Kemi Badenoch has made some bold—and frankly bizarre—claims, warning that if the Conservative Party isn’t revived, not just Britain, but the entirety of Western civilisation is doomed. No pressure, then.
A crisis of confidence… or just a bad election result?
Speaking at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference—co-founded by self-help guru Jordan Peterson—Badenoch took a rather dramatic stance on the state of the world.
“Western civilisation is in crisis,” she declared. “Our ideas and culture have dominated for over two centuries, but now we lack confidence—just as existential threats emerge.”
So, what’s the solution to this apocalyptic scenario? According to Badenoch, the answer is simple: reviving the Conservative Party after its historic battering in July’s general election.
“If we get this right, we stand at the dawn of a new Conservative century,” she claimed. “But if we throw this opportunity away because of anger, self-doubt, or weakness… our country and all of Western civilisation will be lost.”
That’s right—forget global conflict, climate change, or economic collapse. The real threat is apparently a lack of Tory MPs in Parliament.
Echoing Trump and Vance?
Badenoch’s comments come hot on the heels of US Vice-President JD Vance’s attack on Europe last week. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Vance claimed Europe’s Cold War victories have been squandered and took a swipe at the UK, accusing the country of a “backslide away from conscience rights.”
Badenoch appeared to align herself with his concerns, declaring:
“Free speech matters. Some cultures are better than others, and it’s only contentious to say this because honesty has become impossible.”
She also doubled down on her stance on immigration, arguing:
“Immigration is far too high. We cannot support all those who wish to come to our country. The British people must come first. We don’t need to apologise. We don’t need to pay reparations or give away the Chagos Islands.”
Fighting cancel culture and “poisoned minds”
Badenoch also took aim at higher education, claiming universities are “poisoning minds” and pushing a dangerous orthodoxy.
She then went full anti-“woke”, saying:
“Rules to protect people from ‘perceived’ harm have overreached. Being upset or offended shouldn’t be the state’s concern. Silencing free speech harms democracy, culture, and individual resilience.”
She even suggested not spending more on defence is a sign of weakness, warning that Russia, Iran, and North Korea are working together to threaten democracy.
Labour and the Lib Dems aren’t having it
Unsurprisingly, Badenoch’s speech didn’t go down well with opposition parties.
Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper mocked her remarks, accusing her of trying to outdo Nigel Farage in sucking up to Donald Trump.
“Instead of standing up for Ukraine and Europe’s security, Kemi Badenoch has decided she’d rather parrot Trump’s dangerous rhetoric. To borrow a phrase from her political hero: sad.”
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