Kemi Badenoch: The Conservative Party’s New Anti-Woke Crusader

by Anna Hamerow, BA International Relations 09/12/2024

In early November, Kemi Badenoch defeated Robert Jenrick to become the new Conservative Party leader. Badenoch secured 56.5% of the party member’s vote, making her the first Black leader of any major UK political party. 

Described as ‘the new darling of the right’ by many in her party, Badenoch is an advocate of ‘anti-wokeism’ and has criticised the left’s ‘divisive agenda of identity politics.’ 

Born in Wimbledon, London and raised mainly in the suburbs of Lagos, Nigeria, Badenoch grew up ‘upper middle class’ according to childhood friend Seyi Roberts. Her upbringing in Nigeria is, according to her, partially responsible for her politics, stating in her maiden speech that ‘I saw real poverty…I was unlucky enough to live under socialist policies. It is not something I would wish on anyone, and it is just one of the reasons why I am a Conservative.’

Badenoch returned to Wimbledon at the age of 16 to take her A-levels, a time in which she claims she ‘became working-class’ after working a part-time job in McDonalds. She was later mocked online for this comment with Labour MP Chris Bryant writing ‘I’m not sure that’s how it works. 

Studying Computer Systems Engineering at the University of Sussex, known for its left-wing student activism, Badenoch was repelled by ‘these stupid lefty white kids’. ‘People often ask what made me a Conservative, and there was no one thing,’ she told The Times. ‘But part of it was being at Sussex among snotty, middle-class North Londoners who couldn’t get into Oxbridge.’

Transitioning from IT to politics, she joined the Conservative Party in 2005 and was appointed to the London Assembly in 2015. Two years later, she was elected as MP for Saffron Walden. Once in Parliament, Badenoch readily climbed the ministerial ladder, eventually becoming Minister of Women and Equalities as well as Secretary of State for Business and Trade under Rishi Sunak. 

Badenoch has hailed Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill as her political heroes and called the vote for Brexit ‘the greatest ever vote of confidence in the project of the United Kingdom.’ She stresses the need for her party to return to its core values, which she believes are threatened by a new ‘progressive ideology’ involving ‘identity politics’. 

A salient feature of her politics is her vocal opposition to LGBTQ+ rights, in particular, transgender rights. Whilst Minister of Equalities, Badenoch opposed plans to allow transgender people to self-identify in the workplace, pushed to end gender-neutral toilets in public spaces, and delayed banning conversion therapy. In a 2018 recording leaked by Vice, Badenoch mocked transgender women, saying ‘now it’s not just about being free to marry who you want, you now want to have men using women’s bathrooms.’ 

Such views led former Doctor Who actor David Tennant, during an acceptance speech at the British LGBTQ+ awards, to say he wanted a world where Badenoch ‘doesn’t exist anymore’, wishing her to ‘shut up.’ Badenoch utilised this in her campaign video, which was dedicated almost entirely to the actor, to exemplify the type of ‘woke’ cultural establishment she claims to be threatening the Conservatives, stating she was ‘not afraid of Doctor Who’. As someone aiming to be a future Prime Minister, her preoccupation with Doctor Who has been labelled as ‘embarrassing’ by journalist Ash Sarkar. 

Badenoch has shown unequivocal support for Israel in its genocidal campaign against Palestinians, telling Sky News in September 2024 that Israel had shown ‘moral clarity in dealing with its enemies.’

Known for her combative and abrasive approach, Badenoch has been accused of bullying staff in a Guardian report. She will certainly make for an interesting parliamentary opposition to Keir Starmer, whose cautious demeanour stands in stark contrast.