Kemi Badenoch was 16 years old when she arrived back in London from Nigeria. She was alone and only had £100 (ca. €120/$130) in her pocket. Her parents had sent her to the United Kingdom where she could forge a better life, away from the political chaos of her home country and the military regime. When not at school, she supported herself by working at McDonald's.

Today, Badenoch, 44, is the next leader of the UK Conservative Party, also known as the Tories. She has blamed left-wing politics for destroying Nigeria, and said this is why she became a fan of the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Badenoch has said she shares Thatcher's "values of self-reliance, personal responsibility and free markets."

Like the Iron Lady, Badenoch is fearless and combative. She believes conservatism is in crisis, and that her party has to get "back on track," having lost sight of its principles and values. For her, this has become clear since the party's general election defeat in July. The Conservatives went from having 365 seats and an absolute majority in parliament to just 121.

In the months since former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced his intention to step down following the Conservatives' disastrous defeat, Badenoch has dominated the headlines. She, along with Robert Jenrick, a former immigration minister in Sunak's government who, like Badenoch, is part of the party's right-wing, were the final two candidates in the........

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