Kemi Badenoch was unveiled as the new Conservative leader this morning on a historic day for the party.
In the tightest Conservative leadership race since the modern system was introduced, it was Kemi Badenoch who did enough. Having woken up as shadow housing secretary, she was declared the new Tory leader by lunchtime.
Badenoch won 53,806 votes from the Tory faithful (56.5 per cent), while Jenrick achieved 41,388 (43.5 per cent).
This was a contest between policies and principles, and more Conservative members eventually agreed it is better for the party to reconsider and re-establish what it stands for rather than rushing headlong to announce a raft of detailed policy pledges.
Early plaudits for Badenoch included the “full support” of former prime minister Boris Johnson, who said she would bring a “much needed zing and zap” to the party.
Time to get down to business, says Badenoch
Many Tory MPs and members will breathe a sigh of relief after what has been a protracted contest, with many wishing the leadership question had been settled weeks or even months ago.
In her acceptance speech, Badenoch alluded to that frustration by saying it had been a “very long campaign”, and once some warm words about her predecessor Rishi Sunak were done with, looked straight to the futures of both party and country.
Badenoch said: “This is not just about the Conservative Party. It is about the people we want to bring back to the Conservative Party. It is about the people we need to bring into the Conservative Party.
“It is about what the Conservative Party needs to be in the next five, 10 and 20 years. Our party is critical to the success of our country but to be heard we have to be honest. Honest about the fact that we made mistakes, honest about the fact that we let standards slip.
“The time has come to tell the truth, to stand up for our principles, to plan for our future, to reset our politics and our thinking, and to give our party and our country the new start that they deserve. It is time to get down to business, it is time to renew.”