Kemi Badenoch likens Labour policies to apartheid in rant on ‘divisive’ identity politics

Kemi Badenoch has declared “I’m never going to shut up” about Labour’s divisive identity politics agenda as she compared the party's policies to apartheid in South Africa.

The Business Secretary told company bosses Sir Keir Starmer’s party wants to divide the country into “black/white, rich/poor, old/young.”

She vowed to fight Labour’s plans, adding: “Their vision of the future economy is one that micro-manages your business to meet their political objectives.

“That includes the divisive agenda of identity politics.

“I’m never going to shut up about that, no matter how many Doctor Whos say so.

“Identity politics is why Labour’s biggest change is to introduce a new Race Equality Act.”

The former Doctor Who actor suggested at an awards show that he wanted a world where the Equalities Minister “doesn’t exist any more” and that she should “shut up”.

Mr Tennant, 53, won a prize for being a “celebrity ally” at the British LGBT Awards last week and used his speech to target Ms Badenoch.

The Business Secretary wants to ban transgender women from women’s lavatories as part of her pledge to defend single-sex spaces.

And Mrs Badenoch warned company bosses: “You will have new mandatory reporting on ethnicity pay gaps, which their new enforcement body will be inspecting closely.

“It’s all there in their manifesto. I’m not making this up.

“Of course, the Race Equality Act and their other 69 new regulations would be great for job creation for compliance consultants and employment tribunals. But that is not the route to improving productivity or delivering real economic growth.

“Labour’s proposals divide the country into black/white, rich/poor, old/young – because they see people as target groups not as individuals, and they see you as greedy exploiters not wealth creators.

“I think classifying your work force by race and having this influence their salaries is morally repellent.

“It’s what they did in apartheid South Africa and what they do now in China and Myanmar.

“We should not be going anywhere near this stuff.

“Those are your two visions for the future of the economy.”

A Labour government says it would give stronger legal protections for equal pay for black, Asian and minority ethnic workers.

The party has drawn up radical plans for those who face "dual discrimination" as well as mandatory ethnic minority pay reporting, tackling health disparities and the introduction of a new Windrush commissioner.

But Mrs Badenoch added: “Despite Conservatives already doing a lot on employment rights, bringing in flexible working and shared parental leave Labour are fishing in this empty barrel for more.

“Their ‘New Deal for Working People’ adds over 70 new regulations or requirements for you to follow at a cost to you and your staff.

“Just this week the IFS said that close to all of the cost of Labour's reforms will be passed through to lower wages.

“That’s what trade-offs mean for you and your employees.

“You probably heard lots of okay-sounding policies this morning but look closely at what is in their manifesto. I have and you should be really worried.”