Burnham-On-Sea’s MP, David Heathcoat-Amory, is at the centre of a row over an alleged racist incident in the House of Commons, according to London newspaper reports on Sunday (October 15th).
The Evening Standard says black Labour MP Dawn Butler has made a formal complaint about Mr Heathcoat-Amory after claiming he insulted her and a group of ethnic-minority visitors to Parliament by telling them: “The place is going to wrack and ruin. They are letting anyone in these days.”
The confrontation between Burnham’s MP, pictured, and Ms Butler is reported to have taken place last month when the London MP for Brent South was treating her staff to lunch on the Commons terrace overlooking the Thames. Her team included a Kenyan Muslim woman wearing a hijab, a Somalian man and an Afro-Caribbean woman.
Ms Butler claims they were challenged by Mr Heathcoat-Amory, who demanded: “Where are you going? This area is for MPs only. Are you an MP?”
Ms Butler, who was wearing her MP’s pass, replied: “Yes. Are you?” She told The Evening Standard: “When we sat down to lunch, my staff were very unhappy.”
Ms Butler approached the Tory MP again and demanded to know why he had challenged her. According to Ms Butler, Mr Heathcoat-Amory refused to reveal his identity and replied: “The place is going to wrack and ruin. They are letting anyone in these days.”
Ms Butler has made a formal complaint to Commons chiefs.
But Mr Heathcoat-Amory has hit back, saying: “I didn’t recognise her and she didn’t recognise me.”
“Visitors are very welcome to the Commons but the rules have broken down. Nobody checks anything any more. That was the point I was making. It has nothing to do with race.”
RELATED LINKS:
The Evening Standard article in full [External Link]
