Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, has again expressed strong admiration for Javier Milei, calling Argentina’s president a “fearless” reformer taking “bold action” to revive his country’s economy.
Speaking at the inaugural UK–Argentina Summit 2025 in London, the 45-year-old MP for North West Essex praised Milei’s sweeping reform agenda, describing him as a “fantastic example” for leaders worldwide.
Comparing Milei to late British leader Margaret Thatcher and US president Ronald Reagan, Badenoch stated that Milei had adopted massive cost-cutting policies for the good of his country, not his own popularity.
Badenoch claimed that Milei’s aggressive spending cuts were beginning to produce results in Argentina.
“You can’t say he hasn’t been busy. I think he’s fantastic,” she said. “Though some of the medicine is tough, judging by the recent midterm elections, it looks like people believe in the vision.”
While acknowledging that Milei remains a polarising figure, the Tory leader argued that his convictions and refusal to retreat from them had won him international attention.
Badenoch, who recently wrote an article extolling Milei’s leadership, added: “President Milei and I look at the world through a similar lens. We don’t believe decline is inevitable; we believe our countries’ best days lie ahead – if we have the courage to change course.”
Badenoch went on to compare Milei’s approach to her own political idol, late former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who dominated the Conservative Party and Britain in the 1980s.
The Tory leader suggested that Thatcher would be “proud” of Milei’s reforms.
“Maybe it’s not as surprising as it sounds that the President of Argentina would model his reforms on Margaret Thatcher – much of what he has done in her first two years is straight out of her playbook,” said the Tory leader in her speech.
“He has eliminated the fiscal deficit, cutting it from five percent of GDP to zero; he has reduced the number of government ministries from 18 to 9; he deregulated key markets, from property rentals to commercial airlines, and road freight transport,” she continued.
“He’s got labour reforms through after a fight in Congress – something I think Margaret Thatcher would be proud of,” she continued, before listing other achievements.
Turning to bilateral trade, Badenoch called for revitalised trade ties between the UK and Argentina, noting significant potential for growth.
Differences
Badendoch, however, did note differences, not least over the sovereignty of the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands. Acknowledging that Argentina is a country with whom the UK has “not always seen eye to eye” – a reference to the 1982 South Atlantic conflict – the Conservative leader suggested tensions could be chalked up to similarities, comparing them to siblings.
“As those who spend time in both countries know, we actually have a huge amount in common,” she said. These shared traits, she noted, include a passion for sport expressed through a “fierce football rivalry,” an enthusiasm for polo, a cultural affinity for tea, and comparable traditions such as the Sunday roast and the Argentine asado.
Despite these affinities, Badenoch stressed that Argentina faces challenges the UK does not. Yet she argued that leaders worldwide admire Milei’s willingness to confront entrenched problems head-on.
“Every country is different, so every country needs its own policy prescriptions, but one of things that many leaders around the world have admired about President Milei – myself included – is that he acts with a fearlessness and a resolve for what he believes in,” said Badenoch.
“Many democratic nations, like Britain, are struggling to tackle deep-seated long-term issues,” she said. “We get bogged down in years-long consultations, legal challenges, and circular debates, only to end up sticking with the status quo.”
“But President Milei has recognised that people in Argentina – and in Britain too – don’t want drift. They want to see the bull grabbed by the horns. And his success, in my view, has come by his being honest with people.
“He has said, ‘I will not accept national decline, I will not accept fatalism. The medicine may not taste nice in the short term.’” His bet, Badenoch argued, was that Argentines would prefer a difficult but credible long-term path over the one they were already on.
Badenoch — who in 2024 became the first Black leader of a major UK political party — a;so used the speech to criticise Britain’s Labour government, accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of letting bureaucracy drag Britain “into a slump.” She argued that the UK, like Argentina, needs “authentic conservative solutions” focused on personal responsibility to break out of a low-growth, low-productivity cycle.
“To win this argument, we will have to take a leaf out of President Milei’s book. We are going to have to convince people that nothing will get fixed if we carry on as we are,” she said.
Founded in 1943, Canning House is a London-based NGO dedicated to broadening and deepening the UK’s relationship with Latin America. Over the past year, both Paraguay President Sangiago Peña and Ecuador President Daniel Noboa have delivered lectures to its members.
The 2025 Argentina–UK Summit, sponsored by the law firm DLA Piper, marked the first edition of what organisers intend to establish as an annual event.
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