Kemi Badenoch, the first black woman to lead the Conservative Party, has spoken candidly about the racism she has experienced since taking up the role.
The Tory leader revealed she had been taken aback by the extent of hostility she has encountered, especially given her previous conviction that Britain was “the best place in the world to be black.”
She said: “There’s a certain cadre of people who clearly can’t cope with the fact that I won this and I’m doing it.
“The level of personal attacks from anonymous people, it’s hysterical. Not even just from MPs. I actually don’t think it’s that many MPs. I think it’s two to three people out of 120. That’s nothing. But online as well. People used to talk about Trump derangement syndrome. I think there’s a Kemi derangement syndrome: ‘How could she possibly have done this?’”
Kemi Badenoch
Badenoch explained that much of the abuse has been tied to her race and background. On social media, she has observed what she called a rise in “ethno-nationalism creeping up, lots of stuff about my race and my ethnicity and the tropes around, ‘well, she couldn’t possibly have done this all by herself’.”
The Conservative leader, who was born in Wimbledon, spent her early years in Nigeria before returning to the UK at age 16. She has rarely spoken in depth about her heritage and has often criticized anti-racism campaigners and critical race theory. In recent remarks, she admitted she no longer felt Nigerian. Badenoch said her approach is to be cautious in framing issues through the lens of race.
“I always try to think of every possible explanation before I go to race and racism. I think that is a healthy way to run a society. I remember when I stood up a few years ago and said Britain is not a racist country – ethnic minorities do very well here, it is white working-class boys who are actually struggling on a lot of metrics, and I got pilloried for that.
“My view is that there are people out there who will say whatever it is, they will throw whatever kind of mud at you, and they will hope that it sticks.”
Kemi Badenoch
Badenoch Faces Pressure Over Leadership Stability
Her leadership now enters a decisive phase as she prepares for her first party conference speech while fending off speculation about a potential challenge. Supporters of her shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick, have suggested he may soon replace her. Current polling places the Conservatives in third, on 17%. Regarding the possibility, Badenoch dismissed the rumours. “I think it’s wishful thinking.”
“There will always be people who are sore losers, our candidate didn’t win, and so on, and sour grapes … When I hear those things, I can tell those people are not focused on the country at all. Many of those people having those conversations think this is a game. But the lives of people in this country aren’t a game.”
Kemi Badenoch
Even as she played down the speculation, Badenoch expressed sympathy for Jenrick himself. “I think even Rob himself finds it distressing, but it’s just something that we deal with.”
As she steps into a pivotal season, Badenoch’s focus remains on strengthening her leadership while confronting both political challenges and personal attacks rooted in racism.
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