No one can say Kemi Badenoch lacks confidence. When the race to succeed Rishi Sunak as leader of the Conservative Party was triggered, other candidates scrambled to launch websites with the standard tagline “[Insert name] for leader”. The former business and trade secretary titled her campaign “Renewal 2030”. Why? Because, her website told Tory members, “2030 is the first full year we can be back in government”.
The suggestion someone other than Badenoch might lead the party wasn’t part of the calculation. Such single-mindedness is “pure Kemi”, according to one MP backing her for leader. “She will make Britain governable again,” said Simon Clarke, the former levelling-up secretary who lost his seat in July. “If we elect Kemi, we won’t just get the right policies, we’ll get the wider renewal… that will actually allow us to deliver them in government.”
Content from our partners
