The head of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has embraced the nickname of “culture warrior.”
She claimed in a speech in Washington, DC, that “the left-wing media’s” criticism of her for this was intended as an insult, “but I love the title.”
She joked that she was “keeping up the tradition” because her grandfather had told her she was descended from warriors.
The term “culture war” is generally used in a negative way to describe a political battle between opposing values, often focused on social issues such as gender politics.
Badenoch met Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson in DC as she seeks to build links with senior Republicans ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House next month.
In a post on X, she said they discussed building alliances in “a centre-right resurgence” across the West.
The Tory leader is not expected to meet President-elect Trump during her visit.
Badenoch has previously resisted the “culture warrior” tag, insisting during her successful leadership campaign she did not like fighting – but was prepared to fight to defend Conservative principles.
Her “culture warrior” comments came in a speech at a dinner hosted by the International Democracy Union, a global alliance of centre-right parties.
She said she believed in tradition, adding “if we don’t defend our culture, who will?”
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