Kemi Badenoch was 16 when she returned to London from Nigeria. He was alone and only had £100 (about €120/$130) in his pocket. His family sent him to the United Kingdom to build a better life, away from his country’s political chaos and military regime. When he wasn’t at school, he made a living working at McDonald’s.

Today, Badenoch, 44, is the next leader of the UK Conservative Party, also known as the Conservatives. He blamed left-wing politics for the destruction of Nigeria and said that was why he was a fan of the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Badenoch says Thatcher shares ‘values ​​of self-reliance’, personal responsibility and free markets.”

Like the Iron Lady, Badenoch is fearless and combative. He believes conservatism is in crisis and must “get back on track” by losing sight of his party’s principles and values. This, he says, has become clear since the party’s general election defeat in July. The Conservatives went from having 365 seats and an absolute majority in parliament to just 121.

Badenoch doesn’t shy away from controversy

In the months since former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced his intention to resign following the Tories’ disastrous defeat, Badenoch has dominated the headlines. He, along with Robert Jenrick, the former immigration minister in the Sunak government and who, like Badenoch, is from the party’s right wing, were the final two candidates in the party leadership race.

The mother-of-three recently lost the support of many women by saying her maternity pay was “excessive”. According to UNICEF, the UK is one of the worst-performing countries in Europe when it comes to family policy, with parents currently receiving limited benefits. Badenoch later clarified her comments by saying she “believes in maternity pay.”

His remarks at a side event at the Conservative party conference that 5-10% of officers were “very, very bad… as bad as it should be in prison” were not well received by everyone. A union leader called on Badenoch to retract his comments, which he claimed were a joke.

The former trade minister, who was born in London to Nigerian parents and grew up in Lagos, also does not mince his words when it comes to immigration. He believes British voters urgently want immigration to be curbed.

“If elected I will develop the the fullest And most detailed plan with control immigration HE So far no political party has made an offer,” he wrote in a September article for the British daily Telegram.

Badenoch believes that people coming to Britain should integrate and embrace British values ​​and recommends implementing an “integration strategy”.

“We must never allow our tolerance to be exploited by those who come, only to undermine the values ​​that have enabled us to succeed.” Telegram.

‘If you attack me, I will strike back’

Badenoch’s critics need to be ready for the fight. “If you attack me, I’ll hit back,” he said in an interview with Sky News in late September.

He said that his father, a doctor, instilled in him a sense of “personal responsibility” and taught him not to be distracted by what others say.

Badenoch, a computer science graduate from the University of Sussex, moved from the world of banking to politics. He joined the Conservative Party when he was 25 and quickly climbed the ladder, starting out in the London Assembly and becoming a member of parliament in 2017.

Just two years later, Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed the member of Parliament as secretary of state for children and families. He later became equalities minister in 2021. Johnson’s successor, Liz Truss, appointed him secretary of state for international trade in 2022.

Badenoch has ‘originality’

Former Conservative MP Charles Walker followed Badenoch’s political rise with interest. It was clear from the start that he had “some X-factor” and “originality”, he told DW, saying people liked him.

“He really is. He’s not a machine politician, and I think that’s important,” he said, adding that his West African background makes him particularly interesting.

But he’s not convinced she’s the new Thatcher. “It’s not just about having strong views. Margaret Thatcher’s views were intellectually supported and pragmatic,” he said. “I’m afraid many of our candidates, male and female, who are trying to channel Thatcher think she is Thatcher because she has sharp elbows and strong views that make them Thatcher’s heir, and they have a loud voice.”

Jill Rutter, a researcher at the UK’s Changing Europe think tank, said Badenoch was more likely to be embroiled in a culture war than his rival candidate Jenrick. Badenoch said he was “not a climate change skeptic” but did not support the UK’s 2050 net zero emissions target. He also criticized the Labor government’s “foolish decision to ban new licenses for North Sea oil production” as “fanatic”. Telegram.

‘I’m definitely not an arsonist. ‘I’m a conservative’

Badenoch also showed that he could be pragmatic as trade minister. Although he is in favor of Brexit, he provoked the anger of Brexiteers by saying the government would not repeal EU laws “in the name of this”.

Badenoch later said “This is not a fire of the rules; we are not arsonists.” “I’m definitely not an arsonist. I’m a conservative.”

For Britain’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Badenoch may be an unpleasant opponent. Rutter said Badenoch would likely challenge him “from the front, full throttle” as the Tory’s new leader.

But he questioned whether Badenoch had “clear and consistent views on how government could be reduced” and added that there was not much “substantive” coming from him on health reforms and taxation.

This article was originally written in German.