British Tories elect new leader

Members of the opposition Conservative Party of Britain on Saturday elected Kemi Badenoch as the new leader of the party, Sky news reports.

53,806 votes were cast for her, and 41,388 votes for her opponent Robert Jenrick. In general, 72.8% of those, who had the right to vote, took part in the elections.

"It's an incredible honor to be elected to this position, to lead the party I love, which has given me so much. It's time to give back a hundredfold," she said after the victory.

Badenoch noted that the task of the Conservatives is to develop a clear political course for the next few years, restore people's trust in the party and be honest about past mistakes.

In turn, British Prime Minister and Labor leader Keir Starmer congratulated Badenoch on her victory.

"I look forward to working with you and your party in the interests of the British people," he said.

Kemi Badenoch was born in London in 1980 in a family of Nigerian descent. She held the positions of Minister of Foreign Trade (2022-2023) and Minister of Entrepreneurship and Trade (2023-2024). She will replace ex-prime minister Rishi Sunak, who headed the party in 2022-2024, as the head of the party.

After the serious defeat of the conservatives in the elections on July 4, 2024, Sunak resigned from the positions of Prime Minister and party leader on July 5.