Kemi Badenoch emerged as the winner of the Conservative Party leadership contest, succeeding Rishi Sunak. The election results revealed a significant drop in Tory membership, reaching its lowest level on record. Badenoch secured 53,806 votes, outperforming Robert Jenrick’s 41,000 votes, from a total electorate of 131,680.
In her first speech as leader, Badenoch acknowledged the mistakes made by the Conservatives and pledged to rebuild the party. The low turnout in this year’s leadership contest, with only 95,000 people voting, reflected the declining party membership. Comparing it to the 2022 leadership contest where Liz Truss defeated Sunak, the decrease in Tory members eligible to vote was evident, falling by 23%.
Despite winning support from over half of the voting Tory members, Badenoch only received backing from 42 of the remaining 121 Conservative MPs. Former leaders Sunak and Boris Johnson expressed confidence in Badenoch’s leadership abilities, emphasizing the need for party unity and a renewed focus on Conservative values.
As the fourth woman to lead the Conservative Party, Badenoch faces the challenge of winning back voters who may have shifted towards other political parties. Her victory marked the first time the Tories recorded a poll lead over Labour since the Partygate scandal in 2021. However, polls indicated that a significant portion of voters had unfavorable views of Badenoch, highlighting the need for her to address certain issues to garner broader support.
David Lammy praised Badenoch’s election as the first Black leader of a major Westminster party, emphasizing its significance for the entire country. However, concerns were raised regarding Badenoch’s relationship with the media, urging her to address this flaw to succeed as Tory leader.
Amidst the celebrations of her victory, Badenoch vowed to uphold truth and principles in her leadership role. As she takes over the responsibilities of leading the Opposition, her focus will be on steering the Conservative Party towards a path of recovery and regaining power after their electoral defeat in July.
