Badenoch declares herself a 'proud black Briton' and brands Reform 'weirdos and criminals' in Tory conference speech

From the Newshound archive · first published 8 October 2026.

Kemi Badenoch delivered the most charged section of her Tory conference speech by attacking Reform over race, telling delegates she refuses to live in a country where politicians debate whether her mixed-race children are English. The Conservative leader branded Nigel Farage's party 'weirdos and criminals' and urged its voters to return to the Tory fold. She took direct aim at Suella Braverman, who defected to Reform and sparked a row last week by saying she did not consider herself English despite being born in London. Badenoch also announced a major inheritance tax cut in the hour-long Birmingham address.

Braverman told BBC Question Time she is 'of Asian origin' and 'not an English person', igniting the Englishness row Badenoch chose to confront head-on.

Badenoch said nobody questioned whether Ian Wright or John Barnes were English, adding: 'We must not let these people take us backwards.'

Reform was accused of trying to weaponise Badenoch's own background by raising the fact that she grew up in Nigeria.