In a revealing interview that laid bare her vision for a radically reshaped global order, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch declared herself "thrilled to see the back of international law." Speaking to Nick Robinson on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Badenoch positioned herself as a proponent of raw power politics, drawing a stark contrast with Prime Minister Keir Starmer's more legalistic approach.
A World Where Might Makes Right
The interview took a pointed turn when Robinson noted that Badenoch's stance on the recent US-led coup in Venezuela was not markedly different from Starmer's. This comparison appeared to sting the Tory leader, prompting a forceful clarification of her philosophy. Badenoch argued that the old rules-based international system is obsolete, advocating instead for a world where the strong and powerful "call all the shots."
She expressed full support for the kidnapping and imprisonment of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, suggesting the UK should have acted sooner. Legal justifications, she implied, are mere niceties. "We now lived in a world where the strong and the powerful got to call all the shots. So why bother getting bogged down in all the legal niceties?" she asserted, framing liberal concerns over process as futile "hand-wringing."
The Greenland Line and a Clash with Reality
Badenoch did establish one boundary in her realpolitik worldview: Greenland. She stated that a US annexation of the autonomous Danish territory would be "a step too far," threatening NATO and unjustified as Greenland is not a "rogone narco state." This exception highlighted the subjective nature of her doctrine, which otherwise endorsed invading countries with disliked regimes.
Her confidence spilled into grand, unsubstantiated claims about her own diplomatic prowess. Badenoch suggested that had she been Prime Minister, Donald Trump would have consulted her before moving on Venezuela and would not have acted without her say-so. When Robinson pointed out that no world leaders were forewarned by Trump, and challenged her to detail her direct experience, Badenoch could only cite a 30-second conversation at a state banquet where Trump allegedly said she had a "bright future."
Brexit Sovereignty vs. Global Might
The interview exposed a glaring contradiction in Badenoch's arguments. After spending the first half championing the principle that weaker nations' sovereignty is expendable, she then hailed Brexit as a triumphant "exercise in sovereignty" worthy of a "10 out of 10" rating, despite acknowledging its negative economic outcomes. This juxtaposition suggested a binary view: sovereignty is an inviolable right for Britain, but an optional privilege for others.
Robinson pushed back on her dismissal of diplomacy, noting that Starmer had secured practical gains like tariff reductions through engagement. Badenoch, however, remained adamant that she would have achieved more, though she could not specify how. The conversation ended with her insisting she had been a net zero sceptic longer than Nigel Farage—a claim widely disputed—and musing that Trump might yet call her to discuss Greenland.
The performance solidified Badenoch's image as a politician who relentlessly reshapes truth to fit her narrative, from foreign policy to personal history. It presented a vision of global affairs stripped of legal frameworks, where power alone dictates justice, and where the only fixed point is an oddly specific protection for Greenland.
