Labour MP Dawn Butler is facing backlash for sharing a tweet that linked Kemi Badenoch to ‘white supremacy in blackface’. Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, stated that Butler ‘shouldn’t have said what she did’ and described the tweet as appalling. Butler quickly removed her retweet of the post from Nigerian-British author Nels Abbey, but criticism has continued to mount against her.
Conservative MPs have called for Butler to lose the party whip over the incident, which occurred shortly after Badenoch was announced as the new Tory leader. Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that Butler ‘shouldn’t have said what she did’ and that it was right for her to delete the post. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper expressed disagreement with the sentiment of the tweet and commended Badenoch on her election as the first Black person to lead a major UK party.
Badenoch’s election has been hailed as a historic moment for the country by various Labour figures including Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy. However, some Conservative figures, such as Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty, have criticized Butler for her actions. Obese-Jecty called on Starmer to take action and remove the whip from Butler if she condones the smear against Badenoch.
Nigerian-British author Nels Abbey clarified that his original post, which described Badenoch as ‘the most prominent member of white supremacy’s Black collaborator class’, was meant to be satirical and a sketch. He acknowledged that it was a form of vehement political disagreement and suggested that some black individuals may not view Badenoch in the same way as others. This incident has brought to light the issue of political smears and the impact they can have on individuals.
This is not the first time that the Labour Party has faced controversy over comments related to race. In 2022, while Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir suspended Rupa Huq from Labour for making comments about then-chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng. Huq later apologized and was allowed back into the party after six months. The incident involving Butler and Badenoch has sparked debate about the boundaries of political discourse and the consequences of spreading harmful narratives.
Overall, the situation involving Dawn Butler’s tweet linking Kemi Badenoch to ‘white supremacy in blackface’ has led to condemnation from various politicians and calls for action to be taken. While some have defended Butler’s right to express her opinions, others have criticized her for perpetuating harmful stereotypes. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of respectful political discourse and the need to address issues of race and representation in the political sphere.
