Dawn Butler later removed comment from X profile as Government ministers congratulated new Conservative leader on her election
A Labour MP shared a social media post accusing Kemi Badenoch of representing “white supremacy in blackface” just before the new Tory party leader was elected.
Dawn Butler appeared to endorse comments which also referred to Mrs Badenoch’s election as a “victory for racism”.
The MP for Brent East has since undone the repost and it is no longer on her profile on X (formerly Twitter).
The post Ms Butler shared came from Nels Abbey, a London-based Nigerian journalist, and was titled ‘Warning: Seven rules for surviving a Kemi Badenoch victory’.
It read: “Today the most prominent member of white supremacy’s black collaborator class (in Britain) is likely to be made leader of the Conservative Party.”
It went on: “Here are some handy tips for surviving the immediate surge of Badenochism (i.e. white supremacy in blackface).
“Don’t allow yourself to be gaslit. Of course, a victory for Badenoch is an obvious, unprecedented and once inconceivable victory for racism…
“Don’t get arrested… The police don’t do nuance, and they conveniently refuse to understand black and brown intra-communal language or forms of critique, satire or compliment e.g. coconut, Uncle Tom, Aunt Kemi, house negro, choc ice etc.”
The term “house negro” has been widely used to criticise people of colour who assimilate into a white society at the expense of their own ethnic identity.
The term “coconut”, which is also considered derogatory, describes someone who is black but aligns themselves predominantly with white people and culture.
Downing Street sources noted the post was no longer present on Ms Butler’s profile and pointed to Sir Keir Starmer’s message to Mrs Badenoch, saying the election of the first black leader of a Westminster party was a “proud moment” for the UK.
David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, wrote on X: “Congratulations, Kemi Badenoch. Your election as the first black leader of a Westminster party is an important moment not only for Brits from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, but for our whole country.”
Florence Eshalomi, the Labour MP for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green, congratulated the new Tory leader “from one Brit ish Nigerian MP to another”.
Fourth woman to lead Conservatives
Mrs Badenoch is the fourth female Tory leader after Margaret Thatcher, Theresa May and Liz Truss, and is the first black leader of any Westminster party.
By contrast, Labour has never had a female leader and all of its leaders to date have been white.
James Cleverly, who was one of Mrs Badenoch’s Tory leadership rivals, said Labour “need to sort themselves out”, calling Sir Keir’s party “male, pale and stale”.
Last year, Mrs Badenoch said she had told her children that Britain is “the best country in the world to be black”.
In an interview with The Telegraph, she said: “Being an ethnic minority, irrespective of what country you’re in, is challenging and that is just human nature.
“Even in countries where everybody is black, when you have ethnic minorities within them as I saw within Nigeria they often face very significant discrimination, more so than the sort of discrimination which I have seen myself in the UK.”
Downing Street declined to comment. Ms Butler was contacted for comment.
