Kemi Badenoch's most controversial quotes as she becomes Tory leader

Kemi Badenoch has been named the new Tory leader after defeating rival Robert Jenrick on Saturday.

Badenoch, who becomes the first Black leader of the Conservative Party, secured 53,806 votes to Jenrick's 41,388 to succeed Rishi Sunak has leader of the party.

A typically straight-talking Badenoch said in her acceptance speech the party needed to be “honest” about its recent problems. "To be heard we have to be honest," she said. "Honest about the fact that we made mistakes. Honest about the fact that we let standards slip. The time has come to tell the truth. It is time to renew."

In recent months, Badenoch has installed herself as a firm favourite among the party's grassroots membership, whose votes decided the contest.

Her outspoken views on issues from gender identity to institutional racism have delighted the right of the party and angered critics on the left, who have accused her of deliberately stoking so-called culture wars.

In the course of a turbulent ministerial career Badenoch has clashed with critics over her insistence public buildings should have separate men’s and women’s toilet facilities, faced accusations of bullying her own officials and claimed up to 10% of civil servants were so bad at their job they "should be in prison".

Yahoo UK takes a look at some of her most controversial comments.

'I became working class when I got a job at McDonald's'

What happened: Badenoch raised a few eyebrows when she claimed she grew up in a middle-class family but "became working class" after getting a job at McDonald's aged 16.

She said the job was the "first time I ever interacted properly with people who didn't come from the sort of background that I came from".

"Just understanding how many people there were single parents, and they were working there to make ends meet," she added.

Her remarks attracted plenty of derision online, with Irvine Welsh, the author of Trainspotting, saying: "I was a council scheme boy but I became upper class when I started shoplifting at Harrods. It just takes enterprise."

What she said: While Badenoch did not respond directly to the criticism, she later told the podcast: "I never have gaffes, or apologising for something that I said, [saying] ‘oh that’s not what I meant,’ I never have to clarify, because I think very carefully about what I say.”

Read more: Kemi Badenoch claims she 'became working class' after securing a job at McDonald's as a teenager (Sky News - 18 September, 2024)

Badenoch vs David Tennant

What happened: Doctor Who actor David Tenant became embroiled in a row with Badenoch over trans rights after appearing the British LGBT Awards, where he called out the Tory hopeful over her views on gender.

As he collected his Celebrity Ally award, he said: "If I'm honest I'm a little depressed by the fact that acknowledging that everyone has the right to be who they want to be, and live their life how they want to live it, as long as they're not hurting anyone else should merit any kind of special award or special mention, because it's common sense, isn't it?"

He added: "We shouldn't live in a world where that is worth remarking on. However, until we wake up and Kemi Badenoch doesn't exist anymore - I don't wish ill of her, I just wish her to shut up - whilst we do live in this world, I am honoured to receive this."

What she said: "I will not shut up. I will not be silenced by men who prioritise applause from Stonewall over the safety of women and girls. A rich, lefty, white male celebrity so blinded by ideology he can’t see the optics of attacking the only black woman in government by calling publicly for my existence to end.”

Read more: David Tennant, Kemi Badenoch and the PM: the LGBTQ rights feud (Evening Standard - 26 June, 2024)

Maternity pay 'is excessive'

What happened: Badenoch attracted criticism from Tory rivals after telling Times Radio she believed maternity pay is “excessive” and that people should exercise “more personal responsibility”.

Describing statutory maternity pay as “a function of tax”, she told the station in September: “Tax comes from people who are working, we’re taking from one group of people and giving to another. This, in my view, is excessive.”

Arguing that businesses are closing because “the burden of regulation is too high”, she added: “We need to allow businesses, especially small businesses, to make more of their own decisions.

Her comments were quickly criticised by fellow Conservative leadership contenders, with Robert Jenrick saying he is "firmly on the side of parents", and Tom Tugendhat saying he wanted to see "strong maternity and paternity pay".

Joeli Brearley, founder of campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed, said it is "absolute nonsense" to suggest businesses are closing because of statutory maternity pay because they are able to recoup the cost from HMRC, adding that the payment is "absolutely vital".

What she said: Badenoch later backtracked on her comments, posting on X: “Contrary to what some have said, I clearly said the burden of regulation on businesses had gone too far… of course I believe in maternity pay! Watch the clip for the truth.”

Read more: Tory rivals turn on Badenoch over ‘excessive’ maternity pay comment (The Telegraph - 29 September, 2024)

'Not all cultures are equally valid'

What happened: In an interview on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Badenoch said "not all cultures are equally valid" when it comes to deciding who should be allowed into the UK.

She gave the example of societies that "that believe in child marriage" or that "women don't have equal rights".

Badenoch was asked about an article she wrote for the Sunday Telegraph in which she wrote: "I am struck for example, by the number of recent immigrants to the UK who hate Israel. That sentiment has no place here."

She replied: "I didn't say only recent immigrants hate Israel. I said I am struck by the number of recent immigrants who hate Israel. It is quite clear that there are many people who have recently come to this country who have brought views from where they used to be that have no place here."

What she said: Kuenssberg pressed Badenoch on the immigrants she was talking about "specifically", to which the Tory contender replied: "I know what you're trying to do, Laura.

"You want me to say Muslims when it isn't all Muslims, so I’m not going to do that. I'm not going to play this game.

“I should be able to say that I have made an observation without you trying to portray it as me attacking a particular group."

Asked again on what evidence she was basing her claim, she said: "I told you - things that people write, people I've met. I've talked about people ripping down posters, we saw who was doing it... We need to be able to have these conversations without being scared, without running away."

• Read more: Kemi Badenoch In Extraordinary Clash With Laura Kuenssberg Over Immigrants Who 'Hate Israel' (HuffPost - 29 September, 2024)

'Mental health has become something that society, schools and employers have to work around'

What happened: Badenoch was accused of "stigmatising" people with autism after suggesting that having a diagnosis offered certain benefits.

In the foreword for a report entitled "Conservatism in Crisis", Badenoch suggested that having an autism diagnosis "offers economic advantages and protections", as well as "better treatment or equipment at school" and "even transport to and from home".

“Whereas once psychological and mental health was seen as something that people should work on themselves as individuals, mental health has become something that society, schools and employers have to work around," she wrote.

Responding to Badenoch's remarks, the Autism Centre of Excellence at Cambridge said: "We believe that autistic people and parents would agree that the government has failed to provide a good education, employment opportunities and the right care. Anyone with an interest in running our country would ask themselves why this is."

What she said: A spokesman for Badenoch said it would be "wrong to infer any prejudice" from the report, adding that she wrote the foreword and that its authors "see the rising impact of mental health and its effect on productivity" as a critical issue for society.

Read more: Kemi Badenoch faces backlash for 'stigmatising' autism (The Independent - 14th October, 2024)