This Halloween, Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick will be the names on the ballots for the Conservative Party leadership.
Six has become two with rounds of voting now eliminating four MPs from the Tory party leadership contest. It is now Tory Party Members, around 100,000 members of the public, who will have the decisive vote on the leader of the opposition.
If you happen to be one of these influential voters or, perhaps more likely, someone hearing the names Badenoch and Jenrick for the first time, the following is a profile on each of the relatively youthful leadership hopefuls.
Kemi Badenoch is the MP for North West Essex and at the age of 44 is two years older than her opponent. So far in her campaign, Badenoch has emphasised her belief in smaller government and curbing immigration, also leaning on her engineering experience hoping it reflects a practical mindset. In addition to being a former computer engineer, Badenoch has Cabinet experience in the form of both International Trade and Business Secretary to bolster her image.
A significant landmark would be reached in British politics if Badenoch is chosen as the leader of the Conservative party. She would become the first Black leader of either of the main parties. Her maiden campaign speech also attempted to inject enthusiasm into younger generations perspectives of the Tory party, who she feels do not enjoy the same exciting culture that she experienced as an adolescent in Britain.
Robert Jenrick, MP for Newark and Bingham has made one policy central to his campaign so far. He believes that Britain’s continued adherence to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) prevents Britain from making changes to immigration and deportation policy. In an attempt to target the right-wing of Conservative voters, Jenrick has made clear his intention to push for capping of immigration numbers.
Before politics Jenrick worked as a solicitor, which means should he become Leader of the Opposition it would be lawyer versus lawyer at the Dispatch Box in the weekly PMQs with Sir Kier Starmer. One thing that Jenrick shares with Badenoch is his cabinet experience as Housing and Local Government Secretary.
So, lawyer or computer engineer? Whoever is selected by Party members, they will have five years in opposition learning the ropes of Conservative leadership.
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