On Saturday, Kemi Badenoch became the first black woman to lead a major political party in the UK - and the sixth Tory leader in less than eight and a half years. A lengthy leadership contest began after Rishi Sunak stood down in the wake of the election ...

Kemi Badenoch will go head-to-head with Keir Starmer for the first time since becoming the leader of the Conservative party. Badenoch, the former business secretary, was declared the winner of the Tory leadership election on Saturday, defeating rival Robert Jenrick by 53,806 votes to 41,388.

Kemi Badenoch said she will tell "hard truths" to both the country and her party as she began her first full day as Conservative leader. In her first interview since winning the Tory leadership election, Badenoch said the UK is getting poorer and older, and is being "outcompeted" by other countries.

Kemi Badenoch is the new leader of the Conservative Party, defeating Robert Jenrick in the final round of voting. Badenoch, who was raised in Nigeria, is the first black woman to lead a major political party in the UK.

Hamish Badenoch met Kemi when he was a Conservative activist in the Dulwich and West Norwood Tory association, which led to their friendship and his becoming her campaign manager. Hamish has been likened to Margaret Thatcher’s husband Denis who offered to give lifts to young Thatcher during her campaigns in the early 1950s.

She would cross the road to bite your ankles, whether you were goading her or not!”This is a remark from a long term admirer of Kemi Badenoch, delighted to see her win the Conservative leadership contest.

Kemi Badenoch has made her first major opposition front bench appointments since being named leader of the Conservative party. The North West Essex MP selected ex Treasury minister Laura Trott as her shadow education secretary.