Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has criticised Reform UK MPs for questioning the identity of black Britons, saying she does not want her children growing up in a country where their Britishness is challenged because of their background.
Badenoch, MP for North West Essex, made the remarks during her speech at the 2026 Conservative Party Conference on Wednesday, as she accused Reform politicians of taking Britain backwards on questions of identity.
“I don’t want to live in a country run by people who threaten journalists, who call veterans traitors, and debate whether my mixed-race children are English,” she said.
Badenoch said she did not want to explain to her son why some people questioned whether black footballers representing England were English.
“I don’t want to explain to my son when we’re watching our brilliant England team play football that some people don’t think our black players are English,” she said.
She recalled former England internationals Ian Wright and John Barnes, saying their English identity had not been subjected to similar public questioning.
“I remember back in the day when Ian Wright and John Barnes were playing, nobody was questioning whether they were English,” Badenoch said.
“We certainly didn’t have sitting MPs questioning whether they were English.”
Badenoch warned that Britain should resist what she described as attempts to reverse progress on national identity and inclusion.
“We must not let these people take us backwards. That is not the country we are,” she said.
The Conservative leader also sought to draw a clear distinction between her party and Reform UK, saying the Conservatives represented a different political outlook.
“Reform MPs are openly questioning people’s identity. They are not like us. We are not like them,” she said.
“We are different. We are the Conservative Party.”
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