Robert Jenrick, a former UK government minister, stated that millions of people in England do not identify as culturally or ethnically English, sparking debate over national identity between the Conservative Party and Reform, a breakaway group. Kemi Badenoch, the current Secretary for Women and Equalities, defended her "proud black Briton" identity during the Conservative Party conference, criticizing Reform for their stance on race and questioning whether mixed-race individuals can be considered English.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Robert Jenrick, the UK's Defence Secretary, has sparked controversy by stating that "millions and millions" of people in England are not "culturally or ethnically" English, deepening an identity row between the Conservative Party and Reform. The dispute intensified during the recent Conservative Party conference when Kemi Badenoch declared herself a "proud black Briton," accusing Reform of promoting outdated views on race. This followed Suella Braverman, who defected to Reform, asserting she did not consider herself English despite being born in London. Jenrick's comments highlight the growing debate over what constitutes English identity and ethnicity, arguing that modern Britain is vastly different from how it was 50 or even 100 years ago.
Written for “Identity Row In UK Politics” on 2026-10-09,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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Leaning score withheld for article 66927: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-08
Robert Jenrick has said that 'millions and millions' of people in England are not 'culturally or ethnically' English as the identity row dividing the Right escalated.
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row → say → Right
Kemi Badenoch used her party conference speech on Wednesday to declare herself a 'proud black Briton' as she accused Reform of wanting to take the UK backwards with outdated views on race.
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she → use → race
The Tory leader spoke out after her former Cabinet colleague Suella Braverman, who defected to Reform, started a row when she said that she did not consider herself to be English, despite being born in London.
And now Reform's treasury spokesman has waded further into the row, saying 'there is such a thing as English ethnicity' and it is 'perfectly normal' to debate whether only white people can be English.
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people → speak → ethnicity
Mr Jenrick said: 'We've ended up in a country where there are millions and millions of people who have a British passport in their bedroom drawer, but who are not culturally British by my standards, are not culturally English either, and are not ethnically English as well.
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who → say → standards
And this debate is a perfectly normal one for us to be having.'
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us → have → ?
Meanwhile Mrs Badenoch won the surprise backing of Labour for her intervention on Englishness in her conference speech in Birmingham, with Wes Streeting expressing his 'total support' for the remarks.
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Streeting → win → remarks
The Defence Secretary said: 'There are plenty of things where we have healthy disagreement, but there are some core values - the things that define us as a country - that are under attack and unity is strength.'
Robert Jenrick has waded into the row about identity, saying that 'millions and millions' of people in England are not 'culturally or ethnically' English
Kemi Badenoch during her speech on the final day of the Conservative Party conference.
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millions → say → conference
In the most impassioned part of her speech, the Tory leader accused Reform of wanting to take the UK backwards with outdated views on race
Mrs Badenoch with her husband Hamish who have three children.
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who → accuse → children
In her speech she said: 'I don't want to live in a country run by people who threaten journalists, call veterans traitors and debate whether my mixed-race children are English'
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children → say → veterans
Mrs Badenoch said on Wednesday: 'I don't want to live in a country run by people who threaten journalists, call veterans traitors and debate whether my mixed-race children are English.
'
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children → say → veterans
I don't want to explain to my son when we're watching our brilliant England team play football that some people don't think our black players are English.'
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players → want → football
The Tory leader added: 'I don't know whether you've noticed, but I am black.
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I → add → ?
All that we have done, and all that we will do in the world.
'
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we → do → world
Our best days are not behind us, and we will not let this country go backwards.'
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country → let → us
Her intervention came after Mrs Braverman, Reform's education spokeswoman, told BBC Question Time: 'Of course I'm not English.
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I → come → Time
Her parents came from Mauritius and Kenya in the 1960s and she described herself as 'British, of Asian ethnicity'.
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she → come → ethnicity
Mr Jenrick went further in an interview with former GB News presenter Dan Wootton when asked about the debate among the Right over whether somebody who is not white can be English.
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who → go → Right
He said there were three aspects that define whether somebody is English, saying the first element was ethnicity as 'there is such a thing as English ethnicity'.
Reform's treasury spokesman said that English cultural identity - 'somebody fully embracing of our history, our heritage, our language, our culture, our norms, our manners' - and holding a British passport also define whether somebody is English.
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somebody → say → passport
He added: 'Holding a passport does not mean that you are culturally English or British.
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you → add → passport
And sadly, there are many, many people in this country who display that, and neither does it mean that you're ethnically English either.'
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you → be → that
Meanwhile other senior Reform figures appeared to be uncomfortable with the position of some of their colleagues on what it means to be English.
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it → appear → what
The party's deputy leader Richard Tice repeatedly refused to say whether or not he questions Kemi Badenoch's Englishness after her speech on Wednesday.
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he → refuse → Wednesday
He said that 'this whole Englishness debate is something we just haven't got time for', telling Times Radio: 'I'm just not talking about it.
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I → say → it
I think it's a complete waste of time.'
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it → think → time
The Aporia
