LONDON - Kemi Badenoch was elected the new Conservative Party leader of the United Kingdom (UK) on Saturday, becoming the first black woman to lead a major political party in the UK.

Badenoch, former secretary of state for business and trade, won 57 percent of the votes, beating Robert Jenrick, former minister of state for immigration, the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee Chairman Bob Blackman announced.

The Tory leadership race was triggered by former prime minister Rishi Sunak's announcement of his intention to resign on July 5 after the Conservatives lost to the Labour Party in the country's general election.

On July 29, the 1922 Committee announced six contenders had met the requirements to enter the leadership race: Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Priti Patel, Mel Stride and Tom Tugendhat.

The list was whittled down to the final two through several rounds of voting among Tory MPs (Members of Parliament) before the Conservative Party members were asked to cast their votes between Oct 15 and Oct 31 to decide the ultimate winner.

Badenoch said in her victory speech that the Tories need not only clear "Conservative pledges that appeal to the British people", but also "a clear plan to change this country by changing the way that government works".

The new Tory leader also asked her party members to "be honest about the fact that we've made mistakes".

"The time has come to tell the truth, to stand up for our principles, to plan for our future, to reset our politics and our thinking, and to give our party and our country the new start that they deserve," she said.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulated Badenoch on her election victory on social media platform X, saying that "the first black leader of a Westminster party is a proud moment for our country".