Kemi Badenoch became the new leader of the Conservatives and the first Black woman to head a major British political party on Saturday after winning a leadership contest on a promise to return the party to its founding principles.

Badenoch, 44, who replaced former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, vowed to lead the party through a period of renewal following its heavy defeat in the UK’s July election and said the party had drifted towards the political centre, being “led from the left”.

Badenoch, who is on the right of the Conservative Party, is likely to support policies that would shrink the state and challenge institutional left thinking, saying it is time to defend the principles of free speech, free enterprise and free markets.

Badenoch became the Conservatives’ fifth leader since mid-2016 after securing 57 per cent of the party’s members’ votes in the final stage of a months-long contest in which a field of six was whittled down to two. He defeated former immigration secretary Robert Jenrick with 43% of the vote.

Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed his victory, saying “the first Black leader of the Westminster party is a proud moment for our country”.

Badenoch has publicly said he prefers not to focus on his race.

Asked at the Conservative Party conference earlier this year how it felt to be the party’s first Black female leader, she said: “I’m someone who wants the color of our skin to not be more important than the color of our hair or the color of our eyes.”

For some Black voters in London, who tend to favor Labor and have a Labor mayor, support for Badenoch will depend on what he does now as leader of the Conservatives.

“They (the Conservative Party) are no longer more approachable because there is a person of color,” said Imani Samuels, a student. “It just depends on what you’re doing.”

When asked about Badenoch’s comment about her skin color, Samuels responded: “She should be proud of that and stand out for her Blackness, because to have a position like that, to be Black and a woman, should be something she’s very proud to say.” “

Vaughan Gething became the first Black leader of the Welsh Labor Party earlier this year, but resigned after just four months as Wales’ first minister following a wave of ministerial resignations in protest against his leadership.

Sunak, who is of Indian descent, became Britain’s first black prime minister in October 2022 after winning the race to lead the Conservatives that year.

‘TELL THE TRUTH’

Badenoch promised on Saturday to tackle problems in the party directly.

“It’s time to tell the truth,” he told viewers at the final count of the leadership contest and promised to answer the main questions about how the Conservatives lost the July election so badly.

“It’s time to get to work, it’s time to renew.”

Outspoken on everything from what he calls identity politics to the value of authorities, Badenoch attracts strong admirers and detractors alike. It is certain to shake the Conservatives, whose number of MPs in the 650-seat parliament fell from 365 seats in 2019 to 121 in July.

With the Labor government off to a bumpy start, some Conservatives are becoming increasingly optimistic that they can regain power at the next election, due in 2029.

But more centrist Conservatives worry Badenoch could alienate not only the party’s more moderate wing but also some voters won by the centrist Liberal Democrats at the last election.

The former trade minister’s time in government was often marked by disagreements with the media, celebrities and his own officials. But his no-nonsense approach also won over many supporters, including Conservative members who chose him over Jenrick.

He told party members: “The task before us is difficult but simple; our first responsibility as Her Majesty’s loyal opposition is to hold this Labor government to account.”

“The second is no less important – to prepare for the next few years of government.”