‘Let’s get down to business’: Badenoch vows to renew Britain after winning Tory leadership race

Kemi Badenoch said it was time to “get down to business” and restore public trust in the Conservative Party after she was elected as its leader on Saturday morning.
Mrs Badenoch became the first black leader of a Westminster political party and the Tories’ fourth female leader as she beat Robert Jenrick to become the Leader of the Opposition.
The former business secretary won 53,806 votes from Tory members – 56.5 per cent – as Mr Jenrick achieved 41,388 (43.5 per cent) in the most closely-fought leadership contest of the modern era.
In her acceptance speech, Mrs Badenoch said it was time for the Tories to “tell the truth”, reflect on their decline and “get down to business” by turning around the fortunes of the party.
“This is not just about the Conservative Party – it is about the people we want to bring back to the Conservative Party. It is about the people we need to bring into the Conservative Party,” she said.
“It is about what the Conservative Party needs to be in the next five, 10 and 20 years. Our party is critical 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 let standards slip.
“The time has come to tell the truth, to stand up for our principles, to plan for our future, to reset our politics and our thinking, and to give our party and our country the new start that they deserve. It is time to get down to business, it is time to renew. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.”
Saying Mr Jenrick had fought a “great campaign”, Mrs Badenoch added: “We have all been impressed by your energy and your determination. You and I know that we don’t actually disagree on very much and I have no doubt that you have a key part to play in our party for many years to come.”
An ally of Mr Jenrick said this week he would be “ready to serve” in the shadow Cabinet, although appointments to the new Tory front bench are not expected to be announced until next week.
Boris Johnson, from whose Cabinet Mrs Badenoch resigned in 2022 during the Chris Pincher affair, said she would bring “a much-needed zing and zap” to the Tories as he pledged to give her his full support.
“Congratulations to Kemi on her outstanding victory,” the ex-prime minister wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “She brings a much needed zing and zap to the Conservative Party.
“This sleaze-ridden Labour Government has no ideas or agenda beyond the old tax and spend socialism. They are far more vulnerable than the parliamentary maths might suggest. Kemi has exactly the right courage and clarity to expose Starmer’s failings.
“She is now ideally placed to flip them over and take the Tories to victory at the next election. I will be giving her my full support and call on all Conservatives to do the same.”
Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, said his new opposite number becoming the first black leader at Westminster was a “proud moment” for Britain.
The Prime Minister wrote on X: “Congratulations, Kemi Badenoch, on becoming the Conservative Party’s new leader. The first black leader of a Westminster party is a proud moment for our country. I look forward to working with you and your party in the interests of the British people.”
David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, wrote: “Congratulations, Kemi Badenoch. Your election as the first black leader of a Westminster party is an important moment not only for Brits from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, but for our whole country.”
Thank you for joining our coverage of today’s Conservative leadership announcement as Kemi Badenoch made history by becoming Rishi Sunak’s successor.
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Honoured to have been part of Team Badenoch and @renewal2030. A historic moment for the Conservative Party, and for the country. Go Kemi! pic.twitter.com/vFbHA5g3gL
It is an honour and a privilege to have been elected to lead our great Conservative Party. A party that I love, that has given me so much. I’d also like to pay tribute to @RobertJenrick who fought a great campaign. I have no doubt he will have a key role to play in our party… pic.twitter.com/BKs9YI6Oe7
She did it. And as she settles into a post previously held by Sir Robert Peel, Sir Winston Churchill and Lady Thatcher, Kemi Badenoch has been burdened with two responsibilities, writes Mark Dolan.
These are to save the Conservative Party – the most successful political machine in the history of Western democracy – and to ultimately remove this spiteful and incompetent Labour government, which is proving more radically left-wing than anyone might have feared. 
The parallels between Margaret Thatcher and Kemi Badenoch are hard to ignore. A fearless, maverick woman, with a calm, rational, analytic brain, Badenoch is an engineer to Thatcher’s chemist. Thatcher was the Iron Lady, Kemi has balls of steel.
And as in 1975, with the election of Mrs T, this is another mic drop from the Conservatives in choosing Britain’s first black woman leader, making a mockery of Labour’s divisive identity politics. The Tories are the true progressives, LOL.
Mark Dolan: This compelling new leader will take no prisoners
Kemi Badenoch has secured a resounding victory in the Conservative leadership election, defeating Robert Jenrick with 57 per cent of the membership vote.
The Daily T’s Camilla Tominey and Kamal Ahmed were in the room when the former business secretary called on Tories to “get down to business” and win the next election.
They react to the result and hear from MPs who backed both Mrs Badenoch and Mr Jenrick about the party’s need to unite:
Nigel Farage said Kemi Badenoch will “make no difference” as Conservative leader.
In a video on X, the Reform UK leader said: “As projected and indeed delivered, Kemi Badenoch is the leader of His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, which means the Conservatives have turned their backs on the idea of leaving the ECHR because that’s what Jenrick stood for.
“What you’re going to get with Kemi Badenoch is more of the same, pretty much exactly the same as the last 14 years. I’ve got to tell you one thing they don’t understand, it isn’t about individuals, the Conservative brand is broken.”
He wrote alongside the clip: “Kemi Badenoch will make no difference as leader of the Conservative Party. They have broken the trust of the British people and the brand is broken.”
Kemi Badenoch will make no difference as leader of the Conservative Party. They have broken the trust of the British people and the brand is broken. pic.twitter.com/lg9UWmYcZ4
Andrew Bowie, the shadow energy minister, said Kemi Badenoch “can be forceful” and “if you’re going to pick a fight with her, be sure of your arguments before you walk into the room”.
Mr Bowie told Sky News: “But I think it also speaks to me and her credit that every single junior minister or MP or peer that has returned to Parliament that has worked with her in any of the departments that she served ended up supporting her candidacy for leadership.
“Now that speaks to someone who yes knows her mind, yes is forceful and takes decisions, but also brings the team with her and I think we will see that more and more as she pulls the party together following the leadership election.”
On Mrs Badenoch not putting forward a specific policy programme, Mr Bowie said: “There’s no point in setting out policies to fight the battle of 2024 when we’re be fighting the battles of 2028, 2029. Better now to set out a broad brush approach to the ideology of where the party is and then put meat on the bones in terms of actual policy.”
Kemi Badenoch becoming the first black leader of a Westminster party is an “important moment” for both black Britons and the country as a whole, David Lammy has said.
The Foreign Secretary said in a post on X: “Congratulations, Kemi Badenoch.
“Your election as the first Black leader of a Westminster party is an important moment not only for Brits from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds, but for our whole country.”
Congratulations, @KemiBadenoch. Your election as the first Black leader of a Westminster party is an important moment not only for Brits from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds, but for our whole country. https://t.co/s7Qa42f0Lj
This from Labour MP Florence Eshalomi:
From one British Nigerian MP to another British Nigerian MP, congratulations @KemiBadenoch on your election as Leader of the Conservative Party. Eku ori ire. Your dad would be proud.
Being leader of the opposition is known as the worst job in politics, and Kemi Badenoch might find that is putting it mildly as she contemplates the scale of the task she now faces, writes Gordon Rayner.
After emerging bloodied but victorious from a gruelling slugfest with Robert Jenrick, the hard work really begins for Mrs Badenoch, who has just seven months to reinvigorate her demoralised party before it faces its next big moment of peril in May’s local elections.
The Tories should rightly use this moment to celebrate the fact that they have elected the first black leader of a major political party, not to mention their fourth female leader, in a week when Labour has laughably claimed Rachel Reeves is the person who has broken the glass ceiling in politics. Once again, the Conservatives have made history as the true party of diversity and equality.
But once the applause has died down, Mrs Badenoch must turn her attention to how she can stop the rot before her first big test in May. She claims that the six leadership candidates “came through this campaign more united” and if she can truly unite the party behind her, she stands a chance of making the sort of gains in the local elections that will prompt soothing talk of green shoots of recovery.
Gordon Rayner: Badenoch can neutralise both Starmer and Farage
Kemi Badenoch’s victory in the Conservative Party leadership contest marks a number of milestones in British political history.
She is the first black woman to lead a major political party, and only the second woman to serve as permanent Leader of the Opposition after Margaret Thatcher.
Most strikingly, perhaps, Mrs Badenoch is the first major party leader to identify as a “first generation immigrant”.
Ethan Croft, our Political Correspondent, has the full story here
Victoria Atkins, the shadow health secretary who backed Robert Jenrick, said “everyone is willing Kemi on” going forward. 
Ms Atkins said: “I know how hard Rob and the whole team worked on this. I think he did a fantastic job, for months now he’s been racing around the country speaking to members and the media, really holding himself out to be tested by everyone.
“So of course I feel very disappointed for him and for his family and his team. But what I do know is that we as a Conservative family now really want this to work.
“And so huge congratulations to Kemi, she’s got an amazing privilege to lead our party and I know all of us will want to be supporting her in that effort. Because not only do we as a Conservative family want our party to get back on track, we also have an important job to do.”
The dash to update Kemi Badenoch’s Wikipedia page hasn’t gone very well pic.twitter.com/b8VlwZzzjx
Kemi Badenoch has succeeded Rishi Sunak following a close contest in which she staved off Robert Jenrick.
Has the Tory membership made the right decision on the new leader of the opposition? Have your say below:
Kemi Badenoch is amongst Tory politicians who “say one thing and do another”, the Reform deputy leader has claimed.
Richard Tice said Mrs Badenoch, a former business secretary was “front and centre of a Government that failed Britain”.
“Kemi Badenoch is another in a long line of Tory politicians who say one thing and do another… She said nothing while Rishi Sunak hit hard working people with record immigration, the small boats crisis, the highest taxes for seventy years, record NHS waiting lists and sky high crime,” Mr Tice said.
“Instead of standing up for Britain whilst in Government, she stood up for her own career prospects and chauffeur-driven cars.
“She has failed the British public before and she will fail them again as leader of the Conservative Party.”
Kemi Badenoch will appear on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg tomorrow for her first big television interview as Conservative leader.
The national broadcaster announced that Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, will also appear on Ms Kuenssberg’s show in the wake of the Budget on Wednesday.
The number of eligible electors this time round was 131,680, writes Ollie Corfe.
This is 23.6 per cent lower than the 172,437 back in the summer 2022 contest.
This is slightly different to Tory party membership figures, due to the requirement that people be a member for over 90 days before being able to vote. However, it is a clear sign of falling membership. 
Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: “I’d like to congratulate Kemi Badenoch on being elected leader of the Conservative Party. The election of the first black leader of a major UK political party is a historic moment for the country.
“Voters across the country believe her party is too divided, out-of-touch and unable to accept Conservative failures over the past years.
“The Liberal Democrats will continue to offer the best opposition to the Government and fight for a fair deal for Britain.”
Kemi Badenoch becoming the first black leader at Westminster is a “proud moment” for Britain, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
The Prime Minister said on X: “Congratulations, Kemi Badenoch, on becoming the Conservative Party’s new leader.

“The first Black leader of a Westminster party is a proud moment for our country.

I look forward to working with you and your party in the interests of the British people.”
Congratulations, @KemiBadenoch, on becoming the Conservative Party’s new leader.The first Black leader of a Westminster party is a proud moment for our country.I look forward to working with you and your party in the interests of the British people.
Boris Johnson said Kemi Badenoch will bring “a much needed zing and zap” to the Tories as he pledged to give her his full support.
“Congratulations to Kemi on her outstanding victory,” the former prime minister wrote on X.
“She brings a much needed zing and zap to the Conservative Party.
This sleaze-ridden Labour government has no ideas or agenda beyond the old tax and spend socialism.

“They are far more vulnerable than the parliamentary maths might suggest

Kemi has exactly the right courage and clarity to expose Starmer’s failings.

“She is now ideally placed to flip them over and take the Tories to victory at the next election.

I will be giving her my full support and call on all Conservatives to do the same.” 
Do you think Lefties ever glance at the Conservative Party and ask themselves whether positive discrimination is everything it’s cracked up to be? asks Daniel Hannan.
Kemi Badenoch is the party’s second non-white and fourth female leader. And you know what? It’s no big deal.
For Labour, which has only ever been led by white men, identity is everything. Rachel Reeves never misses an opportunity to say that she is the first woman Chancellor and that she should be a role model to little girls.
David Lammy, miffed that he was not the first black Foreign Secretary, issued a statement about how proud he was to be the first working-class black foreign secretary from Tottenham (which, obviously, he is).
Most Tories are nonplussed by the suggestion that you should vote on the basis of someone’s X-chromosomes or melanin levels. I mention this only because more than one Labour-supporting friend, including some clever and well-informed people, took it for granted that Kemi would suffer from what they assumed to be a measure of racism and sexism among the party membership.
Daniel Hannan: Today’s result is a seismic moment
Just under three in four Tory members voted in what our data guru Ollie Corfe notes is the is the lowest turnout in contested Conservative leadership election since the modern system was introduced.
The total turnout of 72.8 per cent is the lowest since the system was changed in 1998.
The turnout last time around in the contest between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak in summer 2022 was 82.2 per cent.
At 56.6 per cent, this is also the lowest vote share for a Tory leadership winner (Ms Truss received 57.4% per cent and therefore the tightest race on record.
Ellie Reeves, the Labour chairman, claimed Kemi Badenoch’s election showed that the Tories had “learned nothing”.
Ms Reeves said: “Congratulations to Kemi Badenoch on being elected Leader of the Conservative Party.
“It’s been a long leadership election but sadly one thing is clear – the Conservatives have learned nothing since the British people resoundingly rejected them in July. It’s been a summer of yet more Conservative chaos and division.
“They could have spent the past four months listening to the public, taking responsibility for the mess they made and changing their party.
“Instead, Kemi Badenoch’s election as leader shows they’re incapable of change. Meanwhile the Labour government is getting on with fixing the foundations of our economy and cleaning up the mess the Tories left behind.”
It is “time to get down to business” and “renew” the Conservatives and Britain, Kemi Badenoch said in her acceptance speech.
“The task that stands before us is tough but simple. Our first responsibility as His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition is to hold this Labour Government to account. Our second is no less important, it is to prepare over the course of the next few years for government, to ensure that by the time of the election we have not just a clear set of Conservative pledges that appeal to the British people, but a clear plan for how to implement them.
“A clear plan to change this country by changing the way that this government works. The Prime Minister is discovering all too late the perils of not having such a plan. That huge job begins today.
“It will seek to involve all of our colleagues in Parliament, in the Scottish Parliament, the Sennedd, our friends in Northern Ireland, as well as councillors and party members. But this is not just about the Conservative Party. It is about the people we want to bring back to the Conservative Party. It is about the people we need to bring into the Conservative Party.
“It is about what the Conservative Party needs to be in the next five, 10 and 20 years. Our party is critical 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 let standards slip. The time has come to tell the truth, to stand up for our principles, to plan for our future, to reset our politics and our thinking, and to give our party and our country the new start that they deserve. It is time to get down to business, it is time to renew. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.”
“I’d also like to pay a special tribute to Robert Jenrick who has fought a great campaign. Rob, we have all been impressed by your energy and your determination. You and I know that we don’t actually disagree on very much and I have no doubt that you have a key part to play in our party for many years to come. Thank you.”
Mrs Badenoch went on to thank the other candidates, saying: “We have come through this campaign more united and the party needs you now more than ever.”
“I want to start by thanking Richard Fuller for his work as our party chairman since July… I also want to pay tribute to everyone in the Conservative Party who has been involved in this very long campaign.
“It has been an experience none of us candidates will ever forget. Thank you for hosting us in your communities, in your village halls, in your pubs and in your homes.
“It is the most enormous honour to be elected to this role, to lead the party that I love. The party that has given me so much. I hope that I will be able to repay that debt.
“There are so many people to thank. Firstly my family, especially my husband Hamish. Hamish, I couldn’t have done this without you, thank you for being with me every step of the way. I also want to thank Rishi. No one could have worked harder in such difficult times, Rishi, thank you for everything you did. We all wish you and your wonderful family the very best for the future.”
 Bob Blackman said Kemi Badenoch becoming the first black party leader is “another glass ceiling shattered”.
Kemi Badenoch has become the new Conservative leader, beating Robert Jenrick in the contest to succeed Rishi Sunak.
Total number of eligible electors: 131,680
Turnout: 72.8 per cent
Kemi Badenoch: 53,806 (56.5 per cent)
Robert Jenrick: 41,388 (43.5 per cent)
Bob Blackman, the chairman of the 1922 Committee, is about to announce the new leader.
He said party conference was a “really exciting conference for members to attend” as a result of the parliamentary process.
Mr Blackman hailed Rishi Sunak for “eviscerating that rotten Budget” on Wednesday at the Despatch Box.
Richard Fuller, the interim Tory chairman, is addressing those present in central London.
“Thank you to the thousands of Conservative Party members who have helped make this leadership election so engaging and for the crucial role that our members played putting all our candidates through their paces at event right across the United Kingdom,” he said.
“And a special word of thanks to all six candidates, to Tom, to Rob, to Priti, to Mel, to Kemi and to James, who put themselves forward, took the scrutiny of their parliamentary colleagues, the media and most importantly of members like you.
“Whoever is announced as our new leader needs our full support.”
The winner will be announced from a Conservative Party lectern against a Union flag backdrop in central London.
You are able to tune into the big reveal in the stream at the top of this live blog.
There are about 15 minutes until proceedings start at a central London location and the new Tory leader is announced.
As the MPs have delivered their final verdict on who should be the next Conservative Party leader, it is now up to the members to decide who out of the final two should succeed Rishi Sunak, writes Genevieve Holl-Allen.
After the historic Tory wipeout in July, six MPs from all parts of the party threw their hats into the ring to sell their vision for the future of the party. 
Among the issues that have dominated the debate include the party’s relationship with the insurgent Reform UK and whether the UK should leave the European Convention of Human Rights.
The Conservative Party Conference, designed to be a beauty parade for remaining hopefuls Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly, Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick shook up the race. But between the final two it remains all to play for, as the ultimate deciders are the party members. 
So which of the final two candidates best aligns with your views? Take The Telegraph’s quiz to find out.
Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick have both said they would serve in the other’s shadow cabinet if they lost the Conservative leadership race, writes our Political Editor Ben Riley-Smith.
The four-month contest to succeed Rishi Sunak finally comes to an end when the winner, selected by Tory members, is announced in Westminster.
Bookmakers have Mrs Badenoch as the favourite to be the victor, with Tory membership surveys showing her in the lead, but both camps have insisted it is too close to call.
The low turnout – insiders in the two camps suggest fewer Tory members have cast a vote than in previous leadership contests – has added to the unpredictability.
You can read the full story here
Half of all voters do not believe the Conservatives are currently relevant to British politics, in a sign of the mountain that the new leader will have to climb.
Fifty-one per cent said the Tories are not very relevant or not relevant at all, while 35 per cent said they were very or fairly relevant, YouGov polling shows.
Meanwhile only 19 per cent said they cared about the current contest to replace Rishi Sunak, while 71 per cent said they did not care very much or did not care at all.
Only one in six Britons thought Kemi Badenoch (16 per cent) or Robert Jenrick (17 per cent) would make a good Tory leader. Thirty-five per cent said Mrs Badenoch would make a bad leader, while 31 per cent said the same of Mr Jenrick.
Reform UK voters would prefer Robert Jenrick as prime minister to Kemi Badenoch, a poll has suggested.
Almost a quarter (24 per cent) of those who voted for Nigel Farage’s party in July chose the former immigration minister, while 15 per cent opted for the shadow housing secretary.
Those who voted Tory in 2024 also narrowly preferred Mrs Badenoch (21 per cent to 19 per cent).
Polling by YouGov also showed the public narrowly think Sir Keir Starmer would be better than Mr Jenrick (29 per cent to 21 per cent) or Mrs Badenoch (27 per cent to 20 per cent).
Claire Coutinho, who served as Rishi Sunak’s energy secretary, has paid tribute to the outgoing Tory leader.
Ms Coutinho said that as the “Covid chancellor”, Mr Sunak was forced into decisions beyond those normally faced by politicians, saying he “fought an entire system” to argue against another lockdown in response to the omicron variant.
She went on to hail him as “a man of great decency, intelligence and dedication who steered us through some of our most difficult times”.
As the Covid Chancellor Rishi had to make decisions that no normal politician has to face. I saw the extent of his political courage when he fought an entire system against an unnecessary third lockdown that would have caused huge damage to people. He warned against the threat… pic.twitter.com/iPjxAVJvaa
The result will be announced just after 11am at a location in central London.
Richard Fuller, who has served as interim Tory chairman, is expected to say a few words before Bob Blackman, the chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of backbenchers, does the honours by announcing Rishi Sunak’s successor.
All Tory MPs have been encouraged to attend what will be a significant moment for one of the world’s oldest and most successful political parties.
We will then hear from the victor, whether that be Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick, at around 11.30am.
A former business secretary and equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch has long been regarded as a key figure on the Tory Right.
The 44-year-old MP for North West Essex has been an outspoken defender of sex-based rights as well as a staunch backer of Brexit. She was among the first Westminster politicians to vehemently oppose identity politics and “wokeism”.
This is Mrs Badenoch’s second tilt at the Tory leadership after she came fourth in the race to replace Boris Johnson, whose government she quit in the wake of the Chris Pincher affair, in July 2022.
During the Tory leadership campaign she has focused on “first principles” such as personal responsibility, freedom and family instead of policies, claiming it is too early to put forward a detailed offering.
A former housing secretary and immigration minister, Robert Jenrick has been on a political journey in recent years.
Mr Jenrick was once regarded as on the centrist wing of the Tory Party. In 2022 he became deputy to Suella Braverman, the then home secretary, and the appointment was regarded as one that would balance out Mrs Braverman ideologically.
But the 42-year-old has said his time at the “broken” Home Office changed his thinking on immigration and he resigned from Rishi Sunak’s frontbench last year over the Rwanda migrant deportation plan, which he claimed was too weak.
During the Tory leadership campaign he has made pledges including taking Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and capping net migration to the tens of thousands or lower.
Dominic Penna here, The Telegraph’s Political Correspondent, guiding you through the Tory leadership result.
In just a couple of hours we will know whether Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick has done enough to succeed Rishi Sunak as the leader of the opposition.
I will be bringing you all the latest news, analysis and reaction on a historic day for the Conservative Party.