Within the Tories, it is experiencing a meteoric rise. Elected MP in 2017, she quickly rose through the ranks, standing out for her competence and outspokenness. She held several ministerial positions, notably that of Secretary of State for Business, where she defended a pragmatic conservatism, going so far as to distance herself from the most right wing of the party. After failing to take the lead of the party in 2022, she was the favorite this time. Said to be combative, and whether you love or hate her talent for controversy, she is the first black woman to lead one of the main political parties in the United Kingdom.
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She calls herself “antiwoke” and recalls Thatcher
Kemi Badenoch, as the “New Iron Lady”, wants to be the spearhead of “muscular liberalism”. Aligned with Brexit, she believes that British society must be protected from external influences. Despite her background, she says “not all cultures are equal.” She therefore opposes diversity programs and what she perceives as a “culture of victimism”, openly criticizing the initiatives “woke” which, according to her, divide more than they unite.
The English press sees Badenoch as a new Margaret Thatcher. Like Thatcher, she embodies an uncompromising conservatism, affirming values that she considers fundamental: meritocracy, the reduced role of the State and strong individual responsibility. Like Thatcher, she came to the head of the Conservative Party with a mission of transformation, of the party and the country, in particular by opposing the Labor majority with its rejection of socialism and intense economic liberalism. And, in the wake of Rishi Sunak, whose Minister of Commerce she was for two years, she considers immigration as a threat to social cohesion. Uncompromising on the subject, she does not mince her words: “Immigration is not good for the country”. And it is with these kinds of little sentences that she attracts the wrath of some in her own camp. But Thatcher also divided opinions, including within her party. So, is Badenoch a visionary ready to defend British values and turn around the Conservative Party, or an obstacle to a more equal society?
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Taking up the party, a major challenge
“We must recognize that we made mistakes,” she pleads. And timing is crucial. She inherits a weakened Conservative Party, tainted by scandals and a crushing electoral defeat. The challenge ahead of her is immense, as she must regain the trust of a disillusioned and fragmented electorate, while facing a resolute Labor opposition, personified by Keir Starmer. If expectations are high, Badenoch seems ready to fight, driven by the mission of embodying renewal for the British Conservatives, and is already targeting the next elections. When the results were announced, she declared: “The task before us is difficult but simple: we must hold the Labor government to account, prepare to govern again, and at the next election [probablement pas avant 2029]we must have a clear plan for change for our country.”
If his determination is in no doubt, this new era of ultra-right in opposition could also prove risky, particularly among a more nuanced electorate. Badenoch knows that she must find a balance between the firmness of her convictions and the expectations of an inherently multicultural society, with the migratory challenge in its sights. Whether she succeeds or not, she is now an essential element of the British political scene, and her career will be decisive for the future of the Conservative Party, but also for British politics as a whole.
