𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐌𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡, 𝐊𝐞𝐦𝐢 𝐁𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐡 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩
United Kingdom Conservative minister, Kemi Badenoch, has reiterated that she no longer identifies as Nigerian, despite her ancestry… pic.twitter.com/Ec49hDLLzD
— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) August 6, 2025
United Kingdom Conservative minister Kemi Badenoch has reaffirmed that she no longer identifies as Nigerian, stating her primary identity is British. Speaking on GB News, Badenoch explained, “My main identity is as British. That is what I see myself as. Nigeria is a nationality, not an ethnicity.”
She criticized politicians who focus on foreign matters, particularly Labour MPs, saying, “If you come to this country, you need to be very focused on making sure that you integrate… you need to be 100% focused on British issues.”
Her comments follow earlier remarks on the Rosebud podcast, where she disclosed not renewing her Nigerian passport in over two decades. “I’m Nigerian through ancestry… but by identity I’m not really,” she said.
Born in Wimbledon in 1980, Badenoch spent her early years in Nigeria and the U.S. before returning to the UK at 16. She remains one of the last recipients of UK birthright citizenship before the law changed in 1981. She has previously described Nigeria as a place “where fear is everywhere.”