Kemi Badenoch, leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, is facing mounting public scrutiny over a long-standing claim that she was offered a partial scholarship to study medicine at Stanford University at the age of 16.
The controversy has emerged at a critical point in her political journey, prompting renewed calls for transparency from opposition figures.
In a 2024 interview with The Times, Badenoch said “At 16, my U.S. SAT scores won me a partial pre-med scholarship to Stanford, but my family still couldn’t afford the place.”
Her spokesperson later reinforced the claim “Nearly 30 years ago, and aged 16, Kemi was offered a part-scholarship at Stanford that her parents could not afford to take up. Given her degrees in both engineering and law are a matter of public record, she questions the hysterical efforts to disprove this.”
However, doubts have been raised by former Stanford admissions officer Jon Reider, who oversaw international admissions and bursaries at the time. Speaking to The Guardian, Reider stated.
“Although 30 years have passed, I would definitely remember if we had admitted a Nigerian student with any financial aid. The answer is that we did not. We would not have admitted a student based on test scores alone, nor would we have mailed an invitation to apply to any overseas students based on test scores.”
Reider also cast doubt on the idea that a 16-year-old, with only O-levels, would have been considered.
“It would have been very unusual for a 16-year-old to receive an offer. She would have needed an extraordinary academic record.”
Academic experts and former Stanford students have also described Badenoch’s account as implausible, given the institution’s rigorous admissions standards and financial aid policies.
Labour MP Peter Prinsley wrote to Badenoch demanding answers “Honesty and integrity are not optional qualities for those who serve as leaders of His Majesty’s official opposition.”
Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Munira Wilson added “If Kemi Badenoch cares about restoring trust, she should start by explaining her own academic record. Failing to come clean would send the wrong message to young people who just received their exam results.”
Badenoch maintains that she remembers receiving letters from Stanford and other U.S. universities.
“All I will say is that I remember the very day those letters came to me. It was not just from Stanford. I was 16, I had done very well in my SATs. But this is 30 years ago; I do not have the papers, and what The Guardian is doing is reporting hearsay.”
As of the time of publication, neither Badenoch nor Stanford University had released a formal statement addressing the specific claims. However, sources say email responses promising clarification have been sent.
Born and raised in Nigeria by devout Christian parents, Badenoch says she now identifies as a cultural Christian. Her faith shifted dramatically after reading about the case of Josef Fritzl, which led her to question divine justice.
In an interview with the BBC, she reflected “I was praying for all sorts of trivial things and getting answers, while this woman, trapped and praying for rescue, was not. It was like someone blew out a candle.”
After returning to the UK at 16, she attended Phoenix College in Morden, where she excelled academically while supporting herself with part-time work. She went on to earn a computer engineering degree from the University of Sussex, later qualifying in law and working in the IT and finance sectors.
She married Hamish Badenoch, a banker, in 2012. They have three children.
Badenoch took the reins of the Conservative Party during a period of instability marked by poor local election results and declining national support.
Appealing for unity and patience, she recently said “I am somebody who people have always tried to write off. And I have always succeeded. I believe I can do that with the Conservative Party.”
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