Kemi Badenoch has replaced Rishi Sunak as the new leader of the Conservative Party – what has she said about dentistry so far?
The Conservative Party recently appointed Kemi Badenoch as its new leader after Rishi Sunak resigned following his general election defeat last July.
The North West Essex MP beat former immigration minister Robert Jenrick by 53,806 votes to 41,388. As a result, Badenoch becomes the first black leader of a major UK party and the fourth woman to lead the Conservatives.
In a speech following her appointment, she told party members: ‘Our party is critical to the success of our country, but to be heard, we have to be honest. Honest about the fact that we made mistakes, honest about the fact that we let standards slip. The time has come to tell the truth.’
She added: ‘The task that stands before us is tough but simple. Our first responsibility as his majesty’s loyal opposition is to hold this Labour government to account.
‘Our second is no less important. It is to prepare, over the course of the next few years, for government to ensure that by the time of the next election, we have not just a clear set of Conservative pledges that appeal to the British people, but a clear plan for how to implement them, a clear plan to change this country by changing the way that government works.’
Who is Kemi Badenoch?
Badenoch first joined the Conservative Party in 2005 aged 25. She became an MP in the 2017 general election which saw Theresa May’s Conservative Party win with 317 seats. The Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, won 262 seats.
In her maiden speech in 2017, she told the House of Commons: ‘To all intents and purposes, I am a first-generation immigrant.’ She also described Brexit as ‘the greatest ever vote of confidence in the project of the United Kingdom’.
In July 2019, the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed Badenoch as parliamentary under-secretary of state for children and families. She was later appointed exchequer secretary to the treasury and parliamentary secretary for international trade in February 2020.
Following a cabinet reshuffle, she was promoted to minister of state for equalities and appointed minister of state for levelling up communities.
Along with a number of MPs, Badenoch later resigned from the government in July 2022, following the Chris Pincher scandal in which Johnson admitted he had appointed Pincher as deputy chief whip despite knowing about sexual misconduct allegations against him. Johnson resigned as Prime Minister shortly after.
Badenoch ran in the Conservative leadership contest following his resignation, but was eliminated in the fourth round.
‘Powerful’ figure
Under Liz Truss’ government, Badenoch was appointed as secretary of state for international trade. She kept this role under Sunak, who gave her the additional role of minister for women and equalities.
Following a cabinet reshuffle in February 2023, she was appointed as the first secretary of state in the department for business and trade, alongside the role of minister for women and equalities. Later that year, the The New Statesman named her the seventh most powerful British right-wing figure.
In the 2024 general election, Badenoch was elected as MP for North West Essex which replaced the constituency of Saffron Walden after it was abolished. She won with 35.6% of the vote.
Following the Conservative loss, she was appointed shadow secretary of state for housing, communities and local government.
What has Kemi Badenoch said about dentistry so far?
During the Conservative leadership contest which followed Johnson’s resignation, Badenoch revealed she was struggling to secure a dental appointment during a live debate.
‘The backlog is terrifying,’ she told the audience.
‘I don’t know how much viewers can see of my teeth. But I chipped my tooth several months ago and I haven’t been able to get a dental appointment to fix it.
‘I know how hard it is to get appointments at the moment, I see it in my constituency with people. Not just with dentists, but also GP appointments. Not getting face-to-face appointments and not being able to get the treatment they need in hospital.’
In February this year, Badenoch supported Sunak’s Dental Recovery Plan. This included a one-off £20,000 for dentists to work in under-served areas, an increase in the minimum UDA value and a water fluoridation programme.
In addition, Badenoch states she is ‘committed to ensuring our local NHS and health and social care providers offer a reliable and effective service for residents and the wider community.’ She also supported Sunak’s Primary Care Recovery Plan which included a 32% increase in general practice doctors, nurses and care staff across constituency.
Kemi Badenoch on smoking
At the 2023 Conservative Party Conference, Sunak proposed a smoking ban as part of the Tobacco and Vapes bill. This would make it offence to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 in the UK, effectively banning the next generation from buying cigarettes.
The proposed bill received mixed responses, including Boris Johnson who called it ‘absolutely nuts’.
Despite this, the House of Commons voted in favour of the bill in April this year by 383 votes to 67. Those that voted against the bill included 57 of Sunak’s fellow Conservative MPs, including Badenoch.
She stated she opposed the bill because it will mean ‘people born a day apart will have permanently different rights’.
Ahead of the vote, she published a statement in which she revealed she had ‘significant concerns’ about the smoking ban. On X, she wrote: ‘Smoking rates are already declining significantly in the UK and I think there is more we can do to stop children taking up the habit. However, I do not support the approach this bill is taking and so will be voting against it.’
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