Labour MP branded 'racist' over blog post describing black Tory candidate as 'ghetto boy'
3 min read
A Labour MP has been accused of "distasteful prejudice” over a blog post she wrote criticising a black Conservative candidate.
Emma Dent Coad said Shaun Bailey thought of himself as a “token ghetto boy” and suggested he was being “used” by then-Conservative leader David Cameron.
The revelation of the 2010 blog - by website Guido Fawkes - drew a furious response from both Mr Bailey himself and Tory MP James Cleverly.
But a spokesperson for the Kensington MP said the blog was clear she was in fact quoting Mr Bailey.
Kensington MP Ms Dent Coad wrote: “It must be said that his constant stigmatisation of the area he was born in as a 'ghetto' has not exactly endeared him to his former neighbours, one of whom calls him 'a free-loading scumbag', another 'the most hated man in North Kensington'.”
She added: “One day he is the 'token ghetto boy' standing behind D Cameron, the next 'looking interested' beside G Osborne. Ever felt used?
“Two things are certain. One is that his current posse of public school buddies will drop him like a hot potato if he doesn't get elected. The other is that he will no longer be welcome in North Ken if he does.”
Branitree MP Mr Cleverly took to Twitter to condemn the "vile and unacceptable language" and urge the Labour party to take action.
Meanwhile Mr Bailey told the site he was “shocked and saddened by the hate-filled, racist” article.
“During my time in politics I have dealt with prejudice and attacks from hard-line groups, including the BNP, but not once have I been labelled a ‘token ghetto boy’,” he fumed.
He said her captioning of the phrase “keeping it real” was “more akin to that of a white supremacist group than that of an elected politician”.
And he added: “Ms Dent Coad has a long history of public intimidation. She should publicly apologise for these latest slurs – not just to me but to the wider black community – and the Labour Party should consider her position.”
A spokesperson for Ms Dent Coad said: "It is clear from the original blog that Emma was quoting what Bailey himself had said about his neighbourhood, together with comments from Tory colleagues on the Council."
Ms Dent Coad recently courted controversy for her controversial claim that Prince Harry cannot drive a helicopter and "just sits there going 'vroom vroom'".
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