Kemi Badenoch’s husband’s sacrifice and bitter spat with Doctor Who star

The Tory leadership race has been whittled down to two.

Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick are both vying to be the next Conservative party leader.

Loved and loathed in equal measure within her own party, for her forthright views, Kemi Badenoch appears very much the frontrunner precisely for this reason.

The current Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government differs greatly from her leadership rival, who some Tory members have nicknamed Robert Generic.

But away from her strident right-wing political views, what do we know about her?

She is one of three children born to Nigerian parents in London. Her father, Femi Adegoke, was a GP and her mother, Feyi Adegoke, was a professor of physiology.

Like Mr Jenrick, she is a parent of three. The MP is married to Hamish Badenoch.

He was born to a mother who emigrated to London from Ireland where he later stood as the Conservative candidate for Foyle, in Northern Ireland in 2015 but failed to get elected.

Growing up he was head boy at Ampleforth school and then studied at Cambridge University.

From 2014 to 2018, he was a Tory councillor on Merton London Borough Council,

Hamish first met his future wife Kemi at the Dulwich and West Norwood Conservative Club in 2009 whilst on the campaign trail.

Speaking to The Times, she said: “It wasn’t love at first sight.” But obviously, things changed. The more they worked together with Hamish helping Kemi to fundraise the closer they became.

She said: “When I had tough times, he was always there, so we became friends.”

The couple married in 2012.

Hamish’s current employers are Deutsche Bank, and Mrs Badenoch has praised her husband for being supportive of her career and making the decision to take a step back from his own ambitions so that she would be the politician half of the couple.

Mrs Badenoch prides herself on being straight to the point and curt.

When challenged about her reputation by Sophy Ridge on Sky News this week, she admitted, “I am somebody who is very blunt. “

He can move into how she prides herself on being “blunt.” “I am somebody who is very blunt,” she admitted when Sophy Ridge challenged her reputation on Sky News this week.

Her way with words has got the back of her own party never mind Labour supporters.

Earlier this year Rivals and Doctor Who star David Tennant told guests at the British LGBT Awards that he wished that she would “shut up.” The actor won a prize for being a “celebrity ally” and used his speech to target Mrs Badenoch.

Mr Tennant said in his acceptance speech: “If I’m honest I’m a little depressed by the fact that acknowledging that everyone has the right to be who they want to be and live their life how they want to live it as long as they’re not hurting anyone else should merit any kind of special award or special mention, because it’s common sense, isn’t it?

“It is human decency. We shouldn’t live in a world where that is worth remarking on. However, until we wake up and Kemi Badenoch doesn’t exist any more – I don’t wish ill of her, I just wish her to shut up – whilst we do live in this world, I am honoured to receive this.”

Mrs Badenoch hit back and said: “I will not shut up. I will not be silenced by men who prioritise applause from Stonewall over the safety of women and girls. A rich, lefty, white male celebrity so blinded by ideology he can’t see the optics of attacking the only black woman in government by calling publicly for my existence to end.