Labour suspends MP Rupa Huq over alleged racism against Kwasi Kwarteng
Labour has suspended MP Rupa Huq for making allegedly racist comments against chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng.
Huq told a Labour conference event that the chancellor is “superficially” a black man and that “if you hear him on Today programme, you wouldn’t know he’s black”.
Tory party chair Jake Berry said he had “serious concerns” about her comments and that they were racist.
Huq tweeted this afternoon that she has apologised to Kwarteng.
A Labour source said the party whip had been suspended from the Ealing and Acton MP and deputy party leader Angela Rayner said her comments were “unacceptable”.
An audio clip, published by the Guido Fawkes website, showed Huq saying: “[Kwarteng’s] superficially, he’s, a black man but again he’s got more in common… he went to Eton, he went to a very expensive prep school, all the way through top schools in the country.
“If you hear him on the Today programme you wouldn’t know he’s black.”
Huq today said: “I have today contacted Kwasi Kwarteng to offer my sincere and heartfelt apologies for the comments I made at yesterday’s Labour conference fringe meeting.
“My comments were ill-judged and I wholeheartedly apologise to anyone affected.”
Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy told the BBC that the comments were “unfortunate” and that “I wouldn’t have made them myself.”
In a letter to Starmer earlier today, Berry said: “I trust you will join me in unequivocally condemning these comments as nothing less than racist and that the Labour whip will be withdrawn from Rupa Huq as a consequence.”