That's how you end up with civil war
At a moment when footage of a dying teenager in handcuffs has inflamed public feeling across England, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has offered a longer warning: that the deliberate weaponization of identity for electoral gain is not merely opportunistic, but generationally dangerous. Speaking ahead of a BBC documentary on England's identity crisis, she argues that what divides a society in the short term can, over time, become something far harder to repair. The question she raises is ancient and urgent — whether a nation is defined by blood, by belonging, or by the political choices made in its name.
- Bodycam footage showing a murdered teenager handcuffed as he lay dying has ignited protests in Southampton, creating the precise kind of charged moment politicians are tempted to exploit.
- Badenoch warns that across the spectrum, politicians are deliberately stoking ethnic and cultural hostilities to mobilize voters — a short-term strategy she believes plants the seeds of long-term societal fracture.
- The fault lines run deep: voices on the right are increasingly tying Englishness to ancestry and faith, while critics on the left are accused of eroding English identity through empire guilt and privilege discourse, each side feeding the other's grievance.
- A poll showing 74% of English people believe skin color should not determine national identity suggests the ethno-nationalist view is still a minority position — but the loudness of that minority is reshaping the conversation.
- Both Badenoch and Prime Minister Starmer are now calling for restraint and a pivot toward assimilation policies, though whether political incentives will allow either party to follow through remains the defining uncertainty.
Kemi Badenoch has issued a stark generational warning: if politicians continue treating identity as a tool for electoral mobilization rather than a genuine policy matter, they risk handing their children a fractured and potentially ungovernable society. Speaking to the BBC for a documentary on England's identity crisis, she described a troubling pattern of hostility directed at people of every ethnicity, stoked deliberately by figures across the political spectrum seeking votes from particular communities.
The warning lands against a tense backdrop. Bodycam footage showing murdered teenager Henry Nowak handcuffed as he lay dying sparked outrage and protests in Southampton. Both Badenoch and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer have urged politicians not to exploit the moment — but Badenoch's concern extends well beyond any single incident. "That's how you end up with civil war," she said, while stressing that such an outcome is not imminent.
The question of what it means to be English has grown sharper. Some on the right have begun arguing that Englishness is rooted in ancestry rather than civic commitment — a position illustrated when podcaster Konstantin Kisin suggested Rishi Sunak, born in Southampton, could be British but not English due to his faith and ethnicity. Badenoch herself occupies a more nuanced position: she accepts that ancestry plays a role, but insists civic belonging — the football team, the place you love, the values you hold — can be genuinely acquired. A poll by More in Common found 74% of English people agree that Englishness should not be determined by skin color.
She also spread her criticism widely. The left, she argued, has fueled ethno-nationalism by attacking English identity through critiques of empire and concepts like white privilege. Nationalist governments in Scotland and Wales have added to the deteriorating atmosphere. Her core prescription is assimilation — not erasure of difference, but the patient construction of a shared belonging that transcends ethnic and cultural lines. The documentary airs on BBC Radio 4 on Sunday, June 7.
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader, has warned that identity politics could tear the country apart if politicians continue weaponizing cultural divisions for electoral advantage. Speaking to the BBC for a documentary called England's Identity Crisis, she described a troubling pattern: groups across the political spectrum directing hostility at people of different ethnicities, with politicians deliberately stoking these tensions to win votes from particular communities.
The warning arrives at a moment of genuine strain. Bodycam footage showing the handcuffing of murdered teenager Henry Nowak as he lay dying sparked outrage and protests in Southampton. Both Badenoch and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer have called for politicians to resist the temptation to exploit the moment. But Badenoch's concern runs deeper than any single incident. She argues that when parties and politicians treat identity as a tool for mobilization rather than a genuine policy matter, they plant seeds that could grow into something far more destructive.
"This is not a racist country," she said in the interview. "But now we are seeing more and more hostility to people of every ethnicity, whether they're English or not English, because people are bringing political conflict into an area where we didn't have political conflict." The problem, as she sees it, is not the existence of different views about identity—it's the deliberate politicization of those views. Politicians who exploit identity divisions may gain votes in the short term, she argued, but they risk leaving future generations with a fractured society. "That's how you end up with civil war," she said, though she was careful to note that such a scenario is not imminent.
The debate over what it means to be English has sharpened considerably over the past year. Some figures on the right have begun arguing that Englishness is fundamentally tied to ancestry rather than civic participation. The Russian-born podcaster Konstantin Kisin sparked controversy in February 2025 when he suggested that former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was born in Southampton, should be considered British but not English because of his Hindu faith and brown skin. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has pushed back against this framing, saying he does not want to draw ethnic lines around Englishness.
Baroenoch's own position occupies middle ground. She acknowledges that ancestry plays a role in English identity but insists there is also a civic dimension—a commitment to the country's culture and values that can be acquired regardless of background. "I believe that I am English when it comes to that civic identity," she said. "It's where I live. It's where I love, it's the football team that I support. But it's not in my blood. But it is in my children's blood." A poll by More in Common found that 74 percent of English people agree that someone can be English regardless of skin color or ethnic background, suggesting that the ancestry-based view remains a minority position.
Baroenoch also directed criticism at elements on both sides of the political spectrum. She faulted some on the left for attacking English identity by criticizing the empire and invoking concepts like white privilege, arguing these attacks have provoked a backlash that has fueled ethno-nationalism. She also criticized nationalist movements in Scotland and Wales, which now control both devolved governments for the first time, for contributing to the deteriorating atmosphere. Her core argument is that politicians must stop looking for ways to divide people and instead focus on assimilation—building a shared sense of belonging that transcends ethnic and cultural boundaries.
The stakes, as Badenoch frames them, are generational. The country may not be on the brink of civil conflict now, but if politicians continue treating identity as a vehicle for short-term electoral gain rather than addressing it through genuine policy, they will leave their children with a far more complicated and fractured inheritance. The documentary airs on BBC Radio 4 on Sunday, June 7.
Notable Quotes
This is not a racist country. But now we are seeing more and more hostility to people of every ethnicity, because people are bringing political conflict into an area where we didn't have political conflict.— Kemi Badenoch
I believe that I am English when it comes to that civic identity. It's where I live. It's where I love, it's the football team that I support. But it's not in my blood. But it is in my children's blood.— Kemi Badenoch
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
When Badenoch says identity politics could lead to civil war, is she describing something that's already happening or a future risk?
She's careful to say it's not imminent. But she's arguing that the seeds are being planted now—that the way politicians are using identity as a wedge issue is creating fractures that could become dangerous if left unaddressed.
What does she mean by assimilation? That sounds like it could mean erasing difference.
She seems to mean something more like shared civic commitment—the idea that you can be fully English or British through participation in the culture and values, not just through ancestry. But you're right that the word carries baggage, and people will hear it differently depending on their politics.
The Konstantin Kisin comment about Rishi Sunak being British but not English—does Badenoch think that's the real problem, or is it a symptom?
A symptom, I think. She's saying that comment represents a broader ethno-nationalist turn on the right, which itself is a reaction to what she sees as attacks on English identity from the left. She's trying to name a cycle: left attacks English identity, right responds by making it ethnic, and politicians on both sides exploit the resulting tension.
But 74 percent of people already believe ethnicity shouldn't determine Englishness. So why is Badenoch so worried?
Because that 74 percent is the general public. The political class—the people with platforms and power—are the ones driving the division. And she's saying that if politicians keep using identity to mobilize voters, they can shift public opinion over time, even if most people currently hold more inclusive views.
Is she blaming one party more than the other?
She's trying not to. She criticizes the left for attacking English identity and the right for responding with ethno-nationalism. But she did specifically call out the Green Party for campaigning in Urdu in a recent by-election, which she called separatist. So there's a clearer target there, even if she's framing it as a broader problem.