attracted criticism.
Among other things, he has criticized Britain’s maternity allowance as too high and joked that a tenth of government officials are so bad that they should be in prison. He has also stated that not all cultures are on the same page when deciding on immigration.
Badenoch was born in London but spent most of his childhood in Nigeria, where his parents are from.
It is a difficult task to increase the party’s support
Badenoch’s task at the head of the Conservative Party is difficult.
The party got its worst result since 1832 in the July parliamentary elections. It received only 121 representatives in the parliament, which is more than 200 less than in the previous elections.
The party has been plagued by disunity, constant scandals and the financial consequences of its exit from the EU.
On the other hand, the ruling Labor Party has also run into difficulties. Prime minister Keir Starmer was caught accepting expensive gifts, and the government has had to cut government spending due to the bad economic situation.
The next British general election will be held in 2029 at the latest.
Sources: Reuters, AP, AFP