Displaying items by tag: Kemi Badenoch

Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch have emerged as the frontrunners in the Conservative Party leadership race following the second round of MP voting. Jenrick led with 33 votes, followed by Badenoch with 28. James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat were tied in third with 21 votes, while Mel Stride was eliminated. Badenoch's team celebrated her momentum, noting she gained the most new votes. Jenrick’s camp touted his steady support, positioning him as a strong contender for the final two. Despite their trailing positions, Cleverly and Tugendhat remain hopeful, looking to attract Stride’s moderate supporters. Both will aim to boost their profiles at the upcoming party conference in Birmingham. A poll showed Badenoch with 24% support among Tory members, ahead of Tugendhat (16%), Cleverly (14%), and Jenrick (12%). Two more MP ballots in early October will determine the final two candidates, who will then face an online vote by party members, with results announced on 2 November.

Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch wrote in the Times, ‘I'm putting myself forward in this leadership election because I want to tell the truth.’ The Christian MP for Saffron Walden supports lower taxes to boost growth and productivity, and is accompanied by tight spending discipline. Her role as minister for local government, faith and communities included being the government’s liaison for the country’s faith leaders. She was born in Wimbledon, brought up in Nigeria, and has a range of faith traditions to draw upon. Tom Tugendhat, a Catholic, is MP for Tonbridge and Malling and chairman of the foreign affairs committee. He appealed to Boris Johnson on behalf of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and asked UK churches to negotiate her release from an Iranian prison. As of 14 July, he is one of the five remaining candidates, but Kemi has been eliminated.