Racism Storm: Kemi Badenoch Opens Up On Hostility Targeting Her

United Kingdom (UK) Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has spoken candidly about the racism and hostility she has faced since becoming the first Black woman to head the party.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Badenoch admitted she was shocked by the scale of abuse that followed her election, though she stressed that only a small number of Conservative MPs were involved.

“There’s a certain group of people who just can’t accept that I won and that I’m leading. The level of personal attacks, especially from anonymous sources, is hysterical,” she said.

Badenoch explained that while only “two or three” MPs out of over 120 were guilty of such behaviour, much of the hostility came from online platforms.

“People used to talk about Trump derangement syndrome. I think there’s now a Kemi derangement syndrome: ‘How could she possibly have done this?’” she added.

The Conservative leader also revealed that many of the online attacks included racist undertones.

“There’s a lot of ethno-nationalism creeping in—comments about my race, my ethnicity, and the old trope that I couldn’t possibly have achieved this on my own,” she stated.

Born in Wimbledon but raised in Nigeria before returning to the UK at 16, Badenoch rarely discusses her race in depth. She has previously criticised anti-racism campaigners and critical race theory, recalling how she was once vilified for saying Britain is not a racist country.

“I always look for every possible explanation before I attribute something to race. That’s a healthy way to run a society. Years ago, when I said Britain isn’t a racist country and that ethnic minorities often do well here—while white working-class boys were struggling—I was heavily criticised for it,” she recalled.

Badenoch is now preparing for her first Conservative Party conference speech amid falling poll numbers, with the party currently at 17%. Speculation has grown that her shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick, may challenge her leadership.

Dismissing the reports, Badenoch described them as “wishful thinking.”

“There will always be sore losers whose candidate didn’t win. But when I hear such talk, I know those people are not focused on the country. They see politics as a game. But people’s lives in this country are not a game,” she concluded.