Kemi Badenoch is the new leader of the UK Conservative Party after defeating Robert Jenrick in a ballot of party members.
Ms Badenoch takes over from Rishi Sunak as leader of the opposition after winning 53,806 votes against 41,388 for Mr Jenrick, in a result announced by the party on Saturday morning.
Ms Badenoch will now be at the helm as the party looks to recover from the July election result which saw it return just 121 MPs.
An MP since 2017, who was shadow housing secretary, Ms Badenoch is the first black leader of a major UK party.
Following the result, Ms Badenoch paid tribute to her leadership rival Mr Jenrick said the party’s task was “tough but simple”.
“I’d also like to pay a special tribute to Robert Jenrick, who has fought a great campaign,” she said.
“Rob, we have all been impressed by your energy and your determination. You and I know that we don’t actually disagree on very much, and I have no doubt that you have a key role to play in our party for many years to come.
“I would also like to thank all the other candidates: Priti, Mel, Tom and James, for your kind words and your many insights.
“We have come through this campaign more united and the party needs you now more than ever.
“The task that stands before us is tough but simple,” Ms Badenoch said.
“Our first responsibility as his majesty’s loyal opposition is to hold this Labour government to account.
“Our second is no less important. It is to prepare over the course of the next few years for government, to ensure that by the time of the next election, we have not just a clear set of Conservative pledges that appeal to the British people, but a clear plan for how to implement them, a clear plan to change this country by changing the way that government works.
“The prime minister is discovering all too late the perils of not having such a plan.
She said the “huge job” ahead involves “the people we want to bring back to the Conservative Party”.
“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,” she said.
“It is about what the Conservative Party needs to be over 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. 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.”
Mr Sunak congratulated Ms Badenoch, urging the party to unite behind her.
“I know that she will be a superb leader of our great party. She will renew our party, stand up for Conservative values, and take the fight to Labour,” Mr Sunak said. “Let’s unite behind her.”
A YouGov poll published ahead of the result found four-in-10 voters had an unfavourable view of Ms Badenoch, including 29 per cent of Conservative voters, while Britons were more likely to think Labour leader Keir Starmer would make a better prime minister.– PA