Cooper condemns 'appalling' tweet shared by Dawn Butler labelling Kemi Badenoch 'white supremacy in blackface'

4 November 2024, 09:02 | Updated: 4 November 2024, 09:15

Conservative MP condemns Dawn Butler's comments

By EJ Ward

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said she strongly disagrees with a tweet that a backbench MP appeared to have reposted saying Kemi Badenoch represents "white supremacy in blackface".

Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Ms Cooper said she did not see the post that Dawn Butler appeared to have shared.

"I didn't see the post, I clearly strongly disagree with that," she said.

Pressed on why no action had been taken against Ms Butler, she said: "As I said, I haven't seen the post and I think those sorts of issues around party issues, those are always ones for the Whip."

Asked whether the words in the post had a "racist sentiment", Ms Cooper said: "The words that you have read out are clearly appalling and I would strongly disagree with them.

"So, I haven't seen the post. I don't know the circumstances around it but I think we should congratulate Kemi Badenoch on her election.

"I will continue to disagree with her on all sorts of issues, but, nevertheless, I congratulate her on her election."

Read more: Tory leader Kemi Badenoch appoints Rebecca Harris as chief whip in first appointment since win

Read more: Tory leader Kemi Badenoch appoints Rebecca Harris as chief whip in first appointment since win

The conversation comes as Sir Keir Starmer faces pressure to remove the Labour whip from backbench MP Dawn Butler after she appeared to share a tweet describing Kemi Badenoch as a "member of white supremacy's black collaborator class".

Ms Butler swiftly deleted her retweet of a post from Nigerian-British author Nels Abbey, which responded to the prospect of Ms Badenoch becoming Tory leader by describing "Badenochism" as "white supremacy in blackface".

But she has been strongly criticised by Conservative figures, with several calling for her to lose the Labour whip.

Ben Obese-Jecty, who was elected as MP for Huntingdon in July, said Ms Butler was "not alone on the Government benches in holding this view of Kemi".

He said: "This will be a test to see whether Keir Starmer removes the whip, or effectively condones Butler's abhorrent approval of this smear."

But on Sunday night Labour showed no signs of removing the whip from Ms Butler.

Sir Keir has previously suspended the whip from Labour MPs in response to comments about senior black Conservative politicians.

In 2022, he suspended Rupa Huq from the party for describing then-chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng as "superficially" black. Ms Huq apologised and had the whip restored six months later.

Other Labour figures, including Sir Keir and Foreign Secretary David Lammy, hailed Ms Badenoch's election as the first black leader of a major UK party as a historic moment.

In later posts, Mr Abbey said his original comments had been "clearly satirical" and "intended as a sketch", but defended Ms Butler saying she "may not welcome the ascendancy of an extremely right-wing reactionary black person".

He added: "Because of stuff like this, which is vehement political disagreement, it is both fair and to be expected that many black people may not view Badenoch as (leader of the opposition) to be a 'proud moment for our nation' in the same way as, say, Keir Starmer does (or is politically mandated to)."