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Moment Kemi Badenoch is announced as new Tory leader to replace Rishi SunakYour support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseNewly elected Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has admitted the Tories “let standards slip” but vowed to rebuild the party.In a resounding victory after being the overwhelming odds on favourite to win the Conservative leadership contest, the right-wing culture warrior bagged 53,806 votes over Robert Jenrick’s 41,000, out of a total electorate of 131,680.The four-month-long race to replace Rishi Sunak reached the finish line on Saturday, with the result of the leadership ballot announced in the morning after the members’ ballot closed on Thursday.Mr Sunak and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer were among those offering Ms Badenoch their congratulations.Ms Badenoch will be at the helm as the Tories look to recover from the July election result, which saw them return just 121 MPs, having lost lost seats to Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK.Immigration, the economy, and how the Tories can rebuild trust with the electorate and win back the voters they lost have all been discussed at length through the campaign.Dame Priti Patel, Mel Stride, Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly also put their names forward in the nominations at the end of July and spent the summer campaigning before they were each knocked out of the contest.Show latest update 1730558449Badenoch repeats calls for Conservatives to ‘renew’ in social media post following winKemi Badenoch has repeated her calls for the Conservatives to “renew” in a post on social media following her election as leader of the party.In a post on X this afternoon, she wrote: “It is an honour and a privilege to have been elected to lead our great Conservative Party. A party that I love, that has given me so much.“I’d also like to pay tribute to Robert Jenrick who fought a great campaign. I have no doubt he will have a key role to play in our party for many years to come.“Thank you to all the members who have put their faith in me.“It is time to get down to business. “It is time to renew.”Tara Cobham2 November 2024 14:401730557278Full story: Badenoch calls for Tories to be honest about mistakes as she’s elected leaderPolitical correspondent Archie Mitchell reports:Tara Cobham2 November 2024 14:211730556049What will be the top issues facing Badenoch as leader of the Conservatives?Party unity: Ms Badenoch becomes the Tory party’s fourth leader since the summer of 2022. Tory MPs have had public disagreements and squabbles in recent years over topics from immigration to integrity. Conservative peer and elections commentator, Lord Robert Hayward, said bringing the party back together is the next leader’s number one task.Immigration: The issue of immigration and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is one that could bring party unity back to centre stage and has been a much-discussed topic during the campaign. Adam Drummond, the head of political and social research at pollster Opinium, said of the new leader, “it’s hard to see them not talking about immigration a lot”. Ms Badenoch has said that focusing on the ECHR risks shutting “the conversation that we need to have with the entire country” on immigration, and has not gone as far as to say she would quit the agreement completely, writing in The Daily Telegraph in September that “if necessary” the UK should leave “international frameworks like the ECHR”.The economy: Focusing on the economy could provide a “viable” path back to power for the Conservatives, Mr Drummond suggested. Responding to Rachel Reeves’ first Budget on Wednesday, Ms Badenoch told LBC that “this is not a growth Budget”.Winning back votes lost at the general election: The Conservatives secured 121 seats at the general election in July, losing constituencies to Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK in different parts of the country. Labour won almost 300 more seats than the Tories with 33 per cent of the vote, compared to the Conservatives’ 23 per cent. As well as reuniting the party in Parliament, Lord Hayward said that under the new leader, the party has to “get a message across to the public at large” about their position as Labour’s main opposition.Tara Cobham2 November 2024 14:001730554849Kemi Badenoch: The darling of the Tory right bidding to lead them back to powerNever frightened to ruffle feathers, new Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch’s willingness to say what others may regard as unsayable has made her the darling of the Tory grassroots.Her forthright views on issues from gender identity to institutional racism have thrilled supporters on the right while outraging critics on the left in equal measure.In the course of a turbulent ministerial career Ms Badenoch clashed with civil servants over her insistence public buildings should have separate men’s and women’s toilet facilities and faced accusations of bullying her own officials.Read more here:Tara Cobham2 November 2024 13:401730553649Ellie Reeves ‘worried’ about policies Badenoch would advocate as leader of oppositionEllie Reeves said she is “worried” about the policies that Kemi Badenoch would advocate as leader of the opposition.The Labour Party chairwoman told broadcasters: “Kemi was part of the chaos of the last 14 years, serving in various roles.“And when you think about her leadership campaign, she made some pretty negative comments about autistic children, she said that maternity pay was excessive and the national minimum wage was harmful.“I’m quite worried about what that means.“Is their policy going to be to get rid of maternity pay? Would they scrap the minimum wage?“These are all the things that need to be answered.”Ellie Reeves said she was ‘worried’ about the policies that Kemi Badenoch would advocate as leader of the Opposition More

Kemi Badenoch’s husband appeared emotional as his wife was announced as the new Tory leader on Saturday, 2 November.The North West Essex MP beat Robert Jenrick with 53,806 votes over her rival’s 41,000, out of a total electorate of 131,680.She became the first black woman elected to lead a major British political party, and the fourth woman to lead the Conservative Party.In a speech following her victory, Ms Badenoch thanked her husband Hamish Badenoch and acknowledged that her partyhad to be “honest” about the “fact we made mistakes” and “the fact that we let standards slip”. More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseWatch as Kemi Badenoch is confirmed as the new Tory leader, defeating Robert Jenrick to be crowned as Rishi Sunak’s replacement on Saturday, 2 November.It concludes a four-month-long race after the members’ ballot closed on Thursday.The MP for North West Essex will be tasked with fronting the Conservative Party’s recovery from the July election result which saw it return just 121 MPs.Dame Priti Patel, Mel Stride, Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly all spent the summer campaigning alongside Mr Jenrick and Ms Badenoch but were eventually eliminated leaving the two frontrunners.There was some surprise when the shadow home secretary did not make the final two names to be put to members the following day, securing only 37 votes compared with Mr Jenrick’s 41 and Ms Badenoch’s 42.The leadership contest was triggered after the party secured less than 25 per cent of the vote nationally in the July general election, prompting Mr Sunak to apologise to the country and his party and announce his resignation. More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreClose Britain’s Conservative Party on Saturday elected Kemi Badenoch as its new leader as it tries to rebound from a crushing election defeat that ended 14 years in power.Badenoch defeated rival lawmaker Robert Jenrick in a vote of almost 100,000 members of the right-of-center party. She is the first Black woman to lead a major British political party.Badenoch replaces former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who in July led the Conservatives to their worst election result since 1832. The Conservatives lost more than 200 seats, taking their tally down to 121.The new leader’s daunting task is to try to restore the party’s reputation after years of division, scandal and economic tumult, hammer Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s policies on key issues including the economy and immigration, and return the Conservatives to power at the next election, due by 2029. More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseThe Scottish secretary pulled out of a Whitehall event to reportedly avoid undermining striking staff.Cabinet ministerIan Murray was set to attend a reception at the Scotland Office’s Dover House headquarters on Tuesday with business group the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).But, at the last minute, Mr Murray pulled out. Sources close to the minister confirmed he did not want to undermine security guards, who were on strike as members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union.Ian Murray did not want to cross the PCS picket line More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseA top soprano has warned Britain risks losing its entire classical music industry due to post-Brexit red tape blocking UK artists from touring in the EU. Labour’s election manifesto promised to “improve trade and investment relations with the EU… to help our touring artists”, after years of chaos since the UK crashed out of the bloc.But Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of not moving fast enough as UK artists are still grappling with post-Brexit barriers to performing in the EU.The prime minister is facing calls to urgently cut the red tape blocking travelling singers and bands from touring the continent, with campaigners attacking the government for not striking an agreement in its first 100 days.Rachel Nicholls said artists are in a ‘hideous position’ since Brexit More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreClose“Tory” is a dirty word and the Conservative Party should stop using it, election guru Sir Lynton Crosby has said.The long-standing election strategist, who has been behind two decades of Conservative election campaigns, said Tory has become “a pejorative term”.Ahead of the election of Rishi Sunak’s successor on Saturday, Mr Crosby said: “They ought to call themselves Conservatives and not abbreviate it to Tories. I think ‘Tory’ has become a pejorative term … Labour would never call themselves the Socialists.”He added: “I’d focus on reward for effort, aspiration, personal responsibility, national unity … I would focus on those five or six values.”And he told The Australian that whoever wins will need a new approach and should aim to establish a “values differential” to set them apart from other parties.Mr Crosby’s intervention comes ahead of the announcement of the new Tory leader, as the four-month battle to replace the former PM comes to a close.The winner will be at the helm as the party looks to recover from the July election result which saw it return just 121 MPs. Senior party figures including shadow chancellor Jeremy Hunt and shadow home secretary James Cleverly have said they do not want to serve on the new leader’s front bench.After the close of polls on Thursday, both candidates thanked their backers for their support through the contest.Ms Badenoch described the party as a “family” and said that it is “much more to me than a membership organisation”.Mr Jenrick also called for the party to “move past the drama” of recent years and “unite”.Rishi Sunak’s successor will be chosen on Saturday More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseThe Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is weighing up whether to charge MP Mike Amesbury after CCTV footage emerged which appears to show him punching a man.The MP for Runcorn and Helsby was suspended from the Labour Party on Monday evening after a clip was published by MailOnline in which he is apparently seen hitting the man lying on the ground at around 2am last Saturday.Mr Amesbury, who has not been arrested, voluntarily met with police after the footage emerged.The CPS confirmed it had received a file from Cheshire Police in relation to the incident after the MP was questioned.Mr Amesbury, who has not been arrested, voluntarily met with police after the footage emerged More