How Kemi Badenoch Became More British Than the Queen

Kemi Badenoch is more British than the Queen; if, of course, the Queen ever needed to remind everyone every five minutes. Her Britishness is not the quiet, dignified type, but the loud, performative kind that makes you wonder if she secretly wakes up every morning, stares into a mirror, and recites, “I am not Nigerian. I am British. God save the King.” If you need a politician who can out-English the English while dragging Nigeria through the mud, look no further.

Her latest round of controversy is as predictable as it is exhausting. The British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, recently accused her of desperately trying to stay relevant by positioning herself as the “saviour of Western civilisation.” That’s the thing about Badenoch; she is always on a mission to save the West from the very things she believes plague her African roots. One would think she barely escaped a lion attack before landing in the UK, given how she describes Nigeria as a place where “fear was everywhere” and “almost everything seemed broken.”

These comments didn’t sit well with Nigerians, who responded with the same bewilderment you’d expect if someone who left their family home at sixteen returned decades later only to announce that the house was always a disaster. Vice President Kashim Shettima went as far as telling her to drop the “Kemi” from her name since she was so embarrassed by it. But that is the irony; without her Nigerian heritage, what would Badenoch complain about to score political points?

She has built an entire career on rejecting everything her background represents while simultaneously using it to stand out. It’s a fascinating paradox: she wants to be seen as an example of British excellence while constantly reminding people she fought through the jungle of Nigeria to get there. She embodies the colonial-era fantasy of the “grateful immigrant” who should be admired for rising above the rubble of their homeland. But let’s be honest; Nigeria’s dysfunction does not make her unique; it just makes her an opportunist with an accent.

Her recent comments about Nigeria being corrupt and dangerous are not necessarily untrue; after all, Nigeria has its fair share of problems; but coming from someone whose entire political brand is built on denouncing identity politics, the hypocrisy is laughable. She does not believe in racism, but she is quick to highlight the “barbaric” nature of where she came from. She opposes affirmative action, yet she never fails to remind people that she overcame great obstacles as a Black woman in politics. She is the political equivalent of a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat and then complaining that there is a rabbit in the hat.

Badenoch’s commitment to Britishness is so extreme that one wouldn’t be surprised if she demanded to be knighted for her service in distancing herself from Africa. Her brand is simple: the West is good, Africa is bad, and anyone who disagrees is either too woke or simply jealous of her success.

The strategy has worked wonders for her career; she has been catapulted to the heights of British politics not because of any groundbreaking policies, but because she tells the Conservative Party exactly what they love to hear. She is proof that Britain is not racist, that meritocracy works, and that immigrants should assimilate and stop complaining. If you listen carefully, you can almost hear a standing ovation from the old guard of the Tory Party every time she opens her mouth.

But how far can she go with this act? Starmer’s attack on her motives is a sign that even within British politics, people are beginning to see through the performance. There is only so much relevance she can milk from bashing the country she was born in before it becomes overdone. She is not the first politician to make a career out of renouncing their origins; every nation has its share of self-loathing elites; but the problem with playing the anti-Nigeria card too frequently is that eventually, it stops being interesting. It’s like watching a comedian tell the same joke for years; at some point, the audience moves on.

Her relentless need to prove herself as more British than the British themselves would be hilarious if it weren’t so painfully ironic. The Queen never had to prove her Britishness. She simply was. Badenoch, on the other hand, is a walking, talking, policy-making contradiction. Her entire political existence relies on a balancing act; she must remain African enough to use her background as evidence of her “hard work,” yet detached enough to assure the Conservative base that she is nothing like the Africans they imagine.

She could have taken a different approach. She could have positioned herself as a strong, capable leader without throwing Nigeria under the bus at every opportunity. She could have acknowledged Nigeria’s flaws while also recognising its strengths, its potential, and the efforts of millions who work tirelessly to improve it. But nuance does not sell in politics, and certainly not in the brand of politics Badenoch has chosen. Her strategy is clear: the further she distances herself from Nigeria, the closer she gets to power.

The problem, however, is that the political landscape is changing. At some point, Britain’s conservatives will need more from her than just her rejection of Africa and her aggressive culture-war rhetoric. And when that day comes, she may realise too late that in her quest to prove herself as the ultimate Briton, she alienated not only the people of her homeland but also the very voters who once saw her as their favourite token politician.

For now, though, she remains committed to the act. If she could, she would probably rewrite her own childhood to say she was born in Buckingham Palace and raised on tea and scones. But until she figures out how to erase her Nigerian origins completely, she will have to settle for what she does best; proving, over and over again, just how much she is not like the place she came from.

___________________________________

Welcome to Inside Success Nigeria: Empowering the Next Generation

We’re thrilled to have you as a valued member of our community! At Inside Success Nigeria, we are committed to defining brighter futures through impactful workshops, life-changing seminars, and dynamic youth engagement programmes.

Join us in this journey of transformation! Partner with us to empower youths, foster innovation, and create lasting social impact. Your support through sponsorship or collaboration will amplify our efforts to make a real difference.

Explore more inspiring content and opportunities on our website, and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @InsideSuccessNigeria for exciting updates and initiatives.

Together, we can build a generation of leaders, creators, and those defining moments. Be the force behind the success!