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A self-proclaimed straight speaker, Kemi Badenoch will bring a combative right-wing tone to the role of leader of Britain’s Conservative Party, vowing a return to “authentic conservatism” to rebuild a party facing an uphill struggle to return to power.
Britain’s first Black woman leader of a major political party, Badenoch is certain to shake up the Conservatives who suffered their worst election defeat in July under former leader and prime minister, Rishi Sunak.
In her sights is not just the left-leaning Labour government but also the right-wing populist Reform UK party led by veteran Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, whose appeal drew traditional Conservative voters to his cause in July’s election.
But the anticipated swing to the right under Badenoch, 44, could alienate the more moderate wing of the party and some voters who were won over by the centrist Liberal Democrats at the election, when Labour won a landslide victory.
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