Kemi Badenoch, a contender in the race for the leadership of the UK’s Conservative Party, has asserted that “not all cultures are equally valid” when it comes to deciding which migrants should be allowed to enter the country. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph prior to the party conference in Birmingham, Badenoch claimed: “Our country is not a dormitory for people to come here and make money. It is our home.” She argued that those admitted to the country should share its values and contribute to society. Badenoch is vying to replace Rishi Sunak alongside Robert Jenrick, Tom Tugendhat and James Cleverly.
Writing in the same newspaper, Badenoch called for a “hard-nosed” immigration policy and for a complete overhaul of the system to ensure that every public servant prioritises the subject, not just the Home Office. She also called for a revised integration strategy emphasising British culture and values, and did not rule out leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.
Badenoch drew on her personal background as a UK-born child brought up in Nigeria to argue the case for cultural selectivity, suggesting that immigrants might hold “customs which may be at odds with British values”, including resentment against Israel. Jenrick meanwhile pledged to “win back the Red Wall” of voters lost in the 2019 election, and to demonstrate that the party has “changed”. Cleverly called for an end to the “Tory psychodrama” which has divided the party, and advocated giving members a greater role in policy formation and candidate selection.
Speaking on the BBC’s Westminster Hour, former Conservative leader William Hague argued that the party ‘s leadership contest should be left in the hands of MPs, rather than the largely pro-Brexit membership. Hague introduced the current system which involves a vote by the membership. Though he argued that MPs still play a role, he stated: “It would be better if the decision was in the hands of Members of Parliament because the party membership has become so small”
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