I’m Under Attack Because of My Race, Ethnicity, Claims Kemi Badenoch
UK Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has decried what she described as racially motivated attacks against her leadership, stating that her rise in politics is constantly questioned and undermined due to her race and Nigerian heritage.
Badenoch, who recently made history as the first Black woman to lead a major political party in the United Kingdom, said the level of hostility she has faced since taking up the role has been “hysterical” and disproportionate.
She revealed that much of the criticism is not about her policies or leadership style, but about her identity.
“The kind of abuse I have received is beyond normal political opposition. I believe there is something of a ‘Kemi derangement syndrome,’ where people simply cannot accept that I reached this position on merit. Many insist on reducing my success to diversity quotas or political correctness, and it is insulting,” she said.
The Conservative leader further explained that she has been subjected to online attacks fueled by what she described as “ethno-nationalism,” with racial stereotypes often weaponized against her.
According to her, tropes that historically labeled Black people as “lazy” or “corrupt” are being recycled in efforts to discredit her.
Badenoch maintained that her achievements are a result of hard work and determination, rejecting claims that her ethnicity played a role in her elevation.
“There is an unhealthy obsession with race whenever my name comes up. People ignore my track record, my work, and the values I stand for. Everything is reduced to the colour of my skin, and that is deeply unfair,” she said.
Her comments come at a time when the Conservative Party is facing declining poll numbers and internal divisions. Ahead of her first party conference as leader, speculation has emerged about a possible leadership challenge from Shadow Justice Secretary, Robert Jenrick.
Badenoch dismissed such reports as “wishful thinking” driven by rivals she described as “sore losers more focused on political games than service to the people.”
Despite the mounting pressures, Badenoch insisted she will not allow the attacks to distract her from her mission. She reaffirmed her belief in a merit-based society and called for a shift away from what she termed “identity politics.” In her words: “I will not allow anyone to define me solely through race or ethnicity. My responsibility is to lead, and I will continue to do so regardless of the noise around me.”
Badenoch has long positioned herself as a defender of meritocracy, previously declaring that Britain remains “the best place in the world to be Black.”
However, her latest remarks underline the personal cost of being a trailblazer in British politics, as she continues to confront racism, internal party power struggles, and the challenge of steering her party in a turbulent political climate.
