The News
The new leader of the UK Conservatives, the first Black woman to lead a major British political party, is expected to push the Tories further toward the right.
Kemi Badenoch was elected Saturday to lead the party, after former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stepped down following its crushing electoral defeat to Labour in July.
Under her wing, the Conservatives are likely to take a more hardline approach to immigration, climate, and cultural issues. Badenoch is known for her opposition to what she perceives as progressive identity politics; as equalities minister, she issued guidance against gender-neutral bathrooms, and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Her ascension, The Economist wrote, is “evidence of how ideas about cultural power have displaced economics as her party’s animating matter.”