The Conservative Party in the United Kingdom selected Kemi Badenoch as its new leader, making her the first black woman to lead a major political party in the country.
Badenoch, 44, now follows in the footsteps of other female Conservative Party leaders like Margaret Thatcher, Theresa May, and Liz Truss.
“It is the most enormous honor to be elected to this role, to lead the party that I love, the party that has given me so much,” Badenoch said to a group of Conservative Party members after being announced the winner. “I hope that I will be able to repay that debt.”
Badenoch was born in the U.K. but spent her childhood in Nigeria. She returned to the U.K. after her father lost everything due to political turmoil in the African country. For Badenoch, there were very low expectations for her future.
“To all intents and purposes, I am a first-generation immigrant,” Badenoch said after being elected to Parliament in 2017.
Although identifying as an immigrant, Badenoch has recently called for stricter immigration policies, such as putting more restrictions on visas for skilled immigrants.
“Numbers matter, but culture matters more,” Badenoch said on immigration.
Badenoch is a stark contrast to the party’s previous leader, Rishi Sunak. She is often described as fierce and combative in debates and is outspoken about her disdain for “nasty identity politics.”
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However, Badenoch remained mum about any new policy positions during the selection process.
It is unlikely that Badenoch will be able to carry out any policy changes as the Labour Party holds a majority for another four years.
