Kemi Badenoch | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Official portrait, 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Opposition | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 2 November 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | Charles III | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Rishi Sunak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Conservative Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 2 November 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Rishi Sunak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of Parliament forNorth West Essex Saffron Walden (2017–2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 8 June 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Alan Haselhurst | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Majority | 2,610 (4.8%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the London Assembly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 16 September 2015 – 8 June 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Victoria Borwick | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Susan Hall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | 9th Additional Member (2015–2016) 4th Additional Member (2016–2017) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke (1980-01-02)2 January 1980 (age 45) Wimbledon, London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Conservative | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Yemi Osinbajo (first cousin once removed) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Occupation |
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| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | kemibadenoch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Olúkẹmi Olufunto Adegoke Badenoch[e][4][5][6] (née Adegoke; born 2 January 1980)[7] is a British politician who has served asLeader of the Opposition andLeader of the Conservative Party since November 2024. Badenoch previously worked in theCabinet forprime ministersLiz Truss andRishi Sunak from 2022 to 2024.[8] She was electedMember of Parliament (MP) forNorth West Essex, previouslySaffron Walden, in 2017.[9]
In 2012, Badenoch unsuccessfully contested a seat in theLondon Assembly, but became amember of the London Assembly afterVictoria Borwick was elected as an MP in 2015. A supporter ofBrexit in the2016 referendum, Badenoch was elected to theHouse of Commons at the2017 general election.
AfterBoris Johnson became Prime Minister in July 2019, Badenoch was appointedParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families. In theFebruary 2020 reshuffle she was appointedExchequer Secretary to the Treasury andParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities. In September 2021 she was promoted toMinister of State for Equalities and appointedMinister of State for Local Government, Faith and Communities.
In July 2022, Badenoch resigned from government in protest at Johnson's leadership; she stood unsuccessfully to replace him in theJuly–September 2022 party leadership election.[10][11] AfterLiz Truss was appointed prime minister in September 2022, Badenoch was appointedSecretary of State for International Trade andPresident of the Board of Trade and was appointed to thePrivy Council;[12] she was reappointed Trade Secretary by Truss's successor,Rishi Sunak, the following month, also becomingMinister for Women and Equalities.
In the February 2023 Cabinet reshuffle, Badenoch assumed the position ofSecretary of State for Business and Trade following the merging of theDepartment for International Trade with elements of theDepartment for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Badenoch retained the responsibilities of Women and Equalities Minister.[13] Following the Conservatives's defeat in the2024 general election, Badenoch was appointedShadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government inSunak's Shadow Cabinet and later launched her bid to become leader of the Conservative Party in the2024 leadership election. She defeatedRobert Jenrick in the members' ballot, becoming party leader and Leader of the Opposition.
Olukemi Olufunto "Kemi" Adegoke was born on 2 January 1980 inWimbledon, London.[14] Her mother Feyi Adubifa had travelled from Nigeria to the United Kingdom for medical treatment, and gave birth in St Teresa's Maternity Hospital. This was before theBritish Nationality Act 1981 abolished automaticbirthright citizenship for those born in the UK; Feyi then returned to Nigeria shortly after Olukemi was born.[15][16][17][18] In later interviews, Badenoch denied claims she was an "anchor baby" and asserted that her family did not know she was eligible for a Britishpassport until she was a teenager.[19][20][21]
Her father, Femi Adegoke, was ageneral practitioner who later founded a publishing company in Nigeria and became an activist for the rights of theYoruba people. Her mother Feyi was a professor ofphysiology at theUniversity of Lagos. Adegoke has a brother and a sister.[22][20] According to a profile inThe Times, Badenoch is the first cousin once removed of former Nigerian Vice-PresidentYemi Osinbajo.[23]
Badenoch spent her childhood living inLagos, Nigeria, and in the United States, where her mother lectured.[24][15] Badenoch has spoken about having a "very tough upbringing" in Nigeria. Her family lived in themiddle class neighbourhood ofSurulere and she was a student at the privateInternational School of Lagos. Badenoch has described her background as "middle-class" but said in 2018 "Being middle class in Nigeria still meant having no running water or electricity, sometimes taking your own chair to school" and claimed that her family went through "periods of poverty" due to inflation.[25] She returned to the UK at the age of 16 to live with a friend of her mother's owing to the deteriorating political and economic situation in Nigeria, which had affected her family.[26] During her parliamentary maiden speech Badenoch stated that she was "to all intents and purposes a first-generation immigrant".[27]
Badenoch has claimed in several interviews to have been offered a partialscholarship toStanford University when she was 16 to studypre-medicine on the basis of her high grades, but to have been unable to attend because the scholarship offered was not enough to cover costs.[28][20][29] However, Stanford did not offer a pre-med course, and the Stanford admissions officer at that time responsible for the allocation ofbursaries to international students subsequently denied this happened.[30] Badenoch studiedA-Levels in biology, chemistry and maths,[31] at Phoenix College, asixth form college inMorden, south London. She achieved a B in biology, a B in chemistry and a D in maths,[32] claiming that "no one at the school had pushed [her] to fulfil [her] potential" despite being a "straight A student" while in Nigeria and that being let down by "the soft bigotry of low expectations" pushed her to become aconservative.[33] She consequently missed out on her place atWarwick University. Concurrently, she worked at a branch ofMcDonald's, among other jobs. During this time, she said she "becameworking class".[14][34] Badenoch studiedComputer Systems Engineering at theUniversity of Sussex, completing aMaster of Engineering (MEng) degree in 2003.[35][36] She studied law atBirkbeck, University of London, graduating with aBachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in 2009, and becoming a Fellow of Birkbeck in 2018.[37][38]
Badenoch initially worked within theinformation technology sector, first as a software engineer atLogica (laterCGI Inc) from 2003 to 2006. While working there she read Law part-time atBirkbeck, University of London, graduating asBachelor of Laws (LLB) in 2009.[15] Badenoch then worked as asystems analyst at theRoyal Bank of Scotland Group,[39] before pursuing a career in consultancy and financial services, working as an associate director at private bank and wealth managerCoutts from 2006 to 2013 and later a digital director forThe Spectator from 2015 to 2016.[36][40][41]
Badenoch joined theConservative Party in 2005 at the age of 25.[42][43] At the2010 general election, she contested theDulwich and West Norwood constituency and came third, behind theLabour Party incumbent MPTessa Jowell and theLiberal Democrat candidate Jonathan Mitchell.[44]
In 2012, Badenoch stood for the Conservatives in theLondon Assembly election, where she was placed fifth on the London-wide list;[45] Badenoch was not elected as Conservatives won only three seats.[46]
Three years later, in the2015 general election,Victoria Borwick was elected to the House of Commons[47] and resigned her seat on theLondon Assembly. The fourth-placed candidate on the list,Suella Fernandes (Braverman), was also elected as an MP,[48] so Badenoch became the new Assembly Member.[49] She went on to retain her seat in the Assembly at the2016 election, being succeeded in2017 by fellow ConservativeSusan Hall.[50]
Badenoch supported Brexit in the2016 UK EU membership referendum.[24]
In 2018, Badenoch admitted that, a decade earlier, as a prank, she had hacked into the website ofDeputy Leader of the Labour PartyHarriet Harman; Harman accepted Badenoch's apology, but the matter was reported toAction Fraud, the UK's cyber crime reporting centre.[51][52][53]
Badenoch was shortlisted to be the Conservative Party candidate for themarginalHampstead and Kilburn constituency at the2017 general election, but was unsuccessful.[54] She was subsequently selected for the same election as the Conservative candidate forSaffron Walden, asafe seat for her party, which she won with 37,629 votes and a majority of 24,966 (41.0%).[24][55][56]
In hermaiden speech as an MP on 19 July 2017, she described the vote forBrexit as "the greatest ever vote of confidence in the project of the United Kingdom" and cited her personal heroes as the Conservative politicianWinston Churchill,Airey Neave, andMargaret Thatcher.[57]
In the same month, Badenoch was selected to join the1922 Executive Committee.[58] In September, she was appointed to the parliamentaryJustice Select Committee.[59] She was appointed as the Conservative Party's Vice Chair for Candidates in January 2018.[60]
She voted forTheresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement in early 2019. In the indicative votes on 27 March, she voted against a referendum on a withdrawal agreement and against a customs union with the EU.[61] In October, Badenoch voted for Johnson's withdrawal agreement.[62]
In January 2019, Badenoch was criticised by a number ofLabour MPs for suggesting thatTulip Siddiq was "making a point" by delaying her scheduledcaesarean section in order to attend aHouse of Commons vote on Brexit.[63][64]
In the run-up to the2019 Conservative Party leadership election, Badenoch was tipped as a possible contender just two years into her tenure in parliament.[65] She instead supported the campaign ofMichael Gove. In theDecember 2019 general election, she was re-elected with an increased majority of 27,594 (43.7%) votes.[66][67]
In July 2019, Badenoch was appointed asParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families byBoris Johnson.[68][69] In February 2020, Badenoch was appointedExchequer Secretary to the Treasury and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Equalities) in theDepartment for International Trade.[70]
Badenoch published a series of tweets in January 2021 in which she included screenshots of questions sent to her office byHuffPost journalistNadine White whom she, as a result, accused of "creepy and bizarre behaviour". White subsequently made her Twitter account private, citing the abuse she received.[71] Badenoch's actions were criticised by both theNational Union of Journalists and theCouncil of Europe's Safety of Journalists Platform.[72][73] She was defended by the Prime Minister's press secretary who commented that it was all a "misunderstanding".[74]
In aCabinet reshuffle in September 2021, Badenoch was promoted toMinister of State for Equalities and appointedMinister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.[75] Within days of her appointments, the latter title was renamed "Minister of State for Levelling Up Communities".[76][77][78] On 6 July 2022, Badenoch resigned from the government, citing Johnson's handling of theChris Pincher scandal, in a joint statement with fellow ministersAlex Burghart,Neil O'Brien,Lee Rowley andJulia Lopez.[79]
Following Johnson's resignation, Badenoch launched a bid to succeed him as Conservative Party leader,[80] stating that she wanted to "tell the truth" and that she advocated "strong but limited government".[81] As a candidate, she called the target ofnet zero carbon emissions "ill-thought through" and said that politicians had become "hooked on the idea of the state fixing the majority of problems".[82]
According toThe Sunday Times, Badenoch entered the race as "a relatively unknown minister for local government" but "within a week emerged as the insurgent candidate to become Britain's next prime minister".[83] She was eliminated in the fourth round of voting[84] and did not endorse another candidate.[85]
In September 2022, afterLiz Truss became prime minister, she appointed Badenoch to her Cabinet asSecretary of State for International Trade.[86][87] Following Truss's resignation the following month, Badenoch endorsed Rishi Sunak in theleadership election,[88] stating that he was "the serious, honest leader we need".[89]
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On 25 October 2022, Badenoch was retained asSecretary of State for International Trade byRishi Sunak upon him becoming prime minister. She was also granted the additional role of Minister for Women & Equalities.[90]
In a February 2023 Cabinet reshuffle, Badenoch was appointed as the first Secretary of State at the newly createdDepartment for Business and Trade, with continued responsibility for equalities. The new role was effectively an expansion of her portfolio as International Trade Secretary to include the business and investment responsibilities of the newly dissolvedDepartment for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.[13][91]
In 2022, Badenoch, as Equalities Minister, approved the appointment ofJoanne Cash as a Commissioner to theEquality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) board. Badenoch said that Cash had "a track record of promoting women's rights and freedom of expression". Subsequently, in the summer of 2022, Cash donated to Badenoch's campaign as a candidate for leadership of the Conservative Party. In 2023, after the appointment was completed,Anneliese Dodds, shadow equalities minister, said the government was engulfed in "sleaze and cronyism" and Badenoch should "come clean" about why she had not declared a political interest in the appointment. When it reported the story,The Guardian said Badenoch had not broken any rules and quoted an Equality Hub spokesperson saying the "appointment was made following a full and open competition".[92]
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In late April 2023, Badenoch announced that the government was planning to reduce the number of laws to be repealed to around 800, as opposed to thegovernment's original target of around 4,000 laws.[93][94] The change was met with dismay by Brexit advocates, including the Bill's original architectJacob Rees-Mogg.[95] Nevertheless,The New Statesman named her as the seventh most powerful British right-wing figure in 2023, describing her as the "darling" of many party members, in spite of "cooling enthusiasm".[96]
On 16 July 2023, Badenoch signed an agreement for the UK to join theComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which on ratification would give British exporters preferential access to a market of 500 million consumers in theAsia Pacific region, who accounted for approximately 13% of global GDP. Although the UK government forecasted that membership of the trading bloc would only increase the size of the economy by 0.08% over 10 years.[97]
In December 2023, Badenoch decided to refuse an application, which was said to have been approved by theBritish Phonographic Industry, for Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS) funding from Belfast based rappersKneecap.BBC News reported that a government spokesperson said it was "hardly surprising" that they did not want to hand out UK taxpayers' money to those opposed to the United Kingdom.[98] The rap group claimed that the actual reason for the refusal was that a poster for their 2019 'Farewell to the Union' tour, which depicted Boris Johnson tied to a large firework rocket, had angered the Conservative Party.[99] On 29 November 2024, the Belfast High Court ruled that the British government had acted illegally by withholding the £14,250 in funding on the sole basis of the band's political views, with the UK's Department for Business and Trade agreeing that the original decision by Badenoch had been "unlawful and procedurally unfair". In a statement, Kneecap accused the former Conservative government of committing "afascist type action, an attempt to block art that does not agree with their views".[100]
Under Badenoch's direction, negotiations for theCanada–United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement was paused in January 2024 after the British government resisted Canadian demands to lift the ban onhormone treated beef being sold to UK consumers.[101] The ending of talks resulted in a worse trade agreement with Canada than when the UK was still an EU member, such as a 245% tariff on British cheese exports.[102]
On 1 May 2024 Badenoch's office used a letter sent by Conservative MPEddie Hughes to Walsall Academy as evidence to support Badenoch's claim that girls at a school who did not want to use gender-neutral toilets developed urinary tract infections. Hughes had claimed in May 2023 in a letter to Walsall Academy that "one female pupil has developed a UTI" as she did not feel comfortable using gender-neutral toilets.[103][104]
Due to the2023 review of Westminster constituencies, Badenoch's constituency of Saffron Walden was abolished, and replaced withNorth West Essex. At the2024 general election, Badenoch was elected to Parliament as MP for North West Essex with 35.6% of the vote and a majority of 2,610.[105] Following the Conservative defeat at the general election, she was appointedShadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.[106] She publicly criticisedRishi Sunak andSuella Braverman.[107]
In July 2024,The Guardian reported that at least three officials working under Badenoch had experienced bullying in theDepartment for Business and Trade and that she had created an intimidating atmosphere while she was in charge.[108] According to this report, the officials felt "pushed out" by "bullying and traumatising" behaviour and claimed that individuals were regularly humiliated and occasionally left in tears after working with her. An official "town hall" meeting had been held in December 2023 to address low morale in the department.[108][109][110] Badenoch denied these claims, describing them as smears from former staff and accusing them of "covering up their own failures and general gross incompetence", and accusedThe Guardian of acting on behalf of theLabour Party.[108] A department spokesperson confirmed that there were no formal complaints or investigations into Badenoch's alleged behaviour.[108][109][110]
On 28 July 2024, she announced she was running in theelection to be the new Tory leader.[111][112] Badenoch's campaign was chaired by former Planning MinisterRachel Maclean.[113] In the days leading up to the announcement, Badenoch released a statement criticising the "dirty tricks" of rival candidates,[114] afterThe Spectator published an article[115] quoting unflattering comments posted by a user named "Kemi" from several years previously on theNaijablog website.[116][117]
Despite being considered the frontrunner at the beginning of the contest,[118] In the first and second MP ballots, Badenoch came second toRobert Jenrick, with 22 and 28 votes respectively.[119][120] However, according to bothYouGov's poll andConservativeHome's survey of the Conservative Party membership, Badenoch still led every other candidate in a head to head race in a membership vote.[121][122]
Speaking at the2024 Conservative Party Conference, Badenoch joked that up to 10% ofcivil servants are so bad they should be in prison, suggesting they leak official secrets and "agitate" against ministers, "There's about 5–10% of them who are very, very bad. You know, should-be-in-prison bad", Badenoch said.[123][124]
The general secretary of theFDA union of civil servants,Dave Penman, called on Badenoch to withdraw the comments. "These are serious accusations from a former secretary of state, who is now standing to be leader of her party. If she has evidence to back up those claims she should publish it, otherwise withdraw."[123]
Badenoch came third in the third MP's ballot, with 30 votes,[125] but topped the final vote of MPs with 42, one ahead of Robert Jenrick and five clear ofJames Cleverly who was eliminated.[126][127] In the members' vote, Badenoch faced Jenrick, who she defeated with 56.5% of the vote. She was then declared the winner of the race, and thus Leader of the Conservative Party.[128]
In her acceptance speech, Badenoch vowed to "renew" the Conservative Party, setting out her belief that the Conservatives had two responsibilities: to "hold this Labour Government to account" and to "prepare over the course of the next few years for government".[129] She became the firstblack leader of any major UK political party and the fourth woman to lead the Conservative Party, after Margaret Thatcher, Theresa May and Liz Truss.[130]
Badenoch appointedRebecca Harris asChief Whip of the Conservative Party in her first appointment toher Shadow Cabinet on 4 November 2024, as she began forming heropposition frontbench.[131] On 15 January 2025, Badenoch's spokesperson confirmed she will not conduct a Shadow Cabinet reshuffle before thenext general election.[132]
In a 23 December 2024 interview withBBC Radio 4'sToday programme, Badenoch said the public "kicked out" the Conservative Party because it was not trusted and did not deliver; she dismissed concerns that her approach of not having specific policy positions would leave a vacuum that could be filled byReform UK; and she acknowledged the forthcoming2025 United Kingdom local elections would be difficult for her party.[133]
In a January 2025 speech, Badenoch criticised past actions of the Conservative Party regarding issues such as delivering Brexit and lowering immigration, admitting that they had told the public "what they wanted to hear first and then tried to work it out later."[134][135]
In May 2025, on the occasion of a negotiation of a new deal with the European Union by Keir Starmer's government, Kemi Badenoch declared "There is a big difference between an 18 year old from France who's coming for their gap year and a 30 year old with several children who's coming from a much poorer EU country like Bulgaria or Romania."[136]
On 22 July 2025, Badenochreshuffled her shadow cabinet in effort to improve party unity and its credibility.[137] Prior in January, she stated that she would not reshuffle the shadow cabinet.[138]
In November 2024, Badenoch faced criticism from Eurosceptic MPs, such asNigel Farage, when she whipped Conservative MPs into abstaining on a vote to introduce passports for household pets travelling between the Great Britain and Northern Ireland. As well as a perceived undermining ofthe Union, critics said that an effective Opposition would oppose the scheme rather than wave it through Parliament.[139]
In early October 2025, when challenged during an interview withBBC Northern Ireland that the Tory government she was a part of had undermined the Union with mainland Britain by enforcing anIrish Sea border as part of the Brexit negotiations, Badenoch retorted that "the last time I checked, Northern Ireland did vote to leave",[140] despite the fact that N.I. voted to remain in theEuropean Union by a majority of 56% to 44% during the 2016 EU Referendum.[141]Foyle MPColum Eastwood later criticized her comments and claimed it demonstrated how mainland UK politicians did not take important Irish issues seriously.[142]
In late October 2025, after a former member of theParachute Regiment known as "Soldier F" was found not guilty of two murders and five attempted murders during a1972 civil rights march,[143] Badenoch said she was pleased by the verdict,[144] despite the fact that "Soldier F" had previously admitted shooting at least four unarmed civilians on the day in question.[145]
In October 2024,Jess Phillips, theParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, rejectedOldham Council's request for an independentpublic inquiry into theOldham child sexual exploitation scandal, favouring a locally-run inquiry instead.[146] On 2 January 2025, Badenoch called for a "long overdue" national public inquiry into the UK's rape gangs, criticising the government for not supporting a government-led inquiry intoOldham's case.[147][148][149]
In response, Phillips said that the previous Conservative government, of which Badenoch was a part, had also supported a local inquiry in Oldham, while Starmer accused Badenoch of only jumping "on thebandwagon" after recent tweets fromElon Musk (who called Phillips a "rape genocide apologist" and suggested she was attempting to shield Starmer from blame since he led theCrown Prosecution Service when the abuse occurred), highlighting how she never raised the issue during her previous seven years in government, which included periods when she served as theChildren's Minister and theMinister for Women and Equalities.[150][151][152][153][154] Farage responded by accusing both major parties of failing victims over the years and a week later announced that Reform UK would raise money to appoint "independent arbiters" to examine gang rapes across Britain if the government refused to do it itself.[147][148]
Starmer said politicians and activists were "spreading lies and misinformation" over grooming gangs, and were appealing to the far-right.[f][155][156][153] ProfessorAlexis Jay, who chaired theIndependent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse said: "It doesn't need more consultation, it does not need more research or discussion, it just needs to be done."[146]
In early April 2025, Badenoch was the subject of cross-party condemnation when she defended Israel's decision to refuse entry and then deport Labour MP'sYuan Yang andAbtisam Mohamed, who were traveling as part of a charity delegation consisting ofMedical Aid for Palestinians and theCouncil for Arab-British Understanding. In response to Badenoch's comments onSky News that she respected every countries' right to control its borders, the UK Foreign SecretaryDavid Lammy released a statement saying it was "disgraceful you are cheerleading another country for detaining and deporting two British MPs".[157] A few days later, after Badenoch criticised the government of China for not allowing Liberal Democrat MPWera Hobhouse to enter Hong Kong, she claimed "the two situations are different" when challenged by reporters about her two contrasting responses to the similar diplomatic incidents.[158]
Under Badenoch's leadership, in the May 2025 local elections the Conservatives lost about two-thirds of the council seats held.[159][160] All 16 councils where the Conservatives had a majority were lost to Reform UK or the Liberal Democrats, or no party had a majority. Badenoch apologised to all unseated councillors, describing the result as "a bloodbath".[161] In the2025 Runcorn and Helsby by-election for a seat in Parliament, held on the same day, the Conservative Party won 7% of the vote, coming third behind Reform and Labour on 39% each.[162]
After theIndia–United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement was agreed in principle on 6 May 2025, Badenoch criticized the deal's three year UK National Insurance exemption for Indian workers. However, Badenoch later faced accusations of hypocrisy when theFinancial Times quoted unnamed Indian government officials in claiming she herself had offered giving Indian employees a similar two year N.I. relief during negotiations when she was theUK Trade Secretary.[163][164]
In June 2025, after a string of Tory councillors left the party to joinReform UK, Badenoch told the Scottish Tory conference she was unconcerned with this perceived threat from Nigel Farage’s party and asserted the defections were actually a "good thing", because in her opinion those leaving did not "believe in conservatism".[165] In July 2025, after former Tory cabinet ministersDavid Jones[166] andJake Berry[167] joined Reform, Badenoch made a speech stating that any other Tories who wanted to play the game of politics and defect to Reform in the belief it would increase their chances of being elected were "welcome to do so".[168] In early September 2025, after sitting Tory MPDanny Kruger[169] accompanied former Minister for HealthMaria Caulfield[170] and former Culture SecretaryNadine Dorries[171] in defecting to Reform, it was revealed that Badenoch was nicknamed 'Santa Claus' within Reform party headquarters as she gave them “a Christmas gift every day”.[172] Badenoch later denounced her former colleagues as people "running away from problems" rather than trying to solve the issues the Tory party was currently facing.[173]
In October 2025, Badenoch announced that if the Conservative party wins the next general election, they would take the United Kingdom out of theEuropean Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), as a study by Conservative lawyers asserted that the ECHR blocks the deportation of illegal immigrants and often leads to the legal persecution of British military veterans.[174] The announcement was criticized byAmnesty International, who accused the Tory party of "scapegoating people fleeing persecution" in order to strip civil rights protections from British citizens.[175]
Badenoch is described as being on the right wing of the Conservative Party.[176] She has also personally described herself as being on the "liberal wing" of the Conservative Party,[177] while being "not really left-leaning on anything".[178] She has identified English philosopherRoger Scruton and American economistThomas Sowell as her influences, citing Sowell'sBasic Economics as an influence.[179]
During her parliamentary maiden speech in 2017, Badenoch namedWinston Churchill,Airey Neave andMargaret Thatcher as political heroes.[180] She has also been characterised as asocial conservative and "anti-woke" politician.[177][181] Badenoch has described herself as a "net zero sceptic" and has repeatedly voted in Parliament against measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.[182][183] Kemi Badenoch had repeatedly voted against improving air quality, against improving environmental water quality and against improving biodiversity; between 2024 and 2025, she also consistently voted against a windfall tax on oil and gas companies (1 absence).[184]
Badenoch describes herself as "pro‑choice, but not pro‑abortion up to full term."[185]
She has voted against efforts to expand abortion access beyond current legal limits. On 18 July 2019, she was absent from a key vote on amendments to the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019, which extended abortion access and same-sex marriage rights to Northern Ireland in the absence of a functioning government.[186] In July 2022, she abstained on a proposal concerning decriminalisation for abortion services and voted against a telemedicine proposal.[187] In October 2024, she voted against a Labour government bill to introduce buffer zones around abortion clinics.[188] On 17 June 2025, she voted against a bill that decriminalised self-managed abortion in England and Wales.[189]
During a House of Commons debate in April 2021, Badenoch criticised the Labour Party's response to a report compiled by theCommission on Race and Ethnic Disparities that had declared Britain was notinstitutionally racist. Labour had described the report as "cherry-picking of data", while the party's former frontbench MPDawn Butler claimed the report was "gaslighting on a national scale", describing those who put it together as "racial gatekeepers".[190] Badenoch accused Labour of "wilful misrepresentations" over the report and responded to Butler's comments by stating "It is wrong to accuse those who argue for a different approach as being racism deniers or race traitors. It's even more irresponsible, dangerously so, to call ethnic minority people racial slurs likeUncle Toms, coconuts, house slaves or house negroes for daring to think differently."[191][192]
In aBlack History Month debate in the House of Commons in October 2020, she reiterated the government's opposition to primary and secondary schools teachingwhite privilege and similar "elements ofcritical race theory" as uncontested facts.[193]ConservativeHome readers voted Badenoch's speech on critical race theory 2020 "speech of the year", in which she said that any school that teaches "elements of political race theory as fact, or which promotes partisan political views such asdefunding the police without offering a balanced treatment of opposing views, is breaking the law."[194]
During her leadership campaign launch, Badenoch expressed criticism ofidentity politics in a 2022 article forThe Times, arguing that, "Exemplified by coercive control, the imposition of views, the shutting down of debate, the end ofdue process, identity politics is not about tolerance or individual rights but the very opposite of our crucial and enduring British values."[27][179]
In December 2018, Badenoch praised the Home Secretary's decision to remove the annual limits on work visas and to allow students from the European Union to stay in the UK for six months after graduating.[195]
In September 2024, Badenoch wrote an article forThe Sunday Telegraph in which she argued that "We can not be naïve and assume immigrants will automatically abandon ancestral ethnic hostilities at the border, or that all cultures are equally valid. They are not." She argued that "Our country is not a dormitory for people to come here and make money. It is our home. Those we chose to welcome, we expect to share our values and contribute to our society. British citizenship is more than having a British passport but also a commitment to the UK and its people." Badenoch also called for a better "integration strategy" that emphasised British values and culture, referring in her article to the head of theEquality and Human Rights Commission,Baroness Falkner, who had reported that "we seem to be failing to integrate" new immigrants, and "called for new arrivals to the UK to be required to take an 'integration course', adopting an approach used in Germany".[196][197][198]
During an interview on the BBC'sSunday with Laura Kuenssberg broadcast in September 2024, Badenoch stated that she believed in "western values, the principles which have made this country great, and I think that we need to make sure that we continue to abide by those principles, to keep the society that we have now." She said that immigrants who bring "foreign conflicts" should not be welcomed into the country, citing what she argued as the "number of recent immigrants who hate Israel. It is quite clear that there are many people who have recently come to this country who have brought views from where they used to be that have no place here." She argued that the United Kingdom needed a stronger strategy to "make sure that we have a shared culture and a shared identity".[199][200]
Badenoch is opposed to allowing devolved governments within the United Kingdom to operate a separate immigration and visa policy.[201]
In November 2024, Badenoch stated that the Conservative Party had "got it wrong" on immigration during their time in power and said the party would launch a review into "every policy, treaty and part of our legal framework – including theECHR and the Human Rights Act". Badenoch said the Conservatives will introduce a new immigration policy under her leadership which will include a "strict numerical cap" onimmigration to the United Kingdom, tightening access to British passports and a "zero tolerance" policy on foreign criminals staying in the United Kingdom.[202]
Badenoch has expressed support for strengthening ties betweenIsrael and the United Kingdom. During her leadership bid, Badenoch wrote a letter to theConservative Friends of Israel saying: "If I am leader of the Conservative Party, we will continue to strengthen our ties with Israel and root out the tragic resurgence of antisemitism in the UK. We will be true to our values." A November 2024 article inThe Times of Israel described Badenoch as a "pro-Israel" politician.[203] In May 2025, in an interview withTrevor Phillips onSky News, Badenoch defended Israel'swar on Gaza, described it as a "proxy war on behalf of the UK" and stated that the war aligns with "Britain's national interest." Badenoch also dismissed Israel's actions as a"genocide" stating, "Israel is fighting a war. It is not for me to police exactly how they are doing that…It is not a genocide, as people are saying."[204]
In her role as International Trade Secretary, Badenoch rejected demands to revokearms exports to Israel following the outbreak of the Gaza war and condemned theOctober 7 attacks.[205] In a September 2024 interview withSky News Badenoch argued that Israel had shown "moral clarity in dealing with its enemies and the enemies of the West" with military action targeting the leaders ofHamas andHezbollah.[206][207]
Following the2024 United States presidential election which resulted in the victory ofDonald Trump, Badenoch wrote a column inThe Daily Telegraph imploring the British government to resume trade deal talks with the United States which had been scrapped by the Biden administration. She argued that the reelection of Trump was a "golden opportunity" for agreements between Britain and America and claimed "the onus is now on the Labour Government to put aside their embarrassing student politics diplomacy, which has already shot Britain in the foot on Israel and the Chagos Islands" and warned that delays by Starmer's government to engage with Trump's administration would put Britain at risk if the White House introduced trade tariffs.[208]
In 2023, Badenoch referred toChina's role on the world stage as a "challenge" rather than a "threat" to Britain and argued "Chinese people are different from the Chinese government and it is important to be diplomatic."[209] By 2024, Badenoch argued that China represented a threat through "economic coercion" and a deliberate strategy to "flood the market, driving other nations' industries out of business." She wrote "too many of the world's economies continue to develop a dependency on China, including the UK. This is dangerous for our economy and our freedom. We need to understand exactly how our exposure to China impacts our national security to ensure that we can't be blackmailed" and argued thatnet zero targets in Britain risked handing the Chinese government an unfair economic advantage through outsourcedEV, battery andsolar production to China involving slave labour. Badenoch argued that Britain should participate in theTrans-Pacific Partnership and embed itself in trade agreements within the Indo-Pacific region to create more economic competition with China.[210]
In December 2024, Badenoch was criticised by Nigerian Vice-PresidentKashim Shettima for previous comments in which he perceived her to be "denigrating her nation of origin". In response, a spokesman for Badenoch indicated that she would not be withdrawing any previous statements, adding that she "is not thePR for Nigeria".[211]
In May 2025, Badenoch said that the Conservative Party is the "last line of defence" for Israel in the UK parliament while delivering a speech at the Conservative Friends of Israel's business lunch.[212]
In July 2025, Badenoch declared her admiration for the policies of Argentine PresidentJavier Milei, whom she considers arole model for his "chainsaw" economic measures, praising Milei and crediting him with lowering Argentina's inflation and "fightingwoke ideology", further adding that she wants to be "the British Javier Milei."[213][214][215]
Regarding theUnited Kingdom's colonial history, Badenoch has argued that "there were terrible things that happened during the British Empire, there were other good things that happened, and we need to tell both sides of the story".[216]
In leakedWhatsApp messages, Badenoch said "I don't care about colonialism because [I] know what we were doing before colonialism got there" and argued that Europeans "came in and just made a different bunch of winners and losers" on theAfrican continent. She also stated that prior to colonisation, "There was never any concept of 'rights', so [the] people who lost out were old elites; not everyday people".[217]
In a 2024 speech, Badenoch said: "It worries me when I hear people talk about wealth and success in the UK as being down tocolonialism orimperialism orwhite privilege or whatever."[218] Instead, she said "theGlorious Revolution of 1688 – which led to the development of theUK constitution and solidified the role of parliament – should be credited for providing the kind of economic certainty that paved the way for theIndustrial Revolution."[218]
In June 2025, after the agreement to return theChagos Archipelago located in the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius, Kemi Badenoch called the agreement "terrible", "and why on earth" should British taxpayers pay for tax cuts in Mauritius.[219]
In 2019, Badenoch abstained on a vote to extend same-sex marriage rights toNorthern Ireland.[220] In February 2023, Badenoch defended Scottish politicianKate Forbes after Forbes said marriage should only be between a man and a woman. Badenoch stated: "I support same-sex marriage and, like anyone, I'm disappointed when anyone disagrees with me. But if you're asking me to condemn someone for their religious views you've failed to understand the basic responsibilities of being minister for equality".[citation needed]
According to academics, Badenoch has promotedanti-transgender views and met with anti-trans groups.[221][222][223]
In 2021,Vice News received leaked audio from 2018 in which Badenoch said "Even when, you know, so, people hear about, you know like the whole bathroom thing, it's actually more of an American thing but they have a similar problem, that, right so now it's not just about being free to marry who you want, you now want to have men using women's bathrooms." She was accused by critics of mocking gay marriage and oftransphobia for referring totrans women as "men".[224][225] A government spokesperson rejected these claims, saying that "This 2018 comment has been taken out of context, with the Minister making a clear point about striking the balance for equality and fairness when there are multiple and often competing demands between different groups. It should not be used to misrepresent her views."[225]In March 2021, Badenoch was encouraged to "consider her position" as an Equalities Minister byJayne Ozanne, one of a group of three governmentLGBT advisers who quit their roles due to the decision by the government not to include transgender conversion therapy in its plans to ban gayconversion therapy, with Ozanne describing a speech by Badenoch on the issue as being "appalling" and the "final straw".[226]
As Minister of State for Equalities, Badenoch opposed plans by theFinancial Conduct Authority to allowtransgender employees toself-identify in the workplace,[227] opposedgender-neutral toilets in public buildings, and has spoken in favour of retaining single-sex spaces such as toilets, professional sports, changing rooms, anddomestic violence shelters for women.[228][229]
In 2023, Badenoch gave a speech before the House of Commons in which she announced regulations stripping the ability of transgender migrants from certain countries to acquire documents in the UK to match those brought from their countries of origin. This was stated as being due to these countries allowing trans people to transition "too easily".[230] She stated that "It is this government's policy that the UK does not recognise self-identification for the purpose of obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate" and that it "should not be possible for a person who does not satisfy the criteria for UK legal gender recognition to use the overseas routes to do so".[230]
In December 2023, it was revealed that Badenoch had not met with any major LGBTQ+ rights organisation since becoming Equalities Minister, but had met with anti-transgender groupsLGB Alliance andSex Matters.[221] This revelation came shortly after her Commons statement on revoking recognition of overseas Gender Recognition Certificates.[citation needed]
In February 2024, Badenoch stated in a letter to a parliamentary committee[which?] that children likely to grow up gay may be wrongly medicalised as transgender. She wrote: "Evidence that children likely to grow up to be gay [and be same-sex attracted] might be subjected to conversion practices on the basis of gender identity rather than their sexual orientation…. A young person and their family may notice that they are gender non-conforming earlier than they are aware of their developing sexual orientation. If gender non-conformity is misinterpreted as evidence of being transgender and a child is medically affirmed, the child may not have had a chance to identify, come to terms with or explore a same-sex orientation."[citation needed]
Badenoch went on to announce the government's plans to move forward on aconversion therapy ban, while saying thatgender-affirming healthcare for young people who question their gender was "a new form of conversion therapy" as, in her view, "we are seeing I would say almost an epidemic of young gay children being told that they are trans and being put on a medical pathway for irreversible decisions and regretting what they have done", further stating that a draft bill would address the concern that clinicians are "fearful of giving honest clinical advice to a child because if they do not automatically affirm and medicalise a child's new gender they will be labelled transphobic".[231] She further announced plans to bansocial transition in British schools, according to which transgender-identifying children would be permitted to self-identity as thegender identity of their choice withoutparental consent or knowledge.[232][233][234]
In an article inThe Sunday Times in the aftermath of the publication of theCass Review, an investigation into gender identity services in theNHS, Badenoch wrote that had "those who warned that gender services in the NHS had been hijacked by ideologues been listened to instead of gagged, children would not have been harmed and the Cass review would not have been required. Our responsibility is to ensure that nothing like it ever happens again."[235]
After theSupreme Court of the United Kingdom ruled inFor Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers in 2025 that the terms "man" and "woman" in theEquality Act 2010 referred to biological sex and notgender orgender identity, Badenoch described the judgment as a "victory for all of the women who faced personal abuse or lost their jobs for stating the obvious", and declared that "the era ofKeir Starmer telling us women can have penises has come to an end".[236][237]
Badenoch called for a comprehensive review of equality and gender recognition laws, stating: "Biological sex is real. A gender recognition certificate is there to show that someone is now transgender, but that doesn't change their biology." She further emphasized, "The Supreme Court has given a judgment, but I think that we need to update those laws to ensure that they are there to prevent discrimination, not for social engineering."[238]
In May 2025, Badenoch reiterated her support for a complete ban on transgender women competing in women's physical sports. Speaking toGB News, she stated: "You shouldn't have men swimming or running against women, we are biologically different, and that's something that needs to be recognised by all the sporting bodies." Badenoch differentiated between physical and non-physical competitions, suggesting that exceptions could be made for activities such as chess where "it's not to do with physical attributes."[239]
In September 2024, while standing to be leader of the Conservative Party, Badenoch was asked if she believed that "maternity pay is excessive". In response, Badenoch answered, "I think it's gone too far, too far the other way in terms of general business regulation, we need to allow businesses, especially small businesses, to make more of their own decisions". Later the same day, during an interview withSky News, Badenoch stated that maternity pay was "a good thing" and said "I don't think it is excessive", saying that she was speaking about business regulation in general, rather than maternity pay specifically.[240]
In a 2024 pamphlet distributed as part of her campaign for leadership of the Conservative Party, Badenoch said that politics has shifted away from class "in the old sense – increasingly, whether you are high income does not drive your voting patterns. Educated voters are moving left, and many private sector voters on average incomes are moving right."[241] She also said that a new 'progressive ideology' was on the rise built on "the twin pillars of constant intervention on behalf of protecting marginalised, vulnerable groups, including protecting us from ourselves – and the idea thatbureaucrats make better decisions than individuals, or even democraticnation states".[241]
Badenoch said that the consequent growth in government regulations and public expenditure cripples economic growth, polarises societies, and leads to a "new and growingbureaucratic class", where "more and more jobs are related not to providing goods and services in the marketplace, but are instead focused around administering government rules."[241]
In December 2024, Kemi Badenoch was included in theBBC 100 Women 2024 list.[242]
Badenoch is married to banker Hamish Badenoch; they have two daughters and a son.[243][244][245]
Badenoch’s husband works forDeutsche Bank[24][67] and was a Conservative councillor from 2014 to 2018 onMerton Borough Council.[246][247] He also contestedFoyle for theNorthern Ireland Conservatives at the2015 general election.[248]
Badenoch credits the NHS with preventing her miscarrying her first daughter, having had emergency surgery when she went into labour at twenty weeks.[24]
She was a board member of the Charlton Triangle Homes housing association until 2016, and was also a school governor atSt Thomas the Apostle College inSouthwark, and the Jubilee Primary School.[39][249]
Badenoch describes herself as anagnostic, who lost her faith in God,[250] but considers herself acultural Christian,[251] and said that her maternal grandfather was aMethodistminister in Nigeria.[252][253]
Badenoch identifies asYoruba, not Nigerian, stating: "I have nothing in common with the people from the north of the country, theBoko Haram where the Islamism is, those were our ethnic enemies".[254] In August 2025, she said that she had not renewed her Nigerian passport since the early 2000s, and no longer identified as Nigerian.[255]
On Saturday the Tories elected their first Black leader,Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke Badenoch.
Kemi Badenoch, has expressed anti-trans views, describing trans women as men (Kelleher 2024), whilst also meeting with the anti-trans campaign groups, LGB Alliance and Sex matters.
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