Kemi Badenoch reveals ‘hysterical’ level of personal attacks faced as a black woman
Kemi Badenoch has spoken openly about the racism she has suffered as the first black woman to lead the Conservative party.The Tory leader told the Sunday Times she had been surprised at the amount of racism she had faced since being elected, having previously insisted that Britain was “the best place in the world to be black”.She told the paper: “There’s a certain cadre of people who clearly can’t cope with the fact that I won this and I’m doing it.“The level of personal attacks from anonymous people, it’s hysterical.Not even just from MPs.
I actually don’t think it’s that many MPs,I think it’s two to three people out of 120,That’s nothing,But online as well,People used to talk about Trump derangement syndrome.
I think there’s a Kemi derangement syndrome: ‘How could she possibly have done this?’,”She added that on social media, “there’s a lot of ethno-nationalism creeping up, lots of stuff about my race and my ethnicity and the tropes around, ‘well, she couldn’t possibly have done this all by herself’”,Badenoch, who was born in Wimbledon but grew up in Nigeria before moving back to the UK aged 16, rarely talks at length about her race or heritage,She said recently she no longer felt Nigerian and has frequently criticised anti-racism campaigners and critical race theory,She told the Sunday Times: “I always try to think of every possible explanation before I go to race and racism.
I think that is a healthy way to run a society,I remember when I stood up a few years ago and said Britain is not a racist country – ethnic minorities do very well here, it is white working-class boys who are actually struggling on a lot of metrics, and I got pilloried for that,“My view is that there are people out there who will say whatever it is, they will throw whatever kind of mud at you and they will hope that it sticks,”Badenoch faces a pivotal few months in the job as she prepares to deliver her first party conference speech as Tory leader and tries to fend off a potential leadership challenge from her shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick,The party sits in third place in the polls on 17%.
Asked about claims by Jenrick’s supporters that he will soon be leading the party, she said: “I think it’s wishful thinking.“There will always be people who are sore losers, our candidate didn’t win, and so on, and sour grapes … When I hear those things, I can tell those people are not focused on the country at all.Many of those people having those conversations think this is a game.But the lives of people in this country aren’t a game.”Badenoch defended Jenrick, however, saying: “I think even Rob himself finds it distressing, but it’s just something that we deal with.
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Former West Coast player Mitch Brown becomes first AFL player to come out as bisexual
Mitch Brown has become the first male AFL player, past or present, to come out as gay or bisexual, in a step he hopes will make others in the game feel seen.The 36-year-old played 94 matches for West Coast in a career that ended in 2016. He identifies as a bisexual man and is in a long-term relationship with a woman.Brown said it would have been difficult had he spoken publicly during his playing career, but was motivated to help change the culture within the sport.“Maybe a second person [comes out], and then the third…,” he told The Daily Aus
Women’s Super League 2025-26 previews No 3: Brighton
Guardian writers’ predicted position: 5th (NB: this is not necessarily Sophie Downey’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)Last season’s position: 5thAfter securing an impressive fifth-placed finish in Dario Vidosic’s first season, Brighton look increasingly settled, with historical management troubles firmly behind them and a clear identity shining through.It was a season of learning for their head coach as the team got off to an impressive start, then experienced a dip before finishing relatively strongly. An eye-catching victory over Arsenal and valiant 2-2 draw with the champions, Chelsea, were highlights. They made Crawley’s Broadfield Stadium into a fortress, losing only two games there, and secured a club record 28 points in a WSL season.There has continued to be considerable player turnover as Vidosic develops his side
US Open tennis day three: Sinner and Swiatek through, Boulter and Kartal exit – as it happened
That’ll be all from me today. There have been dominant wins for Sinner and Swiatek, but Auger-Aliassime v Harris brought plenty of thrills, the scoreline barely revealing the truth. We’ll obviously be back again tomorrow, when the second round gets going. Cheers!Auger-Aliassime is up 30-0 but Harris just refuses to lie down, levelling up. A forehand into the corner sets Auger-Aliassime up for match point, though
Kartal left in a world of pain by New York heat as Boulter also exits US Open
Sonay Kartal vowed to come back stronger after her 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 defeat by the 18th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the first round of the US Open after struggling with excruciating full-body cramps in warm conditions on Tuesday afternoon in New York.For much of her main‑draw debut at the US Open, Kartal battled admirably, showing her problem‑solving abilities by recovering from a tough opening set to force a decider. But towards the end of the second set Kartal began to struggle physically and by early in the final set she was cramping all over her body.The match took another turn deep in the final set as Haddad Maia also began to struggle, culminating in the Brazilian patting serves into the court and throwing in an underarm serve in a dramatic final game.“It’s frustrating,” Kartal said
Hodgkinson and Hunter-Bell seek British 800m one-two at world championships
Keely Hodgkinson and her training partner, Georgia Hunter-Bell, will vie for an audacious British one-two over 800m at the World Athletics Championships after UK Athletics announced its team for Tokyo.Hunter-Bell had faced the difficult decision over whether to run the 1500m, where she won bronze last year at the Paris Olympics, or the shorter distance. However, after much deliberation, her form over the 800m – including two Diamond League victories in Stockholm and London – and the lack of depth in the event has pushed her towards two laps.Hodgkinson, who returned this month from a 376-day layoff to run the ninth fastest time in history, is by some distance Britain’s best chance of gold in Tokyo as she seeks to back up her Olympic title.However there will be several other Britons with medal aspirations, including the Budapest 2023 world champions Josh Kerr and Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the men’s 1500m and women’s heptathlon
Jack Draper flexes his muscles at US Open as he deals with spotlight and paparazzi
During the typically chaotic media day before Wimbledon in June, Jannik Sinner and Jack Draper were working through their commitments when they briefly crossed paths in the broadcast media mixed zone. As they warmly greeted each other, Sinner looked his good friend up and down, and a smile spread across his face: “Always stronger,” he said, jokingly flexing both arms.Draper, who responded with a sheepish, embarrassed laugh, has heard such observations many times in recent months. At the same time that he has risen up the rankings over the past 15 months, transforming himself into one of the best in the world, he has become one of the most physically strong players on the ATP Tour.At 6ft 4in (193cm), Draper has always stood as an imposing figure on the court, but more recently he has filled out into a more muscular athlete
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