Italy’s Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani congratulated Kemi Badenoch on her election as the new UK Tory Party leader. Badenoch’s win marks a milestone, as she becomes the first black woman to lead a major British political party.
“Congratulations to Kemi Badenoch, who has been elected the new leader of the Conservatives,” Tajani, who also leads the centre-right Forza Italia (FI) party, shared in a post on X. He added, “A black woman is bidding to lead the United Kingdom. Good example of integration.”
Tajani connected Badenoch’s victory to FI’s Ius Italiae proposal. This proposal would enable children of migrants in Italy to acquire Italian citizenship after 10 years of compulsory schooling, instead of waiting until they reach 18. “It’s like what the Ius Italiae proposes,” Tajani explained. “It is not a left-wing proposal.”
Who is Kemi Badenoch, the new UK Tory leader?
Kemi Badenoch has represented North West Essex as an MP since 2017 and supported Brexit during the 2016 referendum. In September 2021, she was promoted to Minister of State for Equalities and was appointed Minister of State for Local Government, Faith, and Communities. However, Badenoch resigned in July 2022 in protest against then-leader Boris Johnson.
Born on 2 January 1980 in Wimbledon, London, Badenoch grew up with Nigerian Yoruba parents, a GP father and a physiology professor mother. She spent her childhood in Nigeria and the US before returning to the UK at 16, due to political instability in Nigeria. Though born in the UK, she described herself in her maiden parliamentary speech as “to all intents and purposes a first-generation immigrant.”
Badenoch earned an MEng in Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Sussex in 2003. Married to Hamish Badenoch, she is the mother of three children.
Badenoch’s Political Views
Badenoch identifies with the right wing of the Conservative Party, yet describes herself as “on the liberal wing” while “not really left-leaning on anything.” She names English philosopher Roger Scruton and American economist Thomas Sowell among her influences, particularly Sowell’s *Basic Economics*. Known for her “anti-woke” stance, she is also viewed as a social conservative.
In September 2024, she wrote an article for *The Sunday Telegraph*, arguing that “not all cultures are equally valid.” Badenoch stated, “Our country is not a dormitory for people to come here and make money. It is our home. Those we chose to welcome, we expect to share our values and contribute to our society.” She called British citizenship “more than having a British passport but also a commitment to the UK and its people.”
Badenoch urged for a more effective “integration strategy,” citing Germany’s requirement for newcomers to take an “integration course.” She quoted Baroness Falkner, head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, who warned that “we seem to be failing to integrate” new immigrants and called for stronger measures to support shared British values.
