Kemi Badenoch: ‘Separatist ghettos’ threaten integration

Kemi Badenoch has warned that ghettos are eroding the integration of migrants into British public life. The Conservative leader hit out at those “recreating the place that they came from” in the UK during her opening address at the party’s annual conference. Most commented 1 Live Kemi Badenoch: Britain has become complacent — as it happened Politics 691 comments 2 On the Cornell campus as fury grows over fraternity ‘gang rape’ US news 263 comments 3 Ministers cannot say how many early release prisoners were tagged Politics 115 comments 4 15 of the best Australia tours Australia 17 comments 5 Andy Burnham’s approval rating: the latest polls Data 602 comments She said that while citizenship was not “race-based”, the norms and expectations that underpin “British culture” were being ignored by too many people moving to the country. Politics newsletter Get our daily insider’s guide to Westminster, plus a rundown of PMQs every Wednesday. Sign up with one click You’ve successfully signed up to the Politics newsletter Explore our newsletters An error occurred. Please use the link below. Politics newsletter Explore our newsletters The Conservatives are seeking to re-establish trust on immigration in a pitch to voters being wooed by Reform UK. Top stories 1 Exclusive Kim Kardashian: ‘I was single for five years. I needed to heal’ Celebrity 2 The best luxury gadgets to buy now LUXX 3 The 16 best luxury fragrances for autumn LUXX Badenoch suggested that a fragmentation of national identity was denting trust and communal bonds between people in the UK. Advertisement She said: “What I want to see is a high-trust country and that means that the people coming into our country need to join the country and they need to sign up to that deal. Top stories 1 Six thrilling Costa Rica trips with Times Holidays Promoted content “I don’t want lots of little ghettos of separatist communities where they are recreating the place that they came from. That will ruin the United Kingdom.” The shadow cabinet at the start of Badenoch’s speech TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE She added: “We’ve never had race-based citizenship in this country but I do want to emphasise that British culture means something. “It is not just about the values and the principles … The way we go about doing things, the norms, the expectations, those are things that we all have a responsibility to look after. It isn’t just the government’s job.” Kemi Badenoch spells out her six Tory principles: ‘I call it Kemistry’ Advertisement Ministers are seeking to make it harder for legal migrants to gain permanent settlement in the UK, and toughen the rules to qualify for indefinite leave to remain. Sir Keir Starmer previously acknowledged concerns about integration, saying in May last year that Britain risked becoming an “island of strangers”. However, he later said he regretted making the comment after a backlash from some Labour MPs. To coincide with the start of Badenoch’s second Tory conference as leader, she published a 95-page essay titled The Right Way. Badenoch with her booklet TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE In it, she acknowledged mistakes made by previous governments, writing that: “We promised lower immigration without a strategy for delivering it.” Speaking on Sunday, the Conservative leader sought to show that she had successfully overhauled the party, saying it had “learnt the lessons” of the 2024 election defeat. Advertisement Badenoch was confident the Tories would “win the next election” and cast her party as a “new” outfit. Watch: Badenoch’s best moments Tom Peck: It’s story time with Kemi Badenoch at the Tory nursery She said Labour had been shown to be unprepared for government, and as a result she was preparing the Conservatives for power based on both plans and principles. “There is always an emergency. There is always a good reason to spend government money or time on something, but we don’t have unlimited resources,” Badenoch said. “Government is about making tough choices, deciding how you will spread your resources, what you are going to focus your time on.” Gifts of Conservative leaders past and present for sale at the party’s conference TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE Badenoch also said politicians should take more seriously calls to hike defence spending to see off the threat of war. Advertisement “I think because it feels so remote, the public are treating it almost like a movie, like it’s Mission Impossible and Tom Cruise is going to come in and sort the problem out for us,” she said. “We have to sort this out and I don’t want the public to be worried, but I want politicians to be worried. I want the public to feel that the politicians have got it in hand. Cutting inheritance tax is morally right, says Kemi Badenoch “But I’m worried because I don’t think Labour gets it. I don’t think they are serious about spending 3 per cent [of GDP on defence] by 2030, I don’t think they know what the threats are. “I do think they genuinely believe that if they just sit down and have a nice cup of tea with the Iranian foreign minister and Vladimir Putin, they will come to their senses and be nice to us. That is not going to happen. Those countries respect strength.” Advertisement Heading into the conference, the Conservatives announced plans to build 50,000 new prison places and axe the £100,000 cut-off for 30 days’ free childcare a week, so wealthy parents can access the offer. Party activists in the conference hall Oli SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images The party unveiled a 27-metre parody of the Bayeux Tapestry at the conference TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE Despite optimism among senior Tories about their future prospects, the party remains behind both Labour and Reform UK in opinion polls. YouGov’s most recent survey, published on September 29, showed Reform in front on 25 per cent, with Labour narrowly behind on 24 per cent and the Conservatives on 19 per cent. Bridget Phillipson, the chair of the Labour Party, claimed the Tories were split over the issue of the state pension triple lock. She said on Sunday: “Last week Andy Burnham set out a plan to bring back hope to Britain. Kemi Badenoch wants to drag our country back to a politics that let so many people down over the past 40 years. “While the Tories reach for desperate and misleading tactics to try to distract from the fact Badenoch’s top team oppose her on key issues, Andy Burnham will carry on taking on the complex problems politicians have ignored for far too long.”