British Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has condemned what she described as racist attacks against her after a former aide to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage referred to her as a “Nigerian scammer” in social media posts.
Badenoch accused politicians associated with Reform UK of using her Nigerian heritage for political advantage, warning that attempts to turn her background into a weapon against her would not succeed.
She made the remarks during an interview on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Thursday, October 29, following comments by Raheem Kassam, a former senior aide to Farage.
Kassam, who previously served as editor-in-chief of Breitbart News, had described Badenoch as an “unrelenting scammer”.
In another post, he wrote: “How are people still falling for this Nigerian scammer? Don’t give her your credit card and bank account details!”
Reacting to the comments, Badenoch said they reflected the attitude of those seeking to exploit her background.
“I think it just shows the sort of people they are,” she said.
She added that she believed some Reform UK figures thought targeting her Nigerian heritage could improve their political standing.
“I think they think that maybe using my race is a way for them to improve their standing,” Badenoch said.
The Conservative leader maintained that the remarks would not succeed, arguing that Britain was not a racist country.
“Britain is not a racist country, and because it’s not a racist country, their racist attacks and using my race as an attack form is not going to work,” she said.
Jenrick declines to condemn comments
The controversy also drew attention to Reform UK Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick, who declined to describe Kassam’s remarks as racist during an ITV interview.
Asked whether he considered the comments racist, Jenrick said he did not, although he acknowledged that they could be unpleasant or rude.
“It’s not my place to police everybody’s tweets who may or may not be a supporter of Reform,” he said.
His response came amid questions about the party’s position on the remarks and the use of Badenoch’s Nigerian background in political exchanges.
Farage also faced questions about Kassam’s comments during an appearance on BBC Breakfast earlier in the week.
The Reform UK leader initially argued that referring to someone’s Nigerian upbringing was not inherently racist.
“I don’t think saying somebody grew up in Nigeria is racist,” he said.
However, when pressed further, Farage acknowledged that Kassam’s remark had gone too far, while maintaining that he did not believe it was deliberately racist.
“Do I think the comment was over the top? Yes, I do. Do I think it was intentionally racist? No, I don’t,” he added.
The exchanges have placed Badenoch’s Nigerian heritage at the centre of a political controversy involving senior figures and associates of Reform UK, with differing views emerging over whether Kassam’s remarks crossed the line into racism.
