Kemi Badenoch just became the first black woman to lead the UK’s Conservative Party, the oldest in British politics, colloquially known as “the Tories.” She’s also 44, has three children, grew up in Nigeria, actually worked at McDonald’s (unlike some American politicians who have claimed to), didn’t go to Oxford or Cambridge, and has a master’s degree in computer engineering. Not exactly your typical Tory party leader profile.
But it’s Kemi Badenoch who has just inherited a Conservative Party that has dominated British politics for decades until Labour Party leader Keir Starmer became prime minister earlier this year. The Britain that Starmer inherited—the Britain that Conservatives like David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, and Rishi Sunak left behind—is a country with enormous debt, a shrinking GDP, a huge immigration challenge, and arguably a national identity crisis. Or as Free Press columnist and British historian Niall Ferguson has bleakly put it, “it seems that the UK has a national suicide wish.”
Can Kemi Badenoch, the woman who has been compared to Margaret Thatcher, turn her party—and ultimately, her country—around? How will the rising star in British politics offer something different than the past five Tory leaders who served before her? And can she beat out not just the Labour left but also the growing threat from a very energized hard right?
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“YouGov polling for The Times found this week [Jan 18 2025] that Farage’s party was effectively tied with Labour, with the Tories trailing in third on 22 points.
Farage also came out top when voters were asked who would make the best prime minister on 20 per cent, with Sir Keir Starmer on 19 per cent and Kemi Badenoch of the Conservatives on 9 per cent.“
This is the reason I subscribe to The Free Press. It's the place where I learn about interesting, smart, and thoughtful people who are part of a new future, before I hear about them anywhere else. Kemi Badenoch is the medicine that ails the British Conservative Party, a dead, managerial governing class who has lost its way; Liberal Lite, aka RiNO's, or in this case CiNO's.
Heroes often come in unlikely forms and from unexpected places, Thomas Sowell, Margaret Thatcher, Donald Trump, Kemi Badenoch. I will watch her journey with great interest and always know, I heard about her here first.