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 a series of social media posts.
Badenoch accused politicians associated with Reform UK of targeting her Nigerian background for political advantage, insisting that the attacks would not help improve their standing among British voters.
She made the remarks during an interview on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Thursday, following comments by Raheem Kassam, a former senior aide to Farage and former editor-in-chief of Breitbart News.
Kassam had described Badenoch as an “unrelenting scammer” and questioned her credibility, linking his criticism to her Nigerian heritage.
In another social media post, he wrote: “How are people still falling for this Nigerian scammer? Don’t give her your credit card number and bank account details!”
Responding to the remarks, Badenoch said the comments reflected the attitude of those behind the attacks, accusing Reform politicians of focusing more on personal criticism than on policies capable of improving people’s lives.
“I think it just shows the sort of people they are,” she said.
Badenoch added that she believed her race was being used as a political weapon.
“I think they think that maybe using my race is a way for them to improve their standing,” she said.
“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.”
The controversy has also drawn attention to the responses of senior Reform UK figures, including Farage and the party’s Treasury spokesman, Robert Jenrick.
During an ITV interview, Jenrick declined to describe Kassam’s comments as racist, 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.
Jenrick also referred to a separate controversy surrounding Badenoch’s account of receiving an offer from Stanford University at the age of 16 for a pre-medical course. Badenoch has maintained that she received the offer but said she no longer had the relevant documents.
Farage, meanwhile, rejected suggestions that Kassam’s comments were racist, arguing during an appearance on BBC Breakfast that references to someone having grown up in Nigeria did not automatically constitute racism.
He later acknowledged that the remarks were “over the top” but said he did not believe they were intentionally racist.
A Labour Party spokesman criticised Jenrick’s response, arguing that condemning racism should not be treated as a matter of political allegiance but as “basic decency”.
The exchange comes amid growing political competition between Badenoch’s Conservative Party and Reform UK, which has sought to attract voters who previously supported the Conservatives.
The dispute adds another dimension to the political rivalry, with questions of race, public conduct and political messaging becoming part of the wider debate.
Badenoch, who was born in London and grew up partly in Nigeria, has led the Conservative Party since November 2024.
Her response underscores her determination to challenge attacks she considers racially motivated while keeping the focus on political accountability and policy debates.
The controversy has also renewed discussions about the boundaries of political criticism, particularly when public figures’ ethnic or national backgrounds become central to attacks against them.
