Sir Keir Starmer has publicly condemned Labour MP Dawn Butler for her recent comments linking new Tory leader Kemi Badenoch to “white supremacy in Blackface.” Following backlash over her retweet of a post from Nigerian-British author Nels Abbey, Butler swiftly deleted the tweet, but not before it drew significant criticism from various quarters.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak addressed the controversy while attending the Interpol general assembly in Glasgow, stating, “She shouldn’t have said what she did, and she has deleted it, and quite right too.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper echoed this sentiment, expressing her strong disagreement with the words attributed to Butler after they were read to her during an LBC interview. Cooper emphasised the importance of congratulating Badenoch on her historic election as the first Black leader of a major UK party.
Badenoch’s election was announced over the weekend. She secured victory over Robert Jenrick. Many Labour figures, including Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy, celebrated the occasion, which they recognised as a significant milestone for the nation.
The controversy escalated as several Conservative MPs called for Butler to lose the Labour whip over her remarks. Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty criticised Butler, suggesting that her views were not isolated and that the situation would test Starmer’s leadership regarding accountability within his party.
In response to the backlash, Abbey claimed that his original post was intended as “clearly satirical” and meant to provoke thought rather than serve as a direct insult to Badenoch. He noted that political disagreements could lead to varying perceptions of her leadership among Black communities, contrasting this with Starmer’s view of her election.
This incident mirrors a previous situation in which Starmer suspended Labour MP Rupa Huq for remarks about then-Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s appearance, indicating a pattern of accountability for controversial statements within the party. Huq later apologised and was reinstated after six months. The ongoing debate highlights the sensitive nature of race and representation in UK politics, especially as the country navigates complex social dynamics.
