Top Labour figures rally round shadow cabinet member under fire amid gay slur claim
2 min read
Labour frontbenchers have thrown their weight behind shadow equalities minister Carolyn Harris, after she came under fire for allegedly using a homophobic slur.
Ms Harris, the MP for Swansea East and deputy leader of Welsh Labour, allegedly referred to a former aide’s shoes as “dyke boots”.
In court, Ms Harris says she “didn’t remember” using the word, claiming if she did it would have been “office banter” and that she was “no homophobe”.
The BBC has reported that both Jeremy Corbyn and First Minister Carwyn Jones are “fully supporting” Ms Harris amid mounting pressure on the MP to quit her role as UK Labour’s shadow equalities minister.
Labour sources told PoliticsHome yesterday that the party had not received any new compaints about Ms Harris, and said a previous complaint against her had been "fully investigated" and not upheld.
A number of Ms Harris’ LGBT colleagues have also shown their support, with Jeremy Miles, one of the first openly gay Welsh government ministers, calling her a “good LGBT ally”.
Labour shadow defence secretary Nia Griffith meanwhile put out a statement saying: “As a gay woman, I know that Carolyn is not homophobic.
“[She] has championed LGBT rights, and will be a strong voice for us in the future.”
The allegation emerged during the trial of Ms Harris’ former aide, Jenny Lee Clarke, who was cleared of fraud after being accused of giving herself a £2,000 pay rise in her role as office manager for the Swansea East MP.
In a statement, Ms Harris said: “I understand that banter was an entirely inappropriate - indeed offensive - word to use.
"In looking to answer - honestly - I said that in the context of our time working together that 'if I did it would have been banter'.
"I was trying to express that I would not want anyone to feel as if I were targeting them because of their sexuality, something I would never do.
"I can only hope that my actions to support the LGBT community in recent years as an MP and in the future will help heal any hurt."
But Jon Lansman, the founder of pro-Corbyn campaign group Momentum, has urged the Labour leader to sack Ms Harris, saying "she needs to be removed from her current role as equalities spokesperson".
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