Kemi Badenoch is not a fan of identity politics. Which is unfortunate given that her one trump card over the Prime Minister might be having a personality. And I don’t mean having worked at McDonald’s, that doesn’t count—nor does it make you working class.

 

 

But on the subject of identity politics, Badenoch seems smug, arguing that Rachel Reeves being the first female chancellor is a “very very low glass ceiling within the Labour Party”. Bold claim to make as this kind of begs the question why the Tories never had a female chancellor in their 14 years in power. Seems an oversight when Cabinet Office membership was a revolving door, and they had so many feminist icons as PM like… the lettuce? Joining the Conservative Party in 2005, Badenoch had a Masters in Engineering and a really original soft spot for Margaret Thatcher—bright futures ahead, STEM students! The Thatcher complex might explain her unstable stance on maternity pay and indicate her attitude towards feminism. She notoriously told Times Radio: “Statutory maternity pay is a function of tax. Tax comes from people who are working. We are taking from one group of people and giving to another. This, in my view, is excessive.” When pressed, she answered “the exact amount of maternity pay in my view is neither here nor there.” Yay equal rights! Badenoch tried to wash her hands of that comment, telling Sky News later that day that maternity pay is a “good thing”, and she doesn’t think it is excessive. Perhaps when your partner is a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank maternity pay is not something you concern yourself with.

 

 

When she was Minister of State for Equalities, Badenoch opposed trans employees being able to self-identify in the workplace and gender-neutral toilets in public buildings. Echoes of Section 28, anyone? Pushing her further right along the political spectrum, in September 2024, Badenoch wrote in The Sunday Telegraph that “not all cultures are equally valid”. Many commentators of a certain flavour—Badenoch used to be the digital director of The Spectator— have jumped at the opportunity to discuss internalised racism in the Conservative Party in relation to Kemi Badenoch. Instead, maybe we should reflect on how sad it is that politicians feel so hamstrung by identity politics that they either weaponise or ignore their identities. We get it, Starmer, your dad was a toolmaker.

 

 

Badenoch told the BBC she would reverse the VAT increase on private schools because “it’s a tax on aspiration, but it won’t raise any money”. “Aspiration” seems an interesting interpretation of unaccountable, elite schools who masquerade as charities. The daughter of a professor of physiology and a GP, Badenoch herself attended the private International School of Lagos. Her parents later sent her to the UK to finish her education at Phoenix College as there was significant political unrest in Nigeria.

 

 

What does Kemi Badenoch’s leadership mean for politics? Based on recent history, probably not much because someone else will take her place soon enough. For now, perhaps the Conservatives will win back some of their voters from Reform UK. Not sure how much of a win that actually is. Badenoch told the BBC that “Nigel Farage and the success of Reform are a symptom of the Conservative party” not being clear enough about its values and what it will deliver for the British people. Vague and threatening, I like it.

 

 

I wasn’t really sure what Kemi Badenoch, as leader of the Conservative Party, stood for until today’s PMQs. That might be because she wasn’t sure either. Scary as Robert Jenrick is, he had a point when he accused her, during the leadership race, of being “disrespectful” to Tory party members by not having any policies. Badenoch argued that she didn’t want to make empty promises or rash decisions. I’m beginning to wonder if politics isn’t for her.

 

 

In her first PMQs as leader of the opposition, Badenoch claimed that she intended to be a “constructive opposition”. She promptly broke this promise (it’s nice when things turn out as you predicted) by claiming that the budget did not consider defence. Actually, Rachel Reeves announced a £2.9 billion increase in the Ministry of Defence’s budget. Coincidentally, The Guardian recently reported that a former colleague of Badenoch recalled how in meetings “it was obvious she hadn’t read the brief”. I was sort of hoping we’d all get over that by the time we had big girl jobs.

 

 

Beside Badenoch, Priti Patel—when did she become a Dame?* —and Mel Stride looked smug as Shadow Foreign Secretary and Chancellor. Just goes to show, you don’t need friends in high places to get a good job—people hand them out like sweets once you lose a popularity contest to them. Though it seems James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat declined her invitation.

 

 

(*Turns out Boris made Priti a Dame after they both resigned.)

 

 

Good to see her far away from actual power and the Home Office. And as for Kemi, I look forward to the next meme. ∎

 

 

Words by Issy Proctor. Image Courtesy of FMT.