Kemi Badenoch, a UK politician and Member of Parliament for North Essex, is now the leader of the UK’s Conservative Party. She replaced Rishi Sunak as the leader of the opposition party after defeating her closest rival, Robert Jenrick, by polling 53,806 votes to his 41,388.
Badenoch’s election makes her the first Black woman to lead a major political party in the United Kingdom. She has been tasked with providing leadership to help the party recover from its worst-ever election defeat. Prior to her election, she had served as the Business Secretary.
Throughout her political career, Kemi has faced both criticism and support for her remarks about the Nigerian police and her decision to emphasize her Yoruba heritage rather than identifying more broadly with her Nigerian roots.
Badenoch is also the sixth Tory leader in less than eight and a half years.
Interesting times ahead!