Kemi Badenoch, one of the key contenders in the Conservative leadership race, has taken a strong stance against her opponents’ approaches to immigration, accusing them of offering “easy answers” that fail to address the underlying issues.
During a launch event in central London, attended by several Conservative MPs, Badenoch positioned herself as a plain-speaking realist, capable of diagnosing long-term problems and challenging Labour with her pragmatic approach.
Without naming names, Badenoch’s critique appeared to be aimed at her close rivals, Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat, both of whom have pushed for strict caps on net migration and advocated for the UK’s withdrawal from the European court of Human Rights (ECHR).
“We had a cap of tens of thousands when David Cameron came in,” Badenoch remarked, referencing the former prime minister’s immigration policy. “We need to ask ourselves, why didn’t that work, rather than just saying we’ll make another promise.”
Badenoch emphasized that immigration policy should not be reduced to mere numbers and targets. “It’s not just about throwing out numbers and throwing out targets. Something is wrong with the system,” she stated, adding, “People who are throwing out numbers and saying they will leave the ECHR and so on are giving you easy answers.”
Despite her criticisms, Badenoch’s stance did not indicate a shift towards the political center. She voiced concerns that the previous Conservative government had “talked right but governed left,” signaling her commitment to a tougher immigration policy.
“If people don’t want their taxes to pay for foreign criminals to be in our jails or on our streets, those criminals should be removed. If they want local people to have priority for housing, for benefits, for school places, we must make that happen.”
Kemi Badenoch
Badenoch Targets Rivals’ Immigration Promises
Badenoch also criticized the previous government’s approach to environmental policy, specifically the targets set to reach net zero. She argued that legislation was being prioritized over innovation, citing this as an example of the Conservative government governing like Labour.
“We all want to deliver a better environment, but creating legislation and a target without working out how we were going to do it, in my view, was trusting regulation rather than innovation,” she explained.
Known for her plainspokenness, which some colleagues describe as abrasive, Badenoch leaned into her reputation, drawing on her background as an engineer. “Engineers see the world as it truly is,” she said.
She criticized the current state of politics, where she believes leaders are more focused on telling voters what they want to hear rather than taking meaningful action. “It is the triumph of words over deeds, and that has to change,” she insisted.
Badenoch is widely expected to advance to the final stages of the leadership race, with Tory MPs set to eliminate two candidates in the coming week.
Her launch event featured endorsements from several colleagues, including Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, who introduced Badenoch to the audience.
Addressing her involvement in so-called “culture war” issues, Badenoch highlighted her concerns over the election of independent MPs with strong views on Gaza, expressing more concern about their influence than the arrival of members from the Reform UK party.
When questioned about whether she had spent too much time on culture war issues during her time in government, Badenoch defended her record. “I had to look after very, very tricky issues like race and gender, things that everybody ran away from,” she said. “I didn’t run away. And not only did I not run away, I defended people who needed help, and I dragged Labour onto our turf.”
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