Kemi Badenoch has revealed she no longer identifies as Nigerian and does not hold a passport for the country despite growing up there.
The Tory leader, who grew up in the city of Lagos, said she has not held a Nigerian passport for around 20 years.
Although she spent much of her childhood in Nigeria, Badenoch was born in Wimbledon, London, in January of 1980.
She said while she is “very interested” in what happens in the country, her home is where her “now-family” is, including her husband and children.
Speaking to former Tory MP Gyles Brandreth on his Rosebud podcast, Badenoch explained: “I have not renewed my Nigerian passport, I think, not since the early 2000s.
“I don’t identify with it any more, most of my life has been in the UK and I’ve just never felt the need to.”
She explained she had to apply for a Visa to visit the country when her father, a former doctor, died at the start of 2022.
The Party leader added: “I am Nigerian through ancestry, despite not being born there, because of my parents, yes I am.
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Kemi Badenoch said she hasn’t held a Nigerian passport since the early 2000s
“But, by identity I am not really. I know the country very well, I have a lot of family there and I’m very interested in what happens there, but home is where my now family is and my now-family is my children, my husband, my brother and his children.”
She also described the Conservative Party as being her “extended family”.
“I do see the Conservative Party as family. So much of what we do goes beyond party policy – it is instinct. We recognise each other, we have the same squabbles,” she told Brandreth.
Badenoch has this week emphasised her Party’s commitment to preserving British values and ensuring the nation remains “such an amazing country” amid a rising number of protests against the housing of migrants.
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A number of protests have been held over migrant hotels in recent weeks
Badenoch stressed the importance of maintaining policies that protect what makes Britain successful whilst offering hope and opportunity to those who genuinely wish to contribute to British society.
Drawing from her own immigrant heritage, Badenoch made clear distinctions between different types of arrivals to Britain.
“I come from an immigrant background and I don’t think we should lump every single person into the same group,” she explained.
She contrasted those who had successfully integrated with individuals arriving illegally via small boats.
According to Badenoch, many of the latter were “economic migrants” rather than genuine asylum seekers.
The Conservative leader characterised some arrivals as opportunistic, claiming they “aren’t really interested in becoming a part of our country but are instead seeing what they can take”.
