Kemi Badenoch warned that “racist attacks” on her are “not going to work” in a row over a former aide to Nigel Farage calling her a “Nigerian scammer”. The Tory leader was asked about the attack by Raheem Kassam and the refusal of Reform defector Robert Jenrick to condemn the remarks.

Mr Kassam has targeted Mrs Badenoch in a series of social media posts, branding her a “Nigerian scammer” and saying not to “give her your credit card number”. Speaking this morning, Mrs Badenoch told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I think it just shows the sort of people they are.

“I keep telling people that Reform politicians are not like Conservative politicians, and I want the Reform voters who were Conservatives to come home.

“This is what they’re spending their time on. They’re not talking about how they’re going to make people’s lives better. They’re spending most of their time attacking me. You’d think that I was the prime minister.

“I think they think that maybe using my race is a way for them to improve their standing.

“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.”

Of Mr Jenrick, she added: “He’s not one of my MPs. He’s not my problem anymore. He’s Nigel Farage’s problem.”

But the Reform MP again refused to condemn the comments as he spoke to GMB after Mrs Badenoch.

Asked if he thought they were racist, Mr Jenrick said: “I don’t think they were… were they unpleasant or were they rude? Maybe, but it’s not my place to police everybody’s tweets who may or may not be a supporter of Reform.

“Obviously Kemi is of Nigerian heritage and she has told some pretty appalling lies in her career, like saying that she had been offered a scholarship to Stanford university to do a pre-med course when she wasn’t.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch (Image: GMB)

Mrs Badenoch has insisted she received an offer from the university aged 16 but no longer has the relevant documents, after the Guardian cast doubt on the claim.

Mr Kassam posted a series of tweets attacking Mrs Badenoch as a “scammer” and highlighting her Nigerian background.

He wrote: “Kemi Badenoch is an unrelenting scammer, and she has used her Nigerian background as a means by which to advance her career when it suits her.”

In another he said: “How are people still falling for this Nigerian scammer?

“Don’t give her your credit card number and bank account details!”

Kemi Badenoch Furiously Hits Back at ‘Racist Attacks’ in Reform UK Row

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has hit back at what she described as racist attacks against her after a former adviser to Nigel Farage sparked a political storm by referring to her as a “Nigerian scammer”. The controversy has intensified tensions between the Conservative Party and Reform UK, raising fresh questions about political language, racial identity and the increasingly bitter competition for voters on the British right.

The row erupted after Raheem Kassam, a former senior aide to Nigel Farage, published a series of social media posts attacking Badenoch and highlighting her Nigerian background. In one post, he described the Conservative leader as an “unrelenting scammer” and accused her of using her Nigerian heritage to advance her political career. In another, he warned people not to give her their credit card or bank account details.

The comments quickly attracted widespread criticism and prompted Badenoch to respond during an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain on October 29, 2026.

The Conservative leader said that attempts to use her racial background against her would not succeed. She suggested that some Reform figures believed attacking her identity could improve their political standing, but insisted that such tactics would ultimately fail.

Badenoch also questioned why Reform politicians appeared to be spending so much time attacking her personally rather than discussing policies that could improve people’s lives.

She said that she wanted former Conservative voters who had moved to Reform UK to reconsider their decision and return to the Conservative Party.

The controversy became even more significant when Robert Jenrick, who recently left the Conservatives to join Reform UK, was asked whether he believed Kassam’s comments were racist. Jenrick declined to condemn the remarks, describing them as potentially unpleasant or rude but arguing that it was not his responsibility to police every social media post made by people associated with Reform.

Jenrick also raised previous questions surrounding Badenoch’s account of receiving an offer from Stanford University at the age of 16. Badenoch has maintained that she received the offer but has said she no longer possesses the relevant documentation.

His response attracted further criticism because he had previously been a senior Conservative politician and had competed against Badenoch in the Conservative leadership contest.

Nigel Farage was also questioned about the controversy. The Reform UK leader acknowledged that Kassam’s comments had gone too far but said he did not believe they were intentionally racist.

The incident has exposed wider tensions between the Conservatives and Reform UK, particularly as both parties compete for voters who are dissatisfied with Labour’s government.

Badenoch has repeatedly attempted to present the Conservatives as a party focused on national unity, economic policy and individual opportunity. She has also criticised political rhetoric that questions whether people from ethnic minority backgrounds can fully belong to Britain.

The debate has extended beyond the personal dispute. Earlier controversies involving Reform politicians and comments about English identity have raised questions about how nationality, ethnicity and British citizenship should be understood.

Badenoch has previously criticised suggestions that ethnic minorities cannot identify as English. She has pointed to her own mixed-race family and argued that political language should not make children feel excluded from the country in which they live.

For Reform UK, the controversy presents a difficult communications challenge. The party has built much of its political appeal around immigration, national identity and criticism of the political establishment. However, its representatives must also respond to questions about the language used by supporters and former political associates.

Labour has also entered the debate, criticising Jenrick for refusing to condemn the remarks. A Labour spokesperson argued that challenging racism should not be treated as a matter of party politics but as a basic question of decency.

The dispute demonstrates how personal attacks and questions of identity can quickly become major political issues in Westminster. It also highlights the increasingly competitive relationship between Badenoch and Farage as both seek to influence the future direction of British conservative politics.

Ultimately, the controversy is about more than a series of social media posts. It raises important questions about political responsibility, public debate and the distinction between legitimate criticism of politicians and attacks that target their ethnic background.

In conclusion, Kemi Badenoch’s response has brought renewed attention to the growing tensions between the Conservative Party and Reform UK. While political disagreement is an essential part of democracy, the controversy has demonstrated how arguments about race and national identity can dominate political discussion. As the rivalry between the two parties continues, both will face questions about the language they use and the standards they expect from their representatives and supporters.