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Leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has defended the British identity of her mixed-race children, saying she does not want them growing up in a country where their English identity is questioned.
Badenoch, who represents North West Essex in Parliament, made the remarks during her speech at the Conservative Party Conference 2026 on Wednesday.
The Conservative leader criticised members of Reform UK, accusing them of questioning the identity of people based on their race and background.
“I don’t want to live in a country run by people who threaten journalists, who call veterans traitors, and debate whether my mixed-race children are English,” Badenoch said.
She also spoke about the reaction her son might have when watching England’s national football team, particularly if he encounters people questioning whether black players representing the country are English.
“I don’t want to explain to my son when we’re watching our brilliant England team play football that some people don’t think our black players are English,” she said.
Badenoch recalled former England internationals Ian Wright and John Barnes, arguing that their English identity was not subjected to the same level of public questioning during their playing careers.
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“I remember back in the day when Ian Wright and John Barnes were playing, nobody was questioning whether they were English,” she said.
“We certainly didn’t have sitting MPs questioning whether they were English,” she added.
The Conservative leader warned against what she described as efforts to reverse progress on questions of national identity and inclusion.
“We must not let these people take us backwards. That is not the country we are,” she said.
Badenoch subsequently accused Reform UK MPs of openly challenging the identity of some Britons.
“Reform MPs are openly questioning people’s identity. They are not like us. We are not like them,” she said.
“We are different. We are the Conservative Party,” Badenoch added.
