Kemi Badenoch won the race to become the new leader of Britain’s Conservative Party on Saturday, pledging to return the once-dominant party to its founding principles to win back voters who handed the Conservatives their worst election defeat in July.

Badenoch, 44, replaces former prime minister Rishi Sunak and has pledged to lead the party through a period of renewal, saying he had veered towards the political center by “governing on the left” and must return to his traditional ideas.

The first black woman to lead a major political party in Britain, Badenoch will bring a right-wing tone to the role, likely to support policies aimed at shrinking the state and challenging what she sees as institutional thinking of LEFT.

“The time has come to tell the truth,” she said during the final tally of a months-long leadership race, promising to answer key questions about how the Tories lost so badly the July elections.

“It’s time to get to work, it’s time to renew.”

Badenoch becomes the Conservatives’ fifth leader since mid-2016 after 53,806 party members voted for him against former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick in the final stage of a long vote which saw six candidates reduced to two. Jenrick won 41,388 votes.

With outspoken opinions on everything from what she calls identity politics to the value of public servants, Badenoch attracts both ardent admirers and detractors. It will not fail to upset the conservatives, who saw their contingent of legislators in the 650 seats of Parliament fall in July to 121 compared to 365 seats in 2019.

While the Labor government got off to a rocky start after the party’s landslide election, some Conservatives are increasingly optimistic they can regain power at the next election, due to take place in 2029.

But some more centrist conservatives fear Badenoch will alienate not only the more moderate wing of the party, but also some voters who were won over by the centrist Liberal Democrats in the last election.

The former commerce minister’s tenure in government was often marked by conflicts with the media, celebrities and her own officials. But her pragmatic approach also won over many supporters, including Tory MPs who chose her over Jenrick.

“The task before us is difficult, but simple. Our first responsibility as Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition is to hold this Labor government to account,” she told party members.

“Our second is no less important, it is about preparing the government over the coming years.”