Labour and the Liberal Democrats have urged Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch to clarify her claim of receiving an offer from Stanford University at the age of 16, after former admissions staff said such a scenario would have been impossible.
Labour MP Peter Prinsley has written to Badenoch, demanding she set out the details of the alleged offer, while Lib Dem education spokesperson Munira Wilson warned the episode risks damaging public trust.
Badenoch has repeatedly said that she was offered a place to study medicine—sometimes described as “pre-med”—at the prestigious U.S. University, despite Stanford not offering such an undergraduate course. She also claimed the offer was made solely on the strength of her exam results and included partial scholarship support.
However, multiple former admissions staff and U.S. academics told The Guardian that Stanford has never admitted students based only on SAT results, nor made such scholarship offers. Jon Reider, who oversaw international admissions during the relevant period, said he never made an offer to Badenoch.
Responding on Monday, Badenoch stood by her account: “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 don’t have the papers, and what the Guardian is doing is reporting hearsay rather than talking about what the government is doing.”
Prinsley insisted Badenoch must confirm whether she formally applied to Stanford and whether she was in fact offered a place and financial aid. “Her claims have been called into serious question by people in a position to understand the situation,” he wrote.
A Labour source added: “Honesty and integrity aren’t optional qualities for those who serve as leader of the opposition. The uncertainty surrounding Kemi Badenoch’s Stanford claims raises important questions that the public deserve answers to.”
Wilson echoed the call, saying: “If Kemi Badenoch cares about restoring trust, she should start by explaining her own academic record. Failing to do so would send the wrong message to the thousands of pupils who just received their exam results—that hard work does not matter and you can bluff your way to the top.”
