𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Kemi Badenoch insisted that “racist attacks” on her were “not going to work” after a former aide to Nigel Farage called her a “Nigerian scammer”. The Tory leader was asked about the jibe made in a social media post by Raheem Kassam, and the refusal of Tory-to-Reform defector Robert Jenrick to condemn the remarks.

She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I think it just shows the sort of people they are. I keep telling people that Reform politicians are not like Conservative politicians, and I want the Reform voters who were Conservatives to come home. This is what they’re spending their time on. They’re not talking about how they’re going to make people’s lives better. They’re spending most of their time attacking me. You’d think that I was the prime minister.”

She insisted: “I think they think that maybe using my race is a way for them to improve their standing.

“Britain is not a racist country and because it’s not a racist country, their racist attacks and using my race as an attack form is not going to work.”

Of Mr Jenrick, she added: “He’s not one of my MPs. He’s not my problem anymore. He’s Nigel Farage’s problem.”