Badenoch backs shadow minister over Luton no-go zone claim and attacks Greens
Kemi Badenoch has backed Blake Stephenson over his claim that parts of Luton are no-go zones for white people, and called the Green Party full of anti-Semites.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Kemi Badenoch has backed her shadow minister Blake Stephenson after he said parts of Luton are no-go zones where white people will not go. At the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, the Conservative leader said she was happy to stand by him and that he would have had a reason for his comments.
Badenoch also attacked the Green Party over a motion passed at its conference that brands support for the state of Israel, Zionism, as racism. She said she was appalled and embarrassed that a political party in the UK would do such a thing. She called the Greens full of anti-Semites and said the policy was disgusting. Asked if she was a proud Zionist, she said she believes in Israel's right to self-determination and a two-state solution. She added that anyone who says there should not be a state of Israel is talking about wiping it off the face of the earth, and she would fight against that.
On policy, Badenoch defended her childcare plans. She has proposed free childcare for homes with incomes over £200,000. She argued against a cliff edge where families lose tens of thousands of pounds in support because of a small pay rise. She said teachers, including deputy heads moving up to head teacher, could be affected, and that the aim was not to punish people for earning money but to reward work. She also rejected reforming the triple lock, saying there are respectable arguments on both sides but that it is not the choice she is making. Her focus, she said, is on people who can work but do not work, and on turning the economy from a plodding donkey to a racer. Her main announcement tomorrow will be an inheritance tax cut.
The interview took place as the Conservatives trail Reform in third place. Badenoch is more popular than her party, while Zack Polanski's Greens face widespread criticism for passing a motion that brands support for the state of Israel, Zionism, as racism.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Kemi Badenoch accused the Green Party of being full of anti-Semites. | |
| Kemi Badenoch defended a Home Office spokesman over comments that parts of Luton are no-go zones. | |
| Kemi Badenoch was reported to be planning an inheritance tax cut as her main announcement the next day. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV centred on an interview with Kemi Badenoch at the Conservative conference in Birmingham. It paired her support for Blake Stephenson over the Luton no-go zone claim with her criticism of the Green Party's Zionism motion, then challenged her on childcare, the triple lock and the expected inheritance tax cut. The tone was straightforward but included political context that the Tories trail Reform and that Badenoch is more popular than her party.
- “If Blake Stephenson is saying they're no-go zones, he will have a reason for that, and I'm sure that he can explain it, so I'm very happy to stand by him.”
- “I think that the Green Party is full of a lot of people who are anti-Semites and are, quite frankly, not OK. This is disgusting.”
- “What we're not doing is trying to punish people for earning money. We want people to be rewarded for working harder.”
Broadcast Timeline
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