United Kingdom: Kemi Badenoch has joined the Conservative leadership race, pledging honesty to voters.
The sixth candidate to stand is the shadow housing secretary, who was the previous government’s commerce and trade secretary.
She enters the contest alongside Priti Patel, who announced her bid over the weekend, James Cleverly, Tom Tugendhat, Robert Jenrick, and Mel Stride, who declared last week.
Suella Braverman, who was also anticipated to run, announced that she has decided not participate, even though she secured the support of the ten MPs required prior to Monday’s 2.30 p.m. deadline.
The former home secretary wrote in an article for The Telegraph her party’s disastrous election result was down to failures on migration, taxes and “transgender ideology” and said there was “no point” running to lead the Tories “when most of the MPs disagree with my diagnosis and prescription.”
“I’ve been branded mad, bad and dangerous enough to see that the Tory Party does not want to hear this. And so I will bow out here,” former home secretary added.
In addition to holding the women and equalities brief while in government, Badenoch is a confrontational individual with a strong debate style. She has been vocal about issues such as racism and women’s rights.
She was the first cabinet member to call out Frank Hester for calling Diane Abbott’s remarks racist, but she also insisted that the businessman should be given additional money and that the Conservative Party should accept his apologies.
Badenoch rose to notoriety in 2022 when she finished fourth in the first Tory leadership campaign, trailing only Penny Mordaunt, Sunak, and Liz Truss.
However, she received notable support in that election, including that of Michael Gove, a former MP and senior cabinet minister.
She offered to take over Gove’s brief and shadow deputy prime minister Angela Rayner when Sunak asked cabinet ministers if they wanted to remain in opposition after the Conservatives lost the July election.
POPULAR | UK unveils major pensions system review
