Badenoch Rejects Alliance with Reform UK, Criticizing 'Englishness' Debate

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has sharply criticized Reform UK, warning its senior figures against debating the Englishness of individuals, including her mixed-race children. Speaking at the Conservative conference in Birmingham, Badenoch declared that her party is fundamentally different from Reform UK and urged attendees not to allow Reform to "take us backwards."

Badenoch, who was born in London to Nigerian parents, stated, "I don't want to live in a country run by people who threaten journalists, call veterans 'traitors' and debate whether my mixed-race children are English." She invoked the historical inclusive messaging of the Conservative Party, recalling a past poster that read, "Labour says he's black, we say he's British." She added, "I am black. I am British. I'm proud of my country, I'm proud of our history. All that we have done, and all that we will do in the world. Our best days are not behind us, and we will not let this country go backwards."

Her remarks come after Reform MP Suella Braverman suggested on BBC's Question Time that British Asians cannot be English due to their heritage. Badenoch condemned this stance, telling conference attendees, "Reform MPs are openly questioning people's identity. They are not like us; we are not like them. We are different. We are the Conservative Party."

Badenoch reiterated her firm opposition to any electoral pact with Reform UK, despite calls from some within the Conservative party for unity. "To those who say 'unite the Right', we are not uniting with that," she stated, receiving a standing ovation from the conference members.

Reform UK's deputy leader, Richard Tice, had earlier been hesitant when asked if he would question Badenoch's Englishness. He told Times Radio that the "Englishness debate is something we just haven't got time for," focusing instead on economic issues and regulatory changes.