Conflict over identity politics could lead to civil war in long term, says Badenoch

Conflict over identity politics in the UK could lead to civil war in the long term, Kemi Badenoch has said.

In an interview for a BBC Radio 4 documentary, England's Identity Crisis, the Conservative leader warned of rising tensions as groups on the left and the right direct "more and more hostility" towards people of every ethnicity.

The Conservative leader censured parties that use the political conflict to target voters from one community, an ingredient that she says could lead to an eventual civil war.

The interview was conducted before political tension erupted over policing, following the release of bodycam footage showing the handcuffing of murdered teenager Henry Nowak as he lay dying.

Both Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Badenoch have called for politicians not to stoke division following the outcry about the teenager's murder, and subsequent protests on the streets of Southampton.

Speaking to the BBC for the documentary before the sentencing of Nowak's killer Vickrum Digwa, Badenoch said: "This is not a racist country. 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.

"And it's the political conflict, I think, that is creating this tension.

"This is why it's really important that politicians understand this properly and have policies that make a difference, rather than use the political conflict as a way to get some votes from one particular community.