Political divisions are nothing new. There’s always been a spectrum ranging from right-wing views to more liberal left-leaning attitudes. In recent years, however, these dividing lines appear deeper and attitudes have become more polarised. Our political parties feel more fragmented, there’s a wide-reaching mistrust of politicians and references to ‘wokeness’ and ‘culture wars’ are frequently thrown around by politicians and high-profile figures on X, television and newspaper headlines.

The term ‘woke’ now means different things to different people. It was originally coined by members of the Black American community to describe someone who is awake to the real world, informed and educated about social injustices, particularly racial injustice. More recently, the word has been co-opted by some right-wing politicians and public figures as an insult and a political weapon to criticise left-wing or liberal views and advance their own politics. Used as a shorthand to describe one half of the culture wars, it’s used to describe those who are more likely to be left-wing, progressive and ascribe to identity politics, ie believing who you are might have some effect on how you’re treated by the world and therefore your attitudes towards politics.

Dr Richard Courtney, a cultural behavioural expert at the University of East London, tells Stylist that perceptions of wokeness are being used as a “weapon for political parties to rail against social and cultural liberalism so that they can win favour in rural and non-metropolitan areas where people feel disenfranchised”. It’s a strategy used to attack marginalised communities and win favour with voters who are being manipulated by anti-progressive parties such as Reform. “The term woke is used to depersonalise what is still a cultural minority for votes.”

As the general election edges ever closer, the culture wars have reared their head once again. At a last minute stump speech, Boris Johnson - no longer an MP or a candidate - returned to offer support to his former boss Rishi Sunak, and complained that a vote for Labour would lead to “more wokery imposed on our schools”. And Kemi Badenoch, the minister for women and equalities, who, as part of the Conservatives’ campaign, has pushed for what she calls “the protection of women and girls’ spaces”, recently cited “woke” when responding to David Tennant’s comments about her at the British LGBT Awards.

In a speech while accepting the celebrity ally award, Tennant said: “If I’m honest, I’m a little depressed by the fact that acknowledging that everyone has the right to be who they want to be and live their life how they want to live it as long as they’re not hurting anyone else should merit any kind of special award or special mention, because it’s common sense, isn’t it?”

He added that “until we wake up and Kemi Badenoch doesn’t exist any more – I don’t wish ill of her, I just wish her to shut up – while we do live in this world, I am honoured to receive this”.

In response, Badenoch posted on X that she “will not shut up. I will not be silenced by men who prioritise applause from Stonewall over the safety of women and girls… 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 publicly for my existence to end.”

What does ‘woke’ even mean in this general election?