Keir Starmer has been urged to kick out a Labour MP who shared a social media post accusing Kemi Badenoch of representing ‘white supremacy in blackface’.
Dawn Butler shared the social media post shortly before the new Conservative party leader was elected.
The Brent East MP later deleted it, originally written by Nels Abbey, a London-based Nigerian journalist. It was titled ‘Warning: Seven rules for surviving a Kemi Badenoch victory’ and listed ‘handy tips for surviving the immediate surge of Badenochism (i.e. white supremacy in blackface).’
It also described Mrs Badenoch’s win as a “victory for racism”. Tory MP Ben Obese-JectyIt said called on Sir Keir to remove the whip from Ms Butler.
“It never takes much for Labour’s mask to slip,” he warned. “Dawn Butler is not alone on the Government benches in holding this view of Kemi.
“This will be a test to see whether Keir Starmer removes the whip, or effectively condones Butler’s abhorrent approval of this smear?”
Downing Street sources noted the post was no longer present on Ms Butler’s profile.
In a message to the new Tory leader – the first Black person to lead a major UK political party – Sir Keir said it was a “proud moment” for Britain.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy described it as an “important moment not only for Brits from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, but for our whole country.”
Earlier this year Ms Butler backed Doctor Who actor David Tennant in a row over Mrs Badenoch’s stance on transgender and women’s rights.
“Not all Black women think the same,” Ms Butler tweeted. “I agree with David Tennant.”
Mrs Badenoch said she would “not shut up” after Tennant suggested she should do so at the British LGBT Awards.
In her Tory election victory speech, Mrs Badenoch paid tribute to Rishi Sunak and also praised her rival Robert Jenrick’s “energy”.
However, she acknowledged that the previous government had “let standards slip” and the party must woo back voters.
“The time has come to tell the truth, to stand up for our principles, to plan for the future,” she said.
Appealing for Mr Jenrick and other senior figures to join her top team, which will be appointed in the coming days, she told him: “You and I know we don’t actually disagree on very much… We have come through this campaign more united.”
She said Keir Starmer had given the Tories an opportunity with his shaky start. “The PM is discovering all too late the perils of not having such a plan,” she said.
Mrs Badenoch received 53,806 votes to 41,388 for Mr Jenrick – 56 per cent to 44 per cent, closer than many expected. Turnout was only 72.8 per cent.
