British actor David Tennant and Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch have clashed publicly over comments made at the British LGBT Awards. Tennant, who won the Celebrity Ally award on Friday, received applause for his remark about Badenoch, where he stated that progress would not be made “…until we wake up and Kemi Badenoch doesn’t exist anymore. I don't wish ill of her, I just wish her to shut up.”
Badenoch responded on social media, calling Tennant a “rich, lefty, white male celebrity so blinded by ideology he can’t see the optics of attacking the only black woman in government by calling for my existence to end” and asserted that she wouldn’t be silenced. She accused Tennant and his supporters of prioritizing applause over the safety of women and girls.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak intervened, emphasizing the importance of free speech and stating that calling for a woman to “shut up” makes one “the problem.” This clash highlights ongoing tensions in the UK's political discourse surrounding LGBTQ+ rights and gender identity legislation.