Badenoch says ‘Nigerian scammer’ remark racist

British Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has denounced the racist attacks she faced after a former aide to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called her a "Nigerian scammer". Badenoch stated that these attacks, which referenced her Nigerian heritage, would not succeed, accusing Reform politicians of using her race to bolster their political careers.

She made these remarks during an interview on ITV's Good Morning Britain following the posts made by Raheem Kassam, a former senior aide to Farage, on social media. Kassam described Badenoch as an "unrelenting scammer" and accused her of using her Nigerian background to further her career. Badenoch responded by saying the attacks demonstrated the nature of Reform politicians, who focused more on attacking her than discussing policies to improve lives.

She also emphasized that Britain is not a racist country, and thus, these racially motivated attacks would not have an impact. Reform's Treasury spokesman, Robert Jenrick, declined to condemn Kassam's remarks, stating they were potentially unpleasant or rude. Jenrick also addressed a controversy surrounding Badenoch's claim of receiving a pre-medical course offer from Stanford University at the age of 16, which she maintained was true, despite not having the necessary documents.

Farage dismissed the claims of racism, later acknowledging the remarks were "over the top" but believing they were not intentionally racist. The comments came amid political tensions between Badenoch's Conservatives and Reform UK, which has sought to attract voters who previously supported the Conservatives.