Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has revealed the scale of racism and hostility she has faced since becoming the first black woman to lead the Tories.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Badenoch admitted she did not expect the level of personal attacks she has endured online and within political circle.
“There’s a certain cadre of people who clearly can’t cope with the fact that I won this and I’m doing it,” she said.
“The level of personal attacks from anonymous people is hysterical.
Not just from MPs only two or three out of 120 but also online.
People used to talk about Trump derangement syndrome. I think there’s a Kemi derangement syndrome: ‘How could she possibly have done this?’.”
The 44-year-old politician, who was born in Wimbledon and raised in Nigeria before returning to the UK at 16, said much of the abuse has focused on her race and identity.
“On social media, there’s a lot of ethno-nationalism creeping up,” she noted.
“There are tropes around, ‘well, she couldn’t possibly have done this all by herself.’”
Badenoch rarely speaks at length about her race, often stressing that she sees Britain as a country where minorities thrive. She has previously argued that “Britain is not a racist country” and faced criticism for saying that white working-class boys struggle more than ethnic minorities on many social indicators.
“I always try to think of every possible explanation before I go to race and racism,” she told the paper.
“That is a healthy way to run a society. There will always be people who throw mud and hope it sticks.”
The Tory leader now faces a critical moment as she prepares for her first party conference speech.
With the Conservatives polling at just 17%, she is under pressure to unite her party and fend off speculation of a leadership challenge from her shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick.
On rumours Jenrick could soon replace her, Badenoch dismissed the claims as “wishful thinking.”
“There will always be sore losers—our candidate didn’t win, and so on,” she said.
“When I hear those things, I can tell those people are not focused on the country at all. Many of them think this is a game. But the lives of people in this country aren’t a game.”