Kemi Badenoch has been elected leader of the British Conservative Party.
The Nigerian-born was declared the winner at an event in central London on Saturday, defeating rival Robert Jenrick by 53,806 votes to 41,388.
Badenoch was crowned the new leader of the Conservative Party on Saturday, following the completion of the four-month-long contest to succeed Rishi Sunak. She will be in charge as the party attempts to bounce back from the July election outcome, which saw it return only 121 Members of Parliament.
Badenock and her opponent, Robert Jenrick, thanked their supporters for their support during the election after the polls closed on Thursday. Ms. Badenoch said the party was “much more to me than a membership organization” and referred to it as a “family.”
In addition, Mr. Jenrick urged the party to “unify” and “move past the drama” of the previous several years.
“Together we can put an end to the excuses, move past the drama, and unite our party,” he wrote on X.
Throughout the campaign, there was extensive discussion on immigration, the economy, and how the Conservatives might regain the trust of the public and win back the votes they lost in the election. In the July poll, the party lost seats to Reform UK, the Liberal Democrats, and Labour.
Following their inclusion in the nominations at the end of July, Dame Priti Patel, Mel Stride, Tom Tugendhat, and James Cleverly spent the summer campaigning with Mr. Jenrick and Ms. Badenoch.
By the end of September, when the party convened in Birmingham for its autumn conference, four candidates remained after the first two, Dame Priti and Mr. Stride, were removed.
Congratulations Kemi Badenoch!!!
