A black MP today revealed how she suffered racism in parliament after a
fellow MP thought she must have been a cleaner.
Labour’s Dawn Butler recalled the incident which took place in a
Members'-only lift at the Palace
of Westminster
Asked on BBC Five Live’s Piennar’s Politics if she had ever experienced
racism in parliament, the Brent Central MP replied: “Yes - God, there are so
many incidents.
“I was in the lift and some other MP said, ‘This lift really isn’t for
cleaners’.” She refused to name the MP.
In 2008, Ms Butler wrote an article describing how former Tory minister
David Heathcote-Amory confronted her as she went to sit in the Members’ section
on the terrace.
“He actually said to me, ‘What are you doing here? This is for Members
only’,” she wrote.
“He then proceeded to ask me, 'Are you a member?' And I said, ‘Yes I
am, are you?‘ And he turned around and said to his colleague, ‘They’re
letting anybody in nowadays.’
“This man could not equate the image he saw in front of him with that of
an MP. It was quite upsetting for my team and so we had to take it further.”
At the time, Mr Heathcote-Amory rejected the allegation his remarks to Ms
Butler in September 2006 were racist.
“It is quite absurd,” he was quoted as saying.
“What she is actually objecting to is that I didn’t recognise her as a
new MP.
“I simply asked her what she was doing at that end of the terrace, and
they are quite sensitive about this kind of thing, they think that any kind of
reprimand from anyone is racially motivated."
Source: Mirror.co.uk
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