Britain is a ‘tolerant country’, No10 says after Badenoch’s civil war comments

George Lithgow, Press Association Political and Home Affairs Correspondent

Downing Street has insisted Britain is a “reasonable and tolerant” country, hitting back at Kemi Badenoch’s suggestion that conflict over identity politics could lead to civil war.

The Tory leader said politicians should not be using tensions as a way to win over voters.

Speaking before the violent scenes in Southampton over the case of murdered teenager Henry Nowak, she told the BBC: “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.

“Parties which do that, politicians who do that, they may get to benefit in the short term but in the long term that’s how you end up with civil war.”

Hitting back at Ms Badenoch, a No 10 spokeswoman said: “That’s not the Britain that we recognise.

“We are reasonable, tolerant people. When we have a terrible case like Henry’s, we react calmly, as his family have done.

“The disgraceful scenes that we saw in Southampton on Tuesday night do not represent the majority of people who want to see unity and progress, and a violent minority with a mob mentality will not change that.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has urged politicians to heed Mr Nowak’s relatives’ calls not to use the case “to cause disturbances” and branded Reform leader Nigel Farage’s response “unforgiveable” after he suggested the public should feel “pure, cold rage”.

Ms Badenoch has also stressed that Mr Nowak’s family “do not want anger to tear communities apart”.