By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Two right-wing former ministers will go head-to-head in the final round of the race to determine who the next leader of UK’s Conservative Party will be, following the elimination of former Foreign Minister James Cleverly from the race.
British-Nigerian, Kemi Badenoch appears to have an edge after Wednesday’s vote by Conservative lawmakers saw her receive 42 out of 120 votes, ahead of her Robert Jenrick who got 41 votes.
Cleverly was knocked off the stage when he received 37 votes on Wednesday, surprisingly after winning the previous round of voting.
The vote comes after the party lost power in July, when the leader and former Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak lost his bid to retain power to the Labour Party.
Party members nationwide are expected to choose between the top two contenders, a former Trade Minister Badenoch and former Immigration Minister Jenrick.
The winner will be announced on November 2.
Jenrick, a hardliner who calls for the United Kingdom to make deep cuts to immigration and rip up European human rights law, was considered the frontrunner since the contest started in July.
The turn of events however has however indicated that Badenoch is a threat. She has positioned herself as an outspoken darling of not just the right wing of the party but of younger lawmakers, promising to be “something different”, a challenging voice in what she describes as a broken government system.
According to the Conservative Home website, Badenoch is the most popular contender among the party’s membership.
The final two both say they will reunite the Tory party which had become mired in chaos, scandal and deep divisions over Brexit during its last eight years in government.
Badenoch is a right-wing firebrand, unafraid to speak her mind and not shy of picking a battle in the culture wars.
Badenoch, 44, has been an MP since 2017, representing an area in the southeastern English county of Essex.
Born in London to Nigerian parents, Badenoch spent much of her childhood in Lagos before returning to the UK aged 16.
She worked in IT and banking before launching into politics, rising to become a business minister in Rishi Sunak’s government.
A self-described “sceptic” of net-zero carbon emissions, Badenoch is popular amongst Tory members who tend to be further right than many lawmakers.
