Kemi Badenoch, a British politician of Nigerian heritage, has emerged as the most popular political party leader in the UK, according to a recent opinion survey, the Daily Mail reported on Sunday.
Badenoch, who was born in London and spent part of her childhood in Nigeria, now leads the UK Conservative Party.
According to More in Common’s survey, Badenoch has a net approval rating of minus nine, which is a big improvement from minus 32 before her party’s conference last October.
She finished ahead of Nigel Farage, who polled minus 16, and Ed Davey, who polled minus 11.
The poll also placed Keir Starmer at the bottom with a minus 42 rating, trailing other party leaders such as Green Party figure Zack Polanski, who received minus 16.
According to the report, Badenoch’s better rating could be attributed to her recent political activities and increased public notoriety.
Luke Tryl, UK Director of More in Common, said her visibility has grown dramatically in recent months.
“Whereas last summer we’d run whole focus groups where no one would know who Kemi was, she is often now brought up spontaneously, and even some of those who would never vote Tory say they admire her conviction and straightforwardness,” he told The Sunday Times.
Despite her personal ratings improving, the poll found that the Conservative Party has yet to experience a matching increase in general popularity.
