Kemi Badenoch condemns racist attacks against her after being called a ‘Nigerian scammer’

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said racist attacks against her “are not going to work” after a former adviser to Nigel Farage described her as a “Nigerian scammer” in social media posts.

Badenoch was responding to comments by Raheem Kassam and the refusal of former Conservative MP Robert Jenrick, who defected to Reform UK, to condemn them as racist. Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Badenoch suggested that some Reform figures believed targeting her background could improve their political standing. “I think it just shows the sort of people they are,” she said.

“I keep telling people that Reform politicians are not like Conservative politicians, and I want the Reform voters who were Conservatives to come home.” She accused her opponents of concentrating on personal attacks rather than explaining how they would improve people’s lives.

“This is what they’re spending their time on. They’re not talking about how they’re going to make people’s lives better. They’re spending most of their time attacking me. You’d think that I was the prime minister,” she said. “I think they think that maybe using my race is a way for them to improve their standing.

“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.” Asked about Jenrick’s position, Badenoch distanced herself from her former colleague. “He’s not one of my MPs. He’s not my problem anymore. He’s Nigel Farage’s problem,” she said.

Kassam, a former UKIP adviser, published several posts attacking Badenoch over the weekend, repeatedly describing her as a scammer and referring to her Nigerian background. In one post, he accused her of using her heritage to advance her career when it suited her. In another, he warned people against giving her their credit card and bank account details.

Speaking to ITV after Badenoch’s interview, Jenrick again declined to describe the remarks as racist. “I don’t think they were… were they unpleasant or were they rude? Maybe, but it’s not my place to police everybody’s tweets who may or may not be a supporter of Reform,” he said.

Jenrick also challenged Badenoch’s account of receiving an offer to study at Stanford University, accusing her of having made false claims about a pre-med scholarship. Badenoch has maintained that she received an offer from the university when she was 16, although she said she no longer had the relevant documents. The Guardian had previously questioned the claim.

Farage was also asked earlier in the week whether he considered Kassam’s comments racist. “I don’t think saying somebody grew up in Nigeria is racist,” he told BBC Breakfast. After further questioning, he said: “Do I think the comment was over the top? Yes, I do. Do I think it was intentionally racist? No, I don’t.”

The dispute follows a separate controversy involving Suella Braverman, another former Conservative who joined Reform, over remarks interpreted as suggesting that only white people could be English. In her conference speech earlier this month, Badenoch accused Reform of wanting to “debate whether my mixed-race children are English”.

Labour also criticised Jenrick’s response to the comments about Badenoch. “Sometimes Robert Jenrick must look in the mirror and not recognise himself,” a party spokesperson said. “He can’t even call out blatant racism against his former party leader. Calling out racism isn’t a matter of party politics. It’s about basic decency.”