Kemi Badenoch vows to rid Britain of 'identity politics' as she brands UK 'least racist country in the world'

Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch will vow to get rid of "identity politics" as she has branded the UK as the "least racist country in the world".

She said: "Modern Britain is the least racist country on earth. I speak from experience. As a child, I lived on three different continents.

"I have seen what life is like for ethnic minorities in other places. There is nowhere else on Earth I'd rather be.

"There is nowhere else on Earth that I would be doing the job that I'm doing right now as a black woman in a majority white country."

The Tory leader outlined her plans to abandon rules requiring public servants, such as police, nurses and teachers, to consider equality issues as part of their daily work during the Institute of Government conference.

She said the party will dismantle the public sector equality duty, a legal requirement which requires all public entities to assess how their operations impact people with protected characteristics.

Mrs Badenoch said Southport, Nottingham and Manchester tragedies were avoidable if people were not driven by a "fear of being called racist".

The Leader of the Opposition said: "What do the Nottingham murders, the Southport attack, the Manchester arena bombings, and the rape gangs all have in common?

"All these crimes could have been stopped if people had intervened instead of a fear of being, instead of having a fear of being called racist."

Police forces are spending millions of pounds on DEI initiatives and hiring specialists in the space, which has come under fierce scrutiny following the death of 18-year-old Henry Nowak in December last year.

He died in police custody after his killer accused him of being racist.

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Southport, Nottingham and Manchester avoidable if people not driven by 'fear of being called racist', says Kemi Badenoch

Kemi Badenoch has said Southport, Nottingham and Manchester tragedies were avoidable if people were not driven by a "fear of being called racist".

The Leader of the Opposition said: "What do the Nottingham murders, the Southport attack, the Manchester arena bombings, and the rape gangs all have in common?

"All these crimes could have been stopped if people had intervened instead of a fear of being, instead of having a fear of being called racist.

"We would not have had so many girls abused by rape gangs if local authorities had not looked away because they were too scared to point out the obvious.

"That's why those unspeakable crimes went on for years. One parent told me that when she gave the description of her daughter's abuser, the police accused her of being racist."

'Modern Britain is the least racist country on Earth', says Kemi Badenoch

Kemi Badenoch said modern Britain is the "least racist country on Earth".

Speaking at the Institute for Government conference, she said: "Modern Britain is the least racist country on earth. I speak from experience. As a child, I lived on three different continents.

"I have seen what life is like for ethnic minorities in other places. There is nowhere else on Earth I'd rather be.

"There is nowhere else on Earth that I would be doing the job that I'm doing right now as a black woman in a majority white country."

Kemi Badenoch: the Nowak's want the 'police to become institution public can trust again' 

Kemi Badenoch has said the Nowak family want the "police to become an institution the public can trust again".

She questioned why the police took an accusation of racism more seriously than the 18-year-olds pleas he had been stabbed and why they were "distracted by something that has nothing to do with their core function".

The Conservative leader said she "feels sorry" for those police officers on duty during Mr Nowak's death because "they were following guidance they had been trained on".

'Reform is now the party of workers', says Nigel Farage 

Nigel Farage has announced Reform is "now the party of workers".

Reform's leader wrote on X: "Reform is now the party of workers. Today I am inviting trade unions to apply for affiliation with Reform UK.

"We also welcome union leaders to attend our national conference in September and engage in discussions about the policies of a future Reform government."

In an accompanying video posted on X, the Reform leader referenced a report which revealed the number of union members voting for his party were now on a par with Labour.

Keir Starmer issues statement following Belfast attack

Sir Keir Starmer took to social media to issue a statement following the attack in Belfast.

The Prime Minister wrote: "The horrific attack in Belfast last night is sickening.

"I have absolutely no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on our streets.

"My thoughts are first and foremost with the victim, and I thank the first responders, including members of the public who intervened."

'Secret spy camera' sparks espionage fears over Chinese mega-embassy

The discovery of a "secret spy camera" has sparked espionage fears over the Chinese mega-embassy in London.

A hidden camera was uncovered by security officials within a suite of offices which houses the Home Office and the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), ministers have now been told.

The revelation of the hidden camera located in the offices on Marsham Street in Victoria, central London, has sparked espionage fears as the building had been involved in the controversial planning application for the China's proposed mega-embassy.

A source familiar with the incident - which occurred in the last two months - told the i Paper the Security Services had been informed.

Read Peter Stevens' story here.

Kemi Badenoch supports ban on social media for under-16s

Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch has backed a comprehensive ban for social media for under-16s, in line with Sir Keir Starmer.

She said, speaking to the BBC: "Social media is for adults, it’s not for children. These platforms are designed to be addictive."

When asked about the Prime Minister's ultimatum to the tech giants to stop children sharing explicit images online, she said it would be "easier" to implement a blanket ban.

"I think we do need to protect them. There are children who have ended up committing suicide because the sharing of nude images escalated out of control," she said.

"But I don’t know if it’s technically possible. I think it’s a much more complicated thing than just getting the children off social media."

Liz Kendall: The Conservatives' proposal to abolish equality laws in public sector would 'turn clock back' 

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said Kemi Badenoch's plans to get rid of the public sector equality duty would "turn the clock back".

She said, speaking to Sky News: "What she’s saying is she wants to repeal a duty which stops pregnant women being sacked, women on maternity leave being sacked, which prevents discrimination against disabled people, which prevents discrimination on age grounds.

"You know, people thinking, ‘Oh, you’re too old for this job, despite all of your experience’.

"That’s not common sense middle ground. It’s turning the clock back to the past."

Claire Countinho: 'We have to stop having radical activists infiltrating our public services'

Claire Countinho Shadow Minister for Equalities has backed Kemi Badenoch's plans to rid identity politics from public life.

Speaking to GB News, she said: "We have to kick-out identity politics from our public services. If you're the NHS, you should be treating people, not putting out promotional material for cousin marriage.

"If you're the police, you should be stopping crime, not obsessing about how you should treat ethnic minorities differently.

"If you're the prison service, you should be able to isolate Islamic terrorists, but actually, we have seen a case where a prison has been stopped from doing that."

She concluded: "We have to stop having radical activists infiltrating our public services and actually pushing ideology, which is at odds with the majority of what the public thinks, and actually it's making it harder for those public services to do their jobs."

The Tories would stand up to the US on social media, says Claire Countinho

Claire Countinho Shadow Minister for Equalities said the Conservatives would go head-to-head with the US over banning social media for under-16s as they are all about "protecting British children".

Speaking to GB News, she acknowledged the Government should protect freedom of speech among adults, but for children, they do not need such freedoms and require greater protection online.

She said: "I think there is real damage that's being done to childhood, and that's got to be the priority and other countries could say whatever they want about it, but our priority is protecting British children."

Daisy Cooper asks GB News: 'Whose side is Keir Starmer on?' 

Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats Daisy Cooper weighed in on President Donald Trump's comments on the UK potentially implementing a social media ban for under-16s.

Speaking to GB News, she said: "I think our Prime minister is probably on his way out. He'll be thinking about his legacy. And I think he's got a very simple question to ask himself. Whose side is he on?

"Is he on the side of British parents and children who need to be protected online, or is he on the side of Elon Musk and Donald Trump?

"We haven't seen the details of what the government are proposing, and we will look at those details when we can see them. But quite frankly, we need a prime Minister that can stand up to the big tech giants."

Trump administration warns Keir Starmer against imposing social media ban on millions of Britons

The Trump administration has warned Sir Keir Starmer against imposing a social media ban on millions of Britons.

In a submission to the Government's social media consultation published by the US Embassy in London, the White House said it was not in favour of "broad social media bans" for Britain's roughly 13 million under-16s.

The statement published by the US Government said: "The United States does not categorically oppose age assurance measures, but we urge careful consideration of their scope and implementation."

It added: "We favour narrowly targeted requirements primarily with respect to pornographic and adult commercial content (e.g., online gambling, tobacco sales, alcohol sales), rather than broad social media bans."

Read Peter Stevens' full story here.