Kemi Badenoch has received an unexpected endorsement from American rap superstar Nicki Minaj following her commanding performance in the House of Commons. The flamboyant rapper, known for hits like Anaconda, compared the Conservative Party leader to Margaret Thatcher and predicted that films would be made about her in the future.
Minaj's Unlikely Political Intervention
The intervention came after Mrs. Badenoch delivered a scathing response to the King's Speech, attacking Labour's internal divisions. She accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of being "in office, but not in power" as the party descends into civil war. In a video clip posted by Minaj on X, Mrs. Badenoch can be seen ordering Health Secretary Wes Streeting to "do his job" rather than engaging in coup plotting.
As Mr. Streeting squirmed on the Government front bench, the Conservative leader said: "I suppose the Health Secretary has been a bit distracted lately, hasn't he? He's chuntering now, why don't you just do your job? Do your job." Wagging her finger at him, she added: "There's no point in giving me dirty looks. We all know what he's been up to."
Minaj's Comparison to Thatcher
Alongside the footage, Minaj—an outspoken and often controversial supporter of Donald Trump—posted: "The UK is truly one of a kind. They will portray her in film & TV one day... just like they did with Margaret Thatcher."
Badenoch's Broader Attack on Labour
During the debate, Mrs. Badenoch also targeted female members of the Labour front bench. She highlighted that plans to increase business rates and taxes on firms had led to MPs being "banned from pubs, banned from hairdressers, which is presumably why all the women on the front bench have the same hairstyle!" Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy appeared distinctly unamused by the barb.
When Labour MPs attempted to drown her out with shouting, Mrs. Badenoch remarked: "I know they can't wait to get back to their plotting. They want to lead our country, they can't even lead a coup." She continued: "I know the convention is for this to be a light-hearted debate, but as I have already said, this is a highly unusual moment. The Prime Minister is in office, but not in power. Everyone is trying to pretend it's all right. It's not all right."
Labour's Internal Turmoil
She noted that in the past 48 hours, nearly 100 Labour MPs had called for the Prime Minister to resign, and four ministers had quit. "It is clear his authority has gone and that he will not be able to deliver what little there is in this King's Speech. This is a Government less than two years in office, which has already run out of ideas and run out of road."
Minaj's Previous UK Political Forays
This is not Minaj's first involvement in UK politics. In 2021, a bizarre war of words erupted between the singer, then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty after she shared an anti-vaccine myth about impotence. At a press conference, Whitty and Johnson accused her of spreading "untrue" and "ridiculous" claims that COVID-19 vaccines could cause impotence. The rapper, originally from Trinidad and Tobago, responded with an audio clip mocking Mr. Johnson in a faux English accent.
