Kemi Badenoch rejects Reform UK alliance and defends national identity

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has rejected any potential electoral alliance with Reform UK, stating that the two parties are fundamentally different. During her speech at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Badenoch criticized Reform UK for promoting outdated views on race and national identity.

Badenoch specifically addressed debates regarding whether ethnic minority citizens can be considered English. She defended her own identity as a “proud black Briton” and criticized comments made by former Conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who recently defected to Reform UK. Braverman had suggested during a BBC broadcast that she did not consider herself English due to her Asian heritage.

Badenoch emphasized that she does not want to live in a country where people debate whether her mixed-race children are English. While she expressed a desire to win back voters who have moved to Reform UK, she maintained that the Conservative Party remains the only credible alternative to the Labour government.

In response, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage declined to rule out a post-election pact, noting that while a pre-election agreement is “extremely unlikely,” the future remains uncertain. Additionally, Reform UK recently concluded an internal review regarding allegations of improper foreign donations, asserting that no electoral laws were broken.