Kemi Badenoch Becomes First Black Woman To Lead UK’s Conservative Party

Kemi Badenoch is the sixth leader of the Conservative Party in less than eight years.

Kemi Badenoch has made history by becoming the first Black woman to lead a major party in the United Kingdom after emerging as the leader of the Conservative Party.

Kemi, 44, who is a Member of Parliament for North West Essex, recorded 53,806 votes to beat rival Robert Jenrick, who scored 41,388 votes after a month-long campaign.

The Nigerian-raised politician said it is “time to get down to business” and vowed to “renew” the Conservative Party.

She takes over from former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a critical period where the party’s membership has reduced to just less than 132,000 from 172,000 in 2022.

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Her first move is to form a strong opposition to the ruling Labour Party and charge the party to regain public trust.

“Our party is critical to the success of our country,” she said during her victory speech and pushed for a fresh start.

Jenrick is yet to make a public speech after the defeat but urged his followers “to unite behind Kemi and take the fight to this disastrous Labour government” in a social media post.

He also had words of thanks to “everyone who supported my vision for a Conservative Party rooted in the common ground of British politics.”

Former Party Leader Rishi Sunak praised Kemi via a post on social media and expressed optimism that “she will be a superb leader of our great party.”

“She will renew our party, stand up for Conservative values, and take the fight to Labour.”