Tory embarrassment as candidate is caught campaigning in Arabic - despite Kemi Badenoch's pledge to ban the 'divisive' tactic

By CHRISTIAN CALGIE, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT-AT-LARGE Published: 22:42, 28 April 2026 | Updated: 22:42, 28 April 2026 A TORY party candidate is in hot water after it emerged she broke party rules on campaigning in a foreign language. Despite leader Kemi Badenoch promising to ban election candidates from targeting voters with non-English messaging, one of her own candidates in a crucial target council was revealed to have posted multiple social media posts in Arabic. Natalia Awasty, standing in the Church Street ward of Westminster council, uploaded two videos to Instagram in recent days exclusively in the foreign language. In one of the posts, a translation of the video’s text read: ‘We will achieve positive change, God willing. Vote for the Conservatives on May 7th, God willing.’ The caption added: ‘We will bring you positive change. Vote Conservative on 7 May.’ A second Instagram Reel by Ms Awasty - who is also Deputy Chair of the West End Conservative Association - focused on ‘healthcare’. The posts brought embarrassment to the Conservatives’ campaign, given the party has repeatedly condemned such practises from other parties. Last month, Ms Badenoch pledged a total ban on the use of foreign language election leaflets on the grounds they are ‘divisive’. The Tory candidate posted two campaign videos entirely in Arabic The new pledge came after the Gorton and Denton by-election, which once again raised tough questions about the unity of Britain’s communities. The by-election in Greater Manchester, which saw the Green Party surge to a surprise victory with plumber Hannah Spencer, witnessed leaflets circulating in Urdu calling on Muslim voters to back the left-wing party. Nick Timothy, the Tory shadow Justice Secretary, has also repeatedly condemned examples of election literature going out in foreign languages, highlighting numerous Bengali examples being circulated in London’s East End. Shadow local government minister Paul Holmes warned: ‘We are experiencing a worrying rise in sectarian and separatist sentiment in our country, and it is being exacerbated by parties like Labour and the Greens. Kemi Badenoch (L) has backed plans to ban foreign language election materials, while her shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy has repeatedly condemned examples by other parties.  Mr Timothy condemning a Bengali leaflet sent out in London's Tower Hamlets ‘By singling out particular communities, they are consciously preying on division and excluding the vast majority of the population in a cynical bid for votes. ‘Campaigning in a foreign language as the Greens did in Gorton and Denton only fosters greater division. ‘A coherent national culture relies on shared values, and an inclusive electoral process relies on a common tongue. ‘Any MP of any party who wants to see that achieved should support our amendment.’ The Tories will seek to bring the change in as an amendment to the Representation of the People Bill, currently working its way through parliament. A Reform UK spokesman said: ‘The Tories say preach one thing and then do the complete opposite. ‘London is the capital of England, and campaigning should be done in English. We look forward to Mr Timothy’s comments on this candidate.’ A Conservative Party spokesman told the Mail: ‘The Conservative Party has been clear that we do not support campaigning in Foreign Languages. ‘We have reminded our candidate of this, and the posts have subsequently been removed.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.