I’m facing more racist abuse as Conservative leader — Kemi Badenoch
By Jeffrey Agbo
Kemi Badenoch has expressed dismay over the extent of racist abuse she has endured since becoming the first Black woman to lead the Conservative Party, despite previously describing Britain as “the best place in the world to be Black.”
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Badenoch said she has faced a wave of personal attacks, both online and from a small minority of MPs, which she referred to as “Kemi derangement syndrome.”
“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?’” she said.
The Conservative leader noted a rise in ethno-nationalist sentiment on social media, saying her race and ethnicity are often used to discredit her achievements.
“There’s a lot of 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,’” she added.
Badenoch, who was born in Wimbledon and raised in Nigeria before returning to the UK at 16, has previously faced criticism for distancing herself from her Nigerian heritage.
She told the Sunday Times, “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.”
As she prepares to deliver her first party conference speech, Badenoch also faces internal challenges amid speculation of a possible leadership move by shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, with the Conservatives currently polling at 17%.
Brushing off the rumours, she dismissed them as “wishful thinking” and “sour grapes,” insisting that her critics are detached from the realities facing the country.
“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,” she said.
