Badenoch Fires Back at Reform UK Over 'Outdated' Views on British Identity

Kemi Badenoch, a prominent Conservative leader, strongly criticized Reform UK on Wednesday, accusing the party of holding outdated views on race and attempting to 'take the UK backwards.' Badenoch, speaking at the Conservative Party conference, declared herself a 'proud black Briton' and pushed back against the notion that only white individuals can be considered English.

Her remarks came in response to comments made by Suella Braverman, a former colleague who has since joined Reform UK. Braverman stated that she did not consider herself English, despite being born in London, and identified as 'British, of Asian ethnicity.' Badenoch highlighted that Braverman's parents emigrated from Mauritius and Kenya in the 1960s.

Badenoch expressed her dismay at the prospect of a country governed by individuals who she claimed threaten journalists, label veterans as traitors, and question the Englishness of mixed-race children. She invoked the example of black footballers like Ian Wright and John Barnes, noting that their national identity was not questioned during their playing careers. "We must not let these people take us backwards. That is not the country we are," Badenoch stated.

She directly challenged Reform politicians, asserting, "Reform MPs are openly questioning people's identity. They are not like us - we are not like them." Badenoch recalled a 1978 Conservative poster that read, "Labour says he's black, we say he's British," and declared, "I am black. I am British. I'm proud of my country, I'm proud of our history." She concluded this point by asserting, "Our best days are not behind us, and we will not let this country go backwards."

Badenoch also extended an invitation to Reform voters, suggesting they had been let down by the party and urging them to return to the Conservative fold. She characterized Reform politicians as inconsistent, referencing past predictions of their electoral success contrasted with current legal issues faced by some party members.

She alluded to the party's former Welsh leader, Nathan Gill, who was jailed, and the resignation of his successor, Dan Thomas, after an arrest. Badenoch also mentioned ongoing investigations into donations to Robert Jenrick's campaign and payments involving a firm controlled by deputy leader Richard Tice. She described a significant gift received by Reform leader Nigel Farage from a crypto-billionaire as 'fishy' and referred to an undercover sting operation allegedly capturing Reform figures discussing 'brown envelopes,' which is under investigation by Scotland Yard. Both Farage and Reform UK deny any wrongdoing.

Badenoch further criticized the internal dynamics of Reform, mentioning a figure referred to as 'Posh George' who allegedly calls Nigel Farage 'Daddy.' She dismissed the idea of uniting with Reform, stating, "To those who say unite the Right, we are not uniting with that."

Despite her strong stance, Badenoch acknowledged that the Conservative party still has work to do to regain public trust and win the next general election. She drew a parallel to the party's recovery after the 1997 defeat, which took 13 years.

Recent opinion polls have placed the Conservatives in third place, a context against which Badenoch's impassioned speech was delivered. One pollster described Badenoch's approach as a significant change, noting her direct confrontation of Reform on issues of identity and Englishness.