Conservative leadership contender Kemi Badenoch has said that immigrants who bring “foreign conflicts” should not be welcomed to the UK. Badenoch emphasized western values and the principles that have made the country great. She called for immigrants to share the same values, as not all cultures are equally valid. Badenoch’s competitor in the race for leader, Robert Jenrick, said that immigration was at the top of his list of issues to fix but has a different solution than Badenoch. He believes that the UK needs to leave the European Convention on Human Rights to resolve the problem.
The Conservative party conference in Birmingham began today, bringing the four leadership candidates together to present their cases to Tory activists. In early October, Tory MPs will vote to narrow down the field to two candidates before party members are balloted on their choice. The contender that emerges victorious will replace Rishi Sunak, and the announcement will come in November.
Speaking to Laura Kuenssberg for the BBC’s Sunday show, Jenrick criticized Badenoch’s emphasis on culture and insisted that numbers of immigrants mattered. He said, “Numbers also matter… Just saying ‘I’ll have a plan in a few years’ time’ is a recipe for in-fighting and for losing the public’s trust. I have a plan.” Badenoch denied Jenrick’s accusations, saying that numbers did matter, but culture mattered even more. She emphasized that who came into the country was critical.
Badenoch appealed for an integration strategy that emphasized British values to ensure that everyone had a shared culture and identity. She also said that she did not want the UK to become the place she grew up in. Badenoch was born in London and spent much of her childhood in Nigeria before returning to the UK.
James Cleverly, Shadow Home Secretary, said that the British public did not like the constant infighting and bickering within the party all the time. On Sky News, Tom Tugendhat, shadow security minister, said that the Conservative party needed someone capable of leading, and he urged people to judge him on his actions over the past 35 years rather than decisions his parents made 35 years ago
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