Background
Having been a member of the Greater London Assembly for less than two years, Badenoch joined the House of Commons in 2017 in the safe seat of Saffron Walden. Before she began her career in politics, she initially worked within the IT sector, while studying law part-time at Birkbeck, University of London. Badenoch then pursued a career in consultancy and financial services, working for Coutts from 2006 to 2013, before joining The Spectator for a short stint as Digital Director.
Political Career
Badenoch first stood for election in Dulwich and West Norwood in the 2010 election, before becoming an Assembly Member in London in 2015. She was elected to be the MP for Saffron Walden in 2017, rising quickly through the ranks being selected to join the 1922 Executive Committee within months of entering Westminster. She was appointed her first ministerial role under Boris Johnson in 2019 as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families. Badenoch was then promoted to Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury in 2020, and in 2021, she was promoted again to Minister of State for Equalities and Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. In 2022, Badenoch resigned from the government and stood to succeed Johnson in the 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, coming fourth.
View on portfolio
Badenoch is firmly on the right of the party, and raised 'cultural' issues throughout the leadership contest in which she ran. Badenoch also argued that the state should be slimmed down, and indicated that she may be in favour of moving away from the UK's Net Zero commitments. With respect to trade, she is a staunch Brexiteer and has spoken in favour of free trade and free markets. Given her view on environmental issues, she's likely to ensure that the UK does not pursue binding environmental standards as part of the UK's future FTAs. Badenoch is likely to prioritise agreeing an FTA with India, accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership, and an FTA with the Gulf Cooperation Council. Badenoch should also be viewed as the favourite to be the next Conservative Leader - she garnered significant levels of support in the leadership contest, and should be viewed as one to watch.