Kemi Badenoch Slams Reform UK Over 'Englishness' Debate

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has strongly criticized Reform UK, urging the party not to "take us backwards" by debating the Englishness of individuals, particularly children.

In a keynote speech at the Conservative conference in Birmingham, Badenoch condemned Nigel Farage's party for "openly questioning people's identity." She stated, "We must not let these people take us backwards. That is not the country we are." Badenoch, who was born in London to Nigerian parents and is married to banker Hamish Badenoch, emphasized that the Conservative Party is distinct from Reform UK.

Her remarks followed comments by Reform MP Suella Braverman, who suggested that British Asians cannot be English. Braverman, formerly a Conservative home secretary before defecting to Reform, stated in a recent BBC appearance that she is "British of Asian ethnicity" rather than English due to her family heritage. This stance has drawn criticism from senior Conservatives.

Badenoch articulated her opposition to a government led by those who "threaten journalists, call veterans 'traitors' and debate whether my mixed-race children are English." She added, "I don't want to explain to my son when we're watching our brilliant England team play football that some people don't think our black players are English." Badenoch recalled a time when footballers like Ian Wright and John Barnes were not questioned about their nationality, contrasting it with the current situation where sitting MPs are raising such doubts.

"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 declared. She invoked a past Conservative poster that read, "Labour says he's black, we say he's British," asserting that the party remains the same. "I am black. I am British. I'm proud of my country, I'm proud of our history," she said. "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."

Badenoch also reiterated her opposition to any potential deal with Reform UK, stating, "To those who say 'unite the Right', we are not uniting with that." Her comments came after Reform deputy leader Richard Tice declined to directly answer whether he would question Badenoch's Englishness, telling Times Radio that the "Englishness debate is something we just haven't got time for," as he is focused on economic issues.