UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has urged politicians in the United Kingdom to prioritise domestic issues over foreign matters, including those relating to Nigeria.
Speaking in an interview with GB News, Badenoch emphasised that her main identity is British, despite her Nigerian ancestry and early upbringing. She said the BBC had slightly misrepresented her earlier remarks but maintained that her focus remains on the UK.
“My main identity is as British. That is what I see myself as,” she explained. “As a politician in this country, we need to be very focused on what is happening here, not what’s happening elsewhere. And every day, I see loads of Labour MPs in particular talking about every other country except the UK.”
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Badenoch criticised what she described as a growing tendency among some lawmakers to comment more on international affairs than on domestic challenges, insisting that integration and commitment to British values should be a priority.
“If you come to this country, you need to be very focused on making sure that you integrate. And if you’re a politician, you need to be 100% focused on British issues. And that’s basically what I was saying,” she added.
Her comments also echo a recent statement on the Rosebud podcast, where she disclosed that she had not renewed her Nigerian passport in over 20 years and no longer considers herself Nigerian by identity.
“I’m Nigerian through ancestry, by birth, despite not being born there because of my parents. But by identity, I’m not really. I know the country very well, I have a lot of family there, and I’m very interested in what happens there,” she said during the August 1 episode.
Badenoch’s remarks have sparked fresh debate on the role of identity and foreign policy focus in British politics.
