Kemi Badenoch has made the list of final 8 for the Conservative party tussle to succeed Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.
Badenoch will compete for the role of Prime Minister against former UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, Tom Tugendhat, Liz Truss, Nadhim Zahawi, Jeremy Hunt and Suella Braverman according to Financial Times.
Badenoch stated in her campaign launch that she believes “free markets, limited government and a strong nation state”.
The former UK Equalities minister, born in London to Nigerian parents and also spent her childhood in the United States and Nigeria, was elected as MP for Saffron Walden in 2017.
Badenoch launched her campaign at the headquarters of the Policy Exchange think-tank in Westminster, stating she supports low taxes in the long term, but according to reports, she did not set out any plans for specific tax cuts, unlike some of her rivals.
“There have been lots of promises to cut taxes and I understand why . . . I’m committed to lowering corporate and personal taxes.
“But I won’t enter a bidding war . . . to make promises we can’t keep is a betrayal of everything we stand for,” she said.
Her supporters include former cabinet minister, Michael Gove as well as several other senior Conservative members – Neil O’Brien and Lee Rowley.
Recall that last week, Boris Johnson officially resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and declared he would remain in office until a new Conservative party leader is chosen.
He stated that the will of the parliamentary Conservative party demands there should be a new leader for the Conservative party and therefore a new prime minister.
