Badenoch: Polanski’s Greens ‘seeking to erase Jewish identity’

In her speech to Tory Party conference, Badenoch pays tribute to the victims of the Oct 7 Hamas attack

Kemi Badenoch has accused Zack Polanski’s Green Party of “seeking to erase Jewish identity” in her speech at the Tory Party conference.

To loud applause from party supporters inside the hall at the Birmingham ICC, theTory leader told the conference: “You know what else is taking us backwards?

“The disgraceful antisemitism we saw at the Green Party conference last weekend. They are seeking to erase Jewish identity.

“Shame on the Green Party and shame on Zack Polanski.”

Speaking on the third anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks, Badenoch said: “Exactly three years ago today, we saw the horrific October 7 attacks, the worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust.

“The Conservative Party stands with the Jewish people. We will never stop fighting antisemitism.”

Attacking remarks by senior Reform UK figures on race and English identity, the Tory leader also said: “Back in the day, let’s never forget, we were the ones who put a poster saying, ‘Labour says he’s black, we say he’s British.’ We are still the same party.

“I don’t know whether you’ve noticed, but I am black, I am British, I am proud of my country, I’m proud of our history, all that we have done, and all that we will do in the world.

“Our best days are not behind us, and we will not let this country go backwards.”

Badenoch said the country “deserves better” than Labour or Reform and that the Tories will not unite with Reform.

She said Labour under Andy Burnham was the “same old high tax, high spend Labour” with “no common sense” and “addicted to welfare”.

Meanwhile, she said many Reform voters “are our people”.

“We let them down, and we want them to come back home,” she said.

She took aim at Nigel Farage’s “fishy £5 million ‘personal gift’” and investigations surrounding the party.

“To those who say ‘unite the right’, we are not uniting with that,” she said, to a standing ovation from the audience.”

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Badenoch: Polanski’s Greens ‘seeking to erase Jewish identity’

In her speech to Tory Party conference, Badenoch pays tribute to the victims of the Oct 7 Hamas attack