Kemi Badenoch slams UK Immigration laws, cites inability to pass Nigerian citizenship to children
UK Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has criticised Britain’s immigration policies, describing them as too lenient compared to stricter systems in countries like Nigeria. Speaking during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, Badenoch revealed that she is unable to confer Nigerian citizenship on her children due to gender-based restrictions.
“There are many people who come to our country, the UK, and behave in ways that wouldn’t be acceptable in their own countries,” she said. “We are far too generous, and it’s being exploited.”
Asked whether she would support immigrants recreating a “mini-Nigeria” in the UK under the guise of cultural integration, Badenoch responded: “That’s not right. Nigerians wouldn’t tolerate that. It’s not something most countries would allow.”
To highlight what she sees as a double standard, Badenoch explained that despite being a Nigerian citizen, she cannot pass the citizenship to her children because she is a woman. “I have that citizenship through my parents, but I can’t give it to my children,” she said. “Meanwhile, many Nigerians come to the UK, live here briefly, and gain citizenship. We need to stop being naive.”
Badenoch, who shares three children with her husband, Hamish Badenoch, also stated that she would make British citizenship harder to obtain if she becomes Prime Minister.
Born in London in 1980 to Yoruba parents, Badenoch spent part of her childhood in Nigeria before returning to the UK at 16. She previously served in ministerial roles under former Prime Ministers Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
