Labour MP Emma Dent Coad apologises to ex-Tory candidate over 'ghetto boy' remark
2 min read
A Labour MP has apologised for describing a black Conservative election candidate as a "token ghetto boy".
Emma Dent Coad used the term in a blog post she wrote in 2010 about Shaun Bailey, who was seen as a rising star under David Cameron's leadership.
The Kensington MP 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?"
Mr Bailey described her article as "hate-filled and racist", while Tory MP James Cleverly took to Twitter to voice his anger.
Appearing on BBC Radio London this morning, Ms Dent Coad said she had been quoting "an Afro-Carribean" constituent in her blog. But she added: "If [Mr Bailey] is offended, I apologise."
Last night 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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