The British opposition Conservatives appoint right-wing Kemi Badenoch as their new leader

LONDON – The United Kingdom's opposition Conservative Party named right-wing Kemi Badenoch as its new leader on Saturday, ending a drawn-out runoff election after the Tories' landslide election defeat signaled a moment of reckoning for the party.

Badenoch ousted Robert Jenrick to secure the top job, replacing outgoing leader and former prime minister Rishi Sunak.

“It is the greatest honor to be elected to this role,” Badenoch said as she gave her maiden speech as party leader shortly after the results were announced.

The decision follows a three-month competition in which an initial shortlist of six candidates was reduced to two over four rounds of voting by Tory Members of Parliament (MPs).

The final winner was determined by Conservative Party members, with Badenoch receiving 53,806 votes to Jenricks 41,388. The voter turnout was 72.8%.

Badenoch's victory confirms a further rightward shift by Britain's oldest political party and suggests it could take a tougher approach in opposition on immigration, climate action and cultural policy.

Badenoch and his right-wing co-candidate Jenrick were seen as unlikely opponents in the final vote, with some MPs suspecting that tactical voting aimed at damaging their least popular figure had instead backfired on former frontrunner and more centrist candidate James Cleverly.

The Conservatives suffered a major defeat in the July 4 U.K. general election as Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labor government won a landslide victory as voters grew tired of ongoing leadership changes and political infighting at the end of 14 years of Tory rule .

Badenoch said the Conservatives needed to admit their past mistakes and change course.

“Our party is crucial to the success of our country. But to be heard, we have to be honest. Honest about the fact that we made mistakes, honest about the fact that we missed standards,” she emphasized on Saturday.

“It is time to speak the truth, stand up for our principles, plan for our future. To realign our politics and our thinking and give our party and our country the fresh start they deserve. It’s time.” Let’s get to the point. It’s time for a renewal,” Badenoch added.

British-born Badenoch grew up in Nigeria and worked in IT and banking before entering the UK political sphere and being elected as an MP in 2017. She served in ministerial positions under three prime ministers, including as Minister of Economic Affairs.

Badenoch, 44, is a strong supporter of Brexit and is known for her outspoken views and tough stance on divisive issues such as immigration and transgender rights, including in her role as Minister for Women and Equalities.

During the leadership race – her second in two years after finishing fourth in the 2022 run-off – Badenoch vowed to reposition the Conservative Party, saying it had become too much like Labor and suggested gentler government intervention and a greater focus on families.

However, her strong political views have caused controversy over the years, with recent comments about maternity pay “going too far” sparking a backlash, while her assertion that “not all cultures are equally valid” bolstered her image as a so-called culture warrior .

Badenoch's opponent Jenrick was once a close ally of Sunak, who began his political career as a centrist figure. He has since joined the right-wing within the party and made regaining control of the UK's borders a central tenet of his leadership policy.

The 42-year-old former lawyer resigned as immigration minister in December 2023, insisting Sunak's Rwandan legislation did not go far enough. He also pledged to withdraw Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights to speed up deportations and took an increasingly tough – and sometimes controversial – stance.

The victory at the top is unlikely to have an immediate impact on the current government, as Labor has the second-largest parliamentary majority in history.

It is also possible that the new Tory leader will no longer be in office when the UK votes for its next government in up to five years.

Sunak said Badenoch was an “outstanding leader” and called on his party to unite behind her.

“She will renew our party, stand up for conservative values ​​and lead the fight against Labor,” he wrote in a post on social media.

A resurgent opposition party will be better able to put pressure on Starmer – who called the election of the first black leader of a Westminster party a “proud moment” for the country – and rebuke some of his key policies.

“Our first responsibility as His Majesty’s loyal government is to hold this Labor government to account. Our second is no less important: it is to prepare ourselves for government over the next few years,” Badenoch said on Saturday.

Brexit supporter Nigel Farage's return to the political fray in June, as well as surprise election wins for his Reform UK Party, could see the Conservatives move further to the right to stem further election losses.

Some analysts have suggested that the newly reformed Tory Party could even work with Reform's Farage to shore up support – a suggestion to which Farage has said: “Never say never.”