Robert Jenrick Sparks Identity Debate, Claiming Millions Aren't 'Culturally or Ethnically' English

Former minister Robert Jenrick has stated that "millions and millions" of people in England do not meet his standards for being "culturally or ethnically" English, escalating a debate over national identity.

Jenrick's remarks, made in an interview with Dan Wootton, suggested that English identity has three components: ethnicity, cultural assimilation, and holding a British passport. He asserted that "there is such a thing as English ethnicity" and that the country has changed significantly from 50 to 100 years ago. "Holding a passport does not mean that you are culturally English or British," Jenrick stated, adding that "sadly, there are many, many people in this country who display that, and neither does it mean that you're ethnically English either."

His comments drew a strong response from Kemi Badenoch, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, who declared herself a "proud black Briton" during her party conference speech. Badenoch accused Reform UK, a party with which Jenrick is associated, of promoting outdated views on race and attempting to move the UK backward. "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 said, directly addressing the implications of Jenrick's stance.

Jenrick's comments come amid a broader identity row that began when Suella Braverman, now a Reform UK spokesperson, stated she was not ethnically English, despite being born in London to parents who emigrated from Mauritius and Kenya in the 1960s. Braverman described herself as "British, of Asian ethnicity."

The debate has divided the political right, with some senior Reform figures appearing uncomfortable with the direction of the discussion. Richard Tice, Reform's deputy leader, repeatedly declined to comment on Badenoch's Englishness, calling the entire debate a "complete waste of time."

Badenoch's intervention in her speech received unexpected support from Labour, with Wes Streeting expressing "total support" for her remarks. Jenrick, however, defended the discussion, calling it "perfectly normal" for the country to be having. He suggested that the shift in the country's demographics over the past century has led to a situation where many individuals possess British passports but lack a strong cultural or ethnic connection to England according to his definition.