Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has revealed how, as a teenager, she openly accused a classmate of cheating during an exam — a move that ultimately led to his expulsion. In an in-depth interview with the BBC’s Amol Rajan, Badenoch said she was “about 14 or 15” when she stood up mid-test and declared, “He’s cheating — he’s the one doing it.” The accused pupil was later expelled.

The Tory leader said her actions were met with surprise rather than praise. “I was fairly popular at school, and people asked, ‘Why would you do that?’ I told them, ‘Because it was the wrong thing.’” The incident, she said, reflected a long-standing dislike of rule-breakers.

Badenoch, born in London in 1980, spent much of her childhood in Nigeria and the United States, where her mother worked as a lecturer. She returned to the UK at 16, moving in with a family friend amid Nigeria’s worsening political and economic climate — and because she “really, really” wanted to live in London.

Last week, she caused controversy in Nigeria after saying she no longer identified as Nigerian — prompting criticism from politicians there who accused her of portraying the country negatively.

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On her return to Britain, Badenoch studied for her A-levels at a south London college while holding part-time jobs, including at McDonald’s. She said she encountered what she called the “poverty of low expectations,” claiming some teachers encouraged black students to pursue vocational qualifications rather than A-levels and discouraged them from aiming for elite universities like Oxford and Cambridge.

While she stressed that not all her teachers held such views — and that she did not believe it was motivated by racism — she argued that it reflected a misguided attempt to be “helpful” by lowering aspirations.

The college’s former principal told the BBC the institution had aimed to support every student equally and dismissed her remarks as political rhetoric. Badenoch rejected that suggestion, warning that denying the problem meant it would never be addressed. She also noted the issue was not confined to ethnic minorities, saying many white working-class students were similarly underestimated.

Badenoch went on to earn a degree in computer engineering from Sussex University before working in finance and IT. She entered politics in 2017, winning election as an MP. She married banker Hamish Badenoch in 2012, and they have three children. She recalled how proud her late father — GP Dr. Femi Adegoke — was when she became an MP. In 2022, shortly before he died from a brain tumour, he told her, “I know you’re going to go all the way, and I know I won’t be here to see it.”

In the interview, Badenoch also spoke about losing her belief in God after reading about Josef Fritzl, the Austrian man who imprisoned his daughter for 24 years. She was deeply affected by learning how the victim prayed daily for rescue without it coming. “I was praying for silly things — good grades, longer hair, the bus to arrive on time — and those prayers were answered. Why not hers?” she said. “It was like someone blew out a candle.”

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Although she no longer believes in God, Badenoch describes herself as a “cultural Christian,” noting her family’s Methodist heritage. Since becoming Conservative leader in November, Badenoch has faced mounting challenges: the party has lost control of 10 councils to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and has fallen to third or fourth in national polls. Still, she urged supporters to be patient, saying she was used to being underestimated. “I’m someone people have tried to write off my whole life — and I’ve always proved them wrong. I believe I can do that with the Conservative Party.”

Meanwhile, our Residents were not too happy about Kemi calling out her cheating peer at school. One comment read: "She was one those one 'miss you forgot about the homework.'” A second added, "nah don’t kill me did she think we was gonna rate that Even the interviewer was baffled." However a third disagreed, writing: "They can never make me hate this woman. For her to get to where she is, a black Nigerian woman who has a chance at being prime minister, she is expected to be hated, she’s doing the most coz she has to do the most to get to this point."