In the United Kingdom, the election of Kemi Badenoch as leader of the Conservative Party marks a shift to the right

Kemi Badenoch, elected this Saturday as head of the British Conservative Party, is the first black woman to such a position in the United Kingdom, after a vote by activists who chose this defender of a “true conservatism” and a strict immigration policy. After three months of campaigning, this fierce «anti-woke» considered the favorite of the ballot, was elected with nearly 57% of the votes, facing Robert Jenrick, also positioned to the right of the party.

Born in the United Kingdom to parents of Nigerian origin and raised in this African country, she became the first black woman to lead one of the main political parties in the United Kingdom. Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed on X “a proud moment for our country”.

“The time has come to tell the truth”

The election was called after the announcement of the resignation of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in the wake of the historic electoral defeat of the conservatives in the last legislative elections on July 4, caught between the rise in power of the party the far right Reform UK and the good results of the Lib Dem centrists. “The time has come to tell the truth, to defend our principles, (…) to rethink our politics and our way of thinking and to give our party and our country the fresh start they deserve”declared Kemi Badenoch in front of party officials just after the announcement of his victory.

This 44-year-old engineer by training, who had already tried, without success, to take the head of the conservative party in 2022, will now have a lot to do to revive the largely weakened Tories after their historic electoral debacle in the last legislative elections. With 121 elected officials, the party lost two thirds of its deputies in the House of Commons. Voters sanctioned him after 14 years in power, marked by Brexit, which many believe was not the promised success, an austerity policy which impoverished public services and the scandals of the era of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “We must recognize that we made mistakes”pleaded Kemi Badenoch Saturday.

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His predecessor Rishi Sunak called on the Conservatives to “unite behind her”in order to “fight Labor” in power, believing that it will be a “fantastic leader”. Boris Johnson greeted him “courage and its clarity” and praised the “necessary dynamism” that she brings to the party. But many people question her ability to unify and rebuild a very divided party and the relevance of the turn to the right that she seems to want to make it take.

Kemi Badenoch arrives at the head of the Tories with a reputation as an outspoken go-getter, who appeals to the activist base but sometimes bristles even in her own camp. Her rise within the party, which she joined in the 2000s, has been rapid since her election as an MP in 2017. From 2019, this fervent supporter of Brexit held several secondary ministerial positions under Boris Johnson, before being promoted by Liz Truss then Rishi Sunak, of whom she was Trade Minister until the elections.

“All cultures are not equal”

During her campaign she advocated a return to “true conservatism”without expanding much on his political program. After a legislative election marked by the rise to power of the far-right Reform UK party, the campaign was dominated by the subject of immigration. Kemi Badenoch has made it one of her priorities, stating in particular that she “wasn’t good” for the country and “not all cultures are equal” to justify a more targeted migration policy. An outing which sparked controversy, not the first for this person used to making shocking statements.

Kemi Badenoch above all displays his very conservative position in the debate on the culture wars linked in particular to the rights of LGBT+ people or ethnic minorities. She also said to herself “skeptical” on the carbon neutrality objective that the United Kingdom has set for itself. “I'm not a shy person. And people often use your strengths to present them as weaknesses.she assumed in the home stretch of the campaign.