Kemi Badenoch warned that Western civilisation is facing a “crisis” point as she praised US president Donald Trump and defended populism in a major speech.
The Conservative Party leader addressed delegates at a major rightwing conference in London, held by the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship or ARC, on Monday morning.
ARC is an international centre-right organisation, co-founded in 2023 by the Canadian psychologist and political commentator Jordan Peterson alongside the Tory peer Philippa Stroud.
ARC claims that its conference, being held from 17 to 19 February, will help “re-lay the foundations of our civilisation”.
In her speech, which preceded that of the speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson, Badenoch warned of a series of civilisational threats. The Conservative leader declared that the ideas and culture of Western civilisation that have “dominated the world for well over two centuries” are in retreat.
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Addressing attendees, Badenoch began: “This is not a crisis of values. It’s a crisis of confidence that has set in at exactly the same time that we face existential threats on the left.
“This self doubt manifests as an embarrassment of the West’s legacy and in extremis, a hatred of Western history and even its culture.
“But what about the right? We know that the West has given the world amazing ideas and values, from democracy and free markets to our banking systems, yet around us, we see so much cultural and economic decline.
“We doubt ourselves. We doubt our ability to build like our predecessors Did. We doubt liberal values of tolerance or free trade, demanding a post-liberal world.”
She went on to critique “leftwing progressivism” and its manifestations in Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) practises, “climate activism”, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), as well as UK prime minister Keir Starmer for “taking the knee” during Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.
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She contrasted the “courage” of Katharine Birbalsingh, founder and head teacher of Michaela Community School, with that of Starmer. The prime minister, she said, “was cowed by the mob.”
“The problem isn’t liberalism. The problem is weakness,” she added.
Badenoch also issued a warning about mass migration, suggesting some of those who come to Britain bring “behaviours, cultures and practices” that undermine Western civilisation.
She said: “Millions of people all around the world want to live in the West because they want the benefits.
“However, some of them bring behaviours, cultures and practices that will undermine the West and the values that helped make us great. They find common cause with our useful idiots who don’t appreciate their own inheritance.”
The Conservative leader also went on to praise Donald Trump, who she claimed is “fixing” problems as US president.
Badenoch said: “A conservative party in Britain has just lost an election. We have a crisis just like the West. People ask me what difference new leadership will make? Well, take a look at president Trump.
“He’s showing that sometimes you need that first stint in government to spot the problems, but it’s the second time around when you really know how to fix them.
“And it starts by telling the truth. A country cannot be successful if its people and its intellectual elite don’t believe in it. This means dealing with the poison of minds that is happening in higher education.
“We have been naive on economic growth. We have been naive on issues from net zero to immigration, weakening ourselves and strengthening our competitors. Immigration is far too high. We cannot support all those who wish to come to our country. We have no obligation to do so. The British people must come first.”
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Badenoch went on: “Some cultures are better than others, and it’s only contentious to say this, because honesty has become impossible. People should not be afraid to speak out. We will be proud of our country.
“Most of all, we need to get up off our knees and start fighting, not just for the UK, but for the West and our values. Again, we will have to decide between the true but hard way that needs tough decisions and bravery, or whether we have more slogans and announcements but no plan.”
Badenoch instructed attendees to ignore the “media class complaints about populism”, which she appeared to describe as the “very essence of democracy”.
However, in an apparent swipe at Nigel Farage and Reform UK, she added: “Populism becomes corrosive if it is just words without thought, rage without reason, anger without the ability to action.”
Badenoch continued: “For those of us who seek leadership, we must do better, and that is why, in the United Kingdom, my party is starting the largest renewal of policy and ideas in a generation.
“This conference is part of finding those answers, and it fills me with hope. If we get this right, we stand at the dawn of a new conservative century with so much opportunity and possibility.”
“If we throw this opportunity away because of anger or self doubt or weakness, our country and all of Western civilization will be lost, and that is why we, the next generation of conservatives, must lead the world back from the precipice. It is time to speak the truth.”
Badenoch’s comments come as a new poll indicates the Conservative Party is behind Reform UK, led by Farage, on a range of key indicators.
A new YouGov/Sky News survey asked respondents about a number of positive and negative measurements.
Only 10 per cent saw the Tories as strong, with 61 per cent seeing them as weak. Meanwhile, 31 per cent of voters said they thought Reform was strong, and 27 per cent that they were weak.
18 per cent of voters said they think the Conservatives have a clear sense of direction. 59 per cent said they thought it unclear.
Reform UK also fared better on this point, with 49 per cent saying the party had a clear sense of purpose, and 24 per cent saying it is unclear.
Reform also performed better than the Tories when it came to trust. Just 11 per cent of respondents said that the Conservatives are trustworthy, whereas 65 per cent found them untrustworthy. For Reform, the figures were 19 per cent and 52 per cent.
Farage will be interviewed on the ARC stage on Tuesday by Jordan Peterson. Reform’s chair, Zia Yusuf, is also expected to take part in an ARC panel for a session called “The choices we face: unilateral economic disarmament or a pro-human way?”
Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.
Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.
Source: Politics
