Why Tory leader no longer considers herself Nigerian despite ancestry
The Conservative leader confirmed she has not renewed her Nigerian passport since the early 2000s.
Born in Wimbledon in 1980, Ms Badenoch was raised in Lagos, Nigeria, and the United States.
She explained her identity is now rooted in her family, stating 'home is where my now family is'.
Ms Badenoch was among the last individuals to receive birthright citizenship in the UK before the rules were abolished the following year.
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BBC News
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- BBC News
Rayner asks China to explain redacted mega-embassy plans
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
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Labour's homelessness minister 'threw out FOUR tenants then raised rent on her London home by £700'
Labour 's homelessness minister has been accused of 'extreme hypocrisy' after she allegedly threw out her own tenants and then raised rent by £700 a month. Landlord MP Rushanara Ali told tenants their lease would not be renewed and gave them four months' notice to get out of the £3,300-a-month property, a renter has claimed. But just four months after the group's departure, the four-bedroom townhouse, less than a mile from London 's Olympic Park, was reportedly back on the market - only this time for £4,000 per month. A source close to Ms Ali insisted the tenants were offered the chance to stay on a rolling contract prior to the house being put up for sale, after they were told the tenancy would not be renewed. They added the property was relisted only after Ms Ali did not find a buyer, the i Paper reports. But Laura Jackson, a self-employed restaurant owner and one of renters in the property, had a different view. Ms Jackson, 33, claimed she had received an email in November telling her the lease would not be renewed - and that she and the other occupiers had four months to leave. Only weeks later she saw the property back up for sale at the higher price of £700. The i said the new tenants confirmed they had moved in 'four or five months ago' and were paying the higher figure. Ms Jackson said: 'It's an absolute joke. Trying to get that much money from renters is extortion.' It comes as Labour's renters' Rights Bill, set to become law next year, prohibits landlords from relisting a property with higher rent until at least six months after tenants have moved out - where they have ended a tenancy in order to sell a property. Ms Ali has also previously spoken out against 'private renters being exploited' and insisted her Government will 'empower people to challenge unreasonable rent increases'. But Conservative shadow Housing Secretary, James Cleverly, said Ms Ali ought to consider her position as the allegations 'would be an example of the most extreme hypocrisy and she should not have the job as homelessness minister'. The property had been managed on behalf of the Bethnal Green and Stepney MP by two lettings agencies - Jack Barclay Estates and Avenue Lettings. At the time the tenants' contract ended, the firms also attempted to charge the tenants nearly £2,000 for the house to be repainted and £395 for professional cleaning. Landlords are prohibited from charging tenants for professional cleaning or to repaint a home under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, unless there has been serious damage. Minor scratches or scuffs to paint work all come under the umbrella of 'reasonable wear and tear', according to the Act. Ms Jackson described the experience as 'really stressful' and claimed the property was 'not clean when [they] moved in'. But mysteriously, the charges were dropped when Ms Jackson told the agencies she was aware their landlord was a Labour MP. She said: 'If we hadn't known the charges were unlawful, we would have had to pay them. It's exploitative.' Ms Jackson, a Labour voter, added she believed it to be 'morally wrong' that MPs can be landlords, in particular in their own areas, and dubbed it a conflict of interest. It is understood Ms Ali ensured the cleaning and repainting charges were dropped when she was told about them by her agency. The property is currently listed for sale at £894,995 - more than £300,000 what Ms Ali paid for it in 2014, according to the Land Registry. It was originally put up for sale at £914,995 last November before the price was reduced in February. The rental property is one of two owned by Ms Ali, according to the MP's register of interests. Ms Ali has served as Labour's minister for homelessness since the party's election win in July 2024. The Government previously said the end of a private rental contract is 'one of the leading causes of homelessness'. Ms Ali sung the praises of the Renters Rights' Bill in March as she said it would 'tackle the root cause of homelessness'. Under the bill, which is currently passing through Parliament, landlords may only ask tenants to leave if there has been antisocial behaviour or if they need to sell the property, or if the landlord or a family member needs to move in. Fixed-term tenancies are also set to be banned under the new legislation. Ben Twomey, the chief executive of Generation Rent, called the allegations 'shocking a wake-up call'.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Firms in Malaysia to boost tech, LNG purchases from US as part of trade deal
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Multinational companies in Malaysia will buy equipment from the U.S. worth $150 billion in the next five years for the country's semiconductor, aerospace and data centre sectors, part of a deal with Washington to cut tariffs, its trade minister said on Monday. The United States announced last week that it would impose a 19% tariff on Malaysia starting from August 8, lower than a 25% levy threatened last month. State energy firm Petroliam Nasional Berhad ( opens new tab will buy liquefied natural gas worth $3.4 billion a year, while Malaysia will commit to $70 billion in cross-border investments in the United States over the next five years to address the trade imbalance between the two countries, minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz told parliament. The United States ran a goods trade deficit with Malaysia of $24.8 billion in 2024, government data showed. Tengku Zafrul said the two countries were finalising a joint statement covering the commitments made, following weeks of negotiations over the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. "Despite expecting lower tariff rates, the ministry believes that these negotiations have succeeded in achieving a result that is reasonable with the offers made by Malaysia," Tengku Zafrul said. Other concessions by Malaysia include reducing or abolishing duties on 98.4% of U.S. imports, the easing of some non-tariff barriers, and the removal of a requirement for U.S. social media platforms and cloud service providers to contribute part of their Malaysian revenues to a state fund. Last week, Tengku Zafrul said tariff exemptions remained on Malaysian pharmaceutical products and semiconductors exported to the United States, and the government was seeking further cut-outs for commodities such as cocoa, rubber and palm oil. On Monday, however, he warned that semiconductor chips may still be subject to additional tariffs under U.S. laws based on national security reasons. "Therefore, we need to continue to be prepared for any possible additional tariffs imposed on the semiconductor industry," he said.
