Kemi Badenoch
Combative culture warrior unafraid to come out swinging
Age: 44
Bio: Born Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke in Wimbledon, south London in 1980 after her mother flew to London for maternity treatment, but grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, where her father was a doctor and her mother an academic.
Moved at 16 to London to take her A-levels while staying with family friends and working at McDonald’s, where “I became working class”. Studied computing at Sussex University where “stupid lefty white kids” made her “more Conservative”.
Worked in finance and as digital director of the Spectator, from which she resigned rather than take maternity leave.
London assembly member from 2015; elected MP for Saffron Walden in 2017. Served as trade secretary and minister for women and equalities and had other junior ministerial roles under Johnson, Truss and Sunak. Long seen as a protege of Michael Gove, although the relationship “is not what it used to be”.
Has three children with her husband, banker Hamish Badenoch.
Policies: Enthusiastic Brexiter, socially conservative, “anti-woke”. Calls herself a “gender-critical feminist” who opposes self-ID for trans people (“We’ve got gay marriage, and civil partnerships, so what are transsexuals looking for?”). She is opposed to “identity politics” and critical race theory, has argued “not all cultures are equally valid” and said discussions of empire should include the “good things”.
Controversies: As a minister she publicly accused a journalist of “creepy and bizarre” behaviour for asking questions, had a public spat with actor David Tennant, and was accused of “bullying and traumatising” staff while business secretary (which she denied).
Claimed up to 10% of civil servants are “so bad they should be in prison” and described maternity pay as “excessive” (she later said her words had been “misrepresented”). Argued in a campaign leaflet that people with autism get “economic privileges”.
Fun fact: Badenoch admitted, and apologised for, hacking the website of Harriet Harman before she was elected an MP to say Harman had defected to the Conservatives.
They say: “I don’t wish ill of her, I just wish her to shut up,” (actor David Tennant on receiving an award for being an LGBT ally).
She says: “I will not stand there and let people punch me. If you swing at me, I will swing back. But I don’t look for fights.”
Robert Jenrick
Centrist remainer reinvented as anti-migration populist hardliner
Age: 42
Bio: Grew up in Ludlow, Worcestershire, the son of a gas fitter “white-van man” and secretary. Privately educated at Wolverhampton Grammar, then at Cambridge University and the University of Pennsylvania, before qualifying as a solicitor.
Elected MP for Newark in 2013, was an aide to Michael Gove and Amber Rudd before being appointed housing and local government secretary by Boris Johnson in 2019, aged 37.
Has been criticised over his response to the Grenfell fire, as well as claims he broke lockdown restrictions during the pandemic (he defended travelling to his parents’ home) and his own valuable property portfolio.
Made immigration secretary in 2022 though he resigned a year later saying the Rwanda scheme didn’t go far enough.
Married to Michal Berkner, an Israeli-American corporate lawyer; they have three daughters, one of whose middle name is Thatcher. “I thought it was a good way of reminding her of a great prime minister.”
Policies: Advocates reducing migration to almost zero, leaving the European convention on human rights and reviving the Rwanda plan. Outspokenly pro-Israel. He has said: “If I were an American citizen, I would be voting for Donald Trump.”
Controversies: As housing secretary, he intervened to approve a luxury housing development in east London by the Tory donor Richard Desmond, saving him a £40m council levy, after Desmond had lobbied him at a dinner; he later donated to the party. Jenrick later conceded his decision was unlawful but denied bias.
As immigration secretary he ordered cartoon murals at an immigration centre in Kent to be painted over because they were considered too welcoming.
Fun fact: Has lost four stone over the past year partly thanks to taking Ozempic, although he “didn’t particularly enjoy it”.
They say: “He trims his sails to suit whichever political wind is blowing within the Conservative party” (Anna Soubry, once a neighbouring Tory MP).
He says: “The world that I represent is small-town Britain, people who have a very strong sense of place and love our country.”
