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He added: "I think what Gorka has done is started a debate, not one that I wanted to have and not one the British Government wanted to have. But now we're going to have to. And he's got a point. Regrettably, yes."Responding to the Reform UK leader, Badenoch said: "A Conservative Government led by me will never take back terrorists like Shamima Begum who have been stripped of their citizenship.
"Actions must have consequences or there is no deterrent. Citizenship means committing to a country and wanting its success. It’s not an international travel document for crime tourism."Badenoch's intervention appeared markedly different to the Leader of the Opposition's Boxing Day bust-up with Farage.The North West Essex MP had accused the Reform UK leader of "faking" the populist party's membership ticker.
However, a group of journalists later entered Reform UK headquarters and verified the numbers reflected the populist party's membership total.
After hinting at taking legal action, Farage announced Reform UK would now ramp up efforts to topple Badenoch in her once-safe Tory seat.
Alongside Badenoch's ongoing rivalry with Farage, Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick waded in on the Begum debate.In a three-word response, Jenrick said: "No we shouldn't."
In support of Nigel Farage's recent remarks regarding Shamima Begum on GB News, Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf urged viewers to see "exactly what Nigel Farage said" regarding the ISIS bride's possible return to the UK."The opposite is true of Nigel. He will say things that are factual and beneficial to security because he genuinely cares about the British people," Yusuf stated. The defense was made just hours after Nigel, who had previously opposed Begum's return to the UK, told ITV News that he was "thoughtful" about letting her.Yusuf explained that Syria's political landscape has shifted dramatically, with "Jihadists in senior government positions" following recent regime change."If you are a British citizen and you are concerned that there are people in Syrian prisons that are security threats to the UK, where would you rather they be?" Yusuf asked on GB News.Yusuf emphasised that Nigel's position remained fundamentally unchanged, noting "as he has said multiple times, he would instinctively be against it."
He pointed to Britain's current border situation as part of the security considerations, stating "we have totally permeable border now, tens of thousands crossed last year alone."
Ms Begum, now 25, left the country as a teenager to join the Islamic State group in Syria and is barred from returning to the UK.She was born in the UK to parents of Bangladeshi heritage.
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