The newly elected leader of the UK Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has strongly pushed back against critics attempting to undermine her historic rise, describing their comments as lazy, prejudiced, and rooted in racist tropes that dismiss her hard work and merit. Speaking in a candid interview with The Times, Badenoch revealed how persistent narratives that her success was the result of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) quotas rather than competence are both offensive and damaging to black professionals who work their way to the top.
“There’s a certain cadre of people who clearly can’t cope with the fact that I won this contest and I’m doing it effectively. The level of personal attacks from anonymous sources is hysterical. People used to talk about Trump derangement syndrome. I think we’re now seeing a Kemi derangement syndrome,” she boldly stated. According to her, many of the critics are uncomfortable with the idea of a black woman leading the Conservative Party, and they have resorted to undermining her success with insinuations rather than acknowledging her leadership qualities.
Badenoch noted that detractors often attempt to reduce her entire journey to tokenism, questioning her capability with dismissive remarks such as, “How could she possibly have done this? It must have been DEI.” She described such views as not only misguided but also as reinforcing harmful stereotypes about black people being “lazy, corrupt or simply diversity hires.” She emphasized that these narratives are extraordinary in their persistence and damaging in their implications, stressing that she believes firmly in judging people on merit, not on skin color or quotas.
The 45-year-old politician, who spent her formative years in Nigeria before relocating to the UK at the age of 16, shared that her journey into politics was not easy and that she has had to work harder than most to prove herself. She disclosed that becoming the party leader has exposed her to an unprecedented wave of racist abuse online, with individuals hiding behind anonymity to launch derogatory attacks focused on her race and heritage. She, however, clarified that Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary and her rival during the leadership race, was not the one spreading these speculations, noting that even he finds the prejudice directed at her to be disturbing.
“There’s a whole swathe of stuff online now: a lot of ethno-nationalist rhetoric creeping into the conversation, and plenty of negative commentary about my race, my ethnicity, and this idea that I couldn’t possibly have reached this level on my own,” Badenoch explained. She said these attempts to delegitimize her achievements were an effort to write a false story about her—a story that is at odds with the truth known by those closest to her. “People who use these tropes are trying to create a narrative about me that is wholly untrue, and everyone around me knows it’s untrue,” she stressed.
Badenoch added that she remains undeterred despite the negativity, affirming her focus on building a stronger Conservative Party and addressing the challenges facing the UK. She acknowledged the abuse but dismissed it as a distraction, reiterating that her leadership is founded on vision, competence, and determination—not tokenism. “I think even Rob himself finds it distressing, but it’s just something that we deal with,” she concluded, making it clear that she intends to rise above the noise and continue leading with conviction.