Not All Cultures Equally Valid, Says Kemi Badenoch
Tory leadership contender Kemi Badenoch has stated that "not all cultures are equally valid" when it comes to deciding who should be allowed into the UK.
In an article for the Sunday Telegraph at the start of the Tory conference, she said: "Our country is not a dormitory for people to come here and make money. It is our home. Those we choose to welcome, we expect to share our values and contribute to our society."
Badenoch, Robert Jenrick, James Cleverly, and Tom Tugendhat are all vying for the Tory leadership after Rishi Sunak stood down in the summer following the party's general election defeat. All four will get a chance to make their case over the next four days in Birmingham, culminating in 20-minute speeches by each contender on Wednesday.
The field will then be whittled down to two by MPs, with the Tory membership getting the final say in an online ballot. The result will be declared on 2 November.
In her Telegraph article, Badenoch sets out what she calls a "hard-nosed" policy on immigration. She calls for a complete overhaul of the system to ensure every public servant makes it a priority - not just the Home Office - and does not rule out leaving the European Convention on Human Rights. She also calls for a better "integration strategy" that emphasizes British values and culture.
Drawing on her own background as an immigrant - she was born in the UK but spent her childhood in Nigeria - Badenoch writes: "Culture is more than cuisine or clothes. It's also customs which may be at odds with British values. We cannot be naïve and assume immigrants will automatically abandon ancestral ethnic hostilities at the border, or that all cultures are equally valid. They are not. I am struck, for example, by the number of recent immigrants to the UK who hate Israel. That sentiment has no place here."
James Cleverly has, meanwhile, set out plans to give Conservative members a much bigger say in policy formation and candidate selection. He said: "The truth is that we need to end the Tory psychodrama that has damaged our party for so long. We cannot expect our members and volunteers to be out campaigning while the parliamentary party rips itself apart in Westminster. Fixing our party will take work, and speed - I am ready for that challenge and I will deliver from day one. We need to hit the ground running."
Tom Tugendhat has said the Conservatives lost the general election due to "a lack of vision and a failure of leadership." He vowed to restore pride in Britain if he is elected leader and restore the Tories' "fighting spirit." "We have always stood on the right side of history, and we should never apologize for who we are or for defending our values. Patriotism isn't a dirty word—it's the best antidote to decline."
Leadership candidate Robert Jenrick said he hasn't shied away from "hard truths" during his campaign, and that he is "determined to win back the Red Wall" to win the next election. "We do so by listening to the country, accepting our shortcomings, and showing the country we have changed," he wrote in the Daily Express.
Meanwhile, former Conservative leader William, now Lord, Hague has told a British News Website that it "would be better" if the party's leadership was decided by MPs, rather than the membership. Hague was elected Tory leader in 1997 by MPs only under the old system but then brought in the current system.
He told the British News Website's Westminster Hour: "That's my fault, I introduced these rules. But now we can see the world has changed, political parties are smaller. It would be better if the decision was in the hands of Members of Parliament because the party membership has become so small." However, he said that MPs "still play a very big role" so "they have to be very careful who they support in case they give the impression to the members that they're happy with someone they're not really happy with."
The comments from Kemi Badenoch on the validity of different cultures have sparked controversy, with some criticizing her remarks as divisive and intolerant. As the Tory leadership race heats up, the candidates' positions on immigration and integration will likely be a key battleground in the coming weeks.
