Kemi: 'We need to get off our knees and start fighting...for Britain, the West and for our values'

KEMI Badenoch insisted Britain has "no obligation" to support migrants as she warned that Western civilisation is under threat.

- Christian Calgie

The Conservative leader said European human rights laws are being exploited and the public has become "enraged" at the perception the UK is a haven for foreign criminals.

In a wide-ranging speech, Mrs Badenoch said: "Free speech matters.

"Some cultures are better than others, and it's only contentious to say this because honesty has become impossible. People should not be afraid to speak out.

"We will be proud of our country. We need to get up off our knees and start fighting not just for the UK but for the West and our values again.

"We will have to decide between the true but hard way that needs tough decisions and bravery, or whether we have more slogans and announcements but no plan."

Mrs Badenoch warned against the rise of populism and insisted a conservative resurgence is needed to protect the West from a collapse like that of the Roman Empire.

Speaking at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship, which was also addressed by Republican speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson and former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot, the Tory leader said liberal values are still worth defending, but claimed the system has been "hacked" by left-wingers. She said: "It is in the corruption of the rule of law itself that we see where the problems begin.

"The most extraordinary example is how the European Convention on Human Rights, designed to stop the persecution of individuals by the state, is now weaponized by those who wish to erode our national identity and border security.