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Sunak and Starmer congratulate new Conservative Party leader

The first black leader of a party in the British Parliament is a pride for our country, the Prime Minister said after the victory of Kemi Badenoch

Nov 2, 2024 15:28, renew at Nov 2, 2024 19:38 42

Sunak and Starmer congratulate new Conservative Party leader  - 1

As the predecessor of the new leader of the the British Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch - Rishi Sunak, as well as Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer, congratulated her on the victory, reported PA Media/DPA, quoted by BTA.

Sunak called on Conservatives to rally behind their new leader, saying: “I know she will be a superb leader of our great party. She will renew our party, stand up for conservative values and fight Labour”,

“The first black leader of a party in Westminster (the British Parliament – ed.) is a pride for our country“, Starmer said for his part. “I look forward to working with you and your party in the interests of the British people,” he added.

But Labor minister without portfolio Ellie Reeves said the campaign to elect a new Conservative leader demonstrated the party had “learned nothing since the British people resoundingly rejected them in July”. “They could have spent the last four months listening to the public, taking responsibility for the mess they got themselves into, and changing their party. "Instead, electing Kemi Badenoch as leader shows that they are incapable of change," Reeves commented.

44-year-old Kemi Badenoch won today the race for the new leader of the Conservative Party in Great Britain, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.

She said she would work to return the country's once-dominant political party to its core principles and win back voter support after a crushing defeat in the July vote. The new leader has promised to lead the party through a period of renewal. She said the party had moved towards the political center because it was "run by leftists" and now he must return to his traditional ideas.

She will bring a right-wing approach to her work, likely to support policy decisions that shrink the state and make it difficult for what she calls institutional left-wing thinking, Reuters notes.

"It is time to tell the truth," she said at a campaign event and promised to answer key questions about how the Conservatives suffered such a heavy defeat in the July vote.

"It's time to get down to business, it's time to renew," she added.

Badennock became the fifth Conservative leader since mid-2016 after 53,806 party members voted in her favor over former migration minister Robert Jenrick. At the beginning of the race, six people had applied for the party leader, but two reached the final vote. Jenrick won 41,388 votes.

With her outspoken views on everything from what she calls identity politics to how valuable civil servants are, Badenoch has attracted both loyal fans and detractors, Reuters noted. It is sure to shake up the conservatives, whose contingent of MPs in the 650-seat parliament fell in July to 121 seats compared to the 365 seats it had in 2019, the agency added.

Baydenock's tenure as trade minister was often marred by controversy with the media, celebrities and her own staff. However, her uncompromising approach has also won her many supporters, including members of the Conservative Party, who preferred her to Jenrick, according to Reuters.

"The task before us is difficult but at the same time simple - our first responsibility as His Majesty's Loyal Opposition is to hold this Labor Government to account," she told party members.