Kemi Badenoch on Saturday won the election to replace Rishi Sunak as leader of the Conservative Party. She is the first person of African heritage to lead the Tories.
The Conservative Party announced her win in a post on X on Saturday.
” ANNOUNCED: @KemiBadenoch has been elected Leader of the Conservative Party,” the party tweeted.
Badenoch, 44, beat Robert Jenrick after a four-month contest after Sunak’s resignation.
The vote saw a turnout of 72% according to Conservative MP Bob Blackman.
Most people said they had not formed an opinion of Ms Badenoch yet, according to a YouGov poll. But 40 per cent of those questioned said they disliked her.
Former justice secretary Robert Buckland during an interview with the National News, said that as a leader Ms Badenoch “will be an excellent person to work with”, having seen her strong character and abilities first-hand when they worked in government together.
“She knows that the party’s values need to be reset and that we’ve got to win trust as without trust, we don’t get anywhere in terms of electoral success,” he added. “I think she better understands that more than most and that’s why she deserved to win.”
The role as opposition leader was an “unenviable task” and Ms Badenoch “will not be under any doubt about the scale of work ahead to win back power”, he added.
