Nov 4, 2024 Story by: Editor
Senior Labour MPs have voiced their disappointment over the absence of Black representation at No. 10 following Kemi Badenoch’s election as the new Conservative leader.
Labour insiders revealed that messages within a WhatsApp group for Labour MPs of color expressed anger, with some members feeling that the party is failing to adequately represent Black, Asian, and other minority ethnic communities in top government positions.
One senior Labour frontbencher described it as a “serious embarrassment and a blind spot in No 10” that the Labour government lacks senior Black staff, especially given the Conservatives’ choice of a Black woman as their leader. Although there are a few staff of color in senior Downing Street positions, such as deputy chief of staff Vidhya Alakeson and policy adviser Rav Athwal, the frontbencher noted a lack of senior Black advisers in Keir Starmer’s team.
According to this source, Labour is “nowhere near electing a woman leader or a Black leader, and having both is totally unthinkable at the moment.”
There is also frustration that No. 10 currently has no race relations adviser, in contrast to some previous Conservative administrations.
Concerns were raised about the party’s response to Badenoch’s election, with some suggesting that an MP of color would have been better suited to respond in media appearances, rather than the party chair, Ellie Reeves.
In July 2024, a record-breaking 90 minority ethnic MPs were elected to parliament, including a historic number from Labour, according to research by the think tank British Future. Despite this, David Lammy, the foreign secretary, is the only Black cabinet minister in Starmer’s government. Additionally, the cabinet includes only two ministers of Asian descent: Shabana Mahmood, one of the UK’s first Muslim female MPs, and culture secretary Lisa Nandy.
Some Labour MPs believe Black women such as Chi Onwurah and Florence Eshalomi should have received ministerial roles. They also noted that no Asian MPs were reappointed after resigning in protest over the issue of Gaza.
When approached for comment, No. 10 indicated there are advisers in place responsible for community relations and emphasized that the party chair is traditionally the appropriate figure for political responses on media rounds. Sources acknowledged Labour’s record number of elected BAME MPs but noted the importance of ongoing efforts to enhance representation.
Following Badenoch’s historic achievement as the first Black leader of a UK party and the first Black woman to lead a major European party, MPs Eshalomi and Lammy sent her messages of congratulations. However, Labour MP Dawn Butler faced backlash from some Conservatives after sharing, then deleting, a social media post accusing Badenoch of representing “white supremacy in blackface.” Labour sources pointed out that the post has since been removed.
Former Conservative MP Kwasi Kwarteng, the first Black chancellor, criticized Butler’s comments on GB News, saying, “She’s got form on this. Yes, on a personal level, I’ve always got on with her, but her race-baiting is completely crazy. You can imagine that if Kemi had lost, she’d have said exactly the same thing.”
Kwarteng continued, “She’d have said: ‘Oh, of course, Kemi lost because the Tories are racist, and Britain is racist.’ Now that she’s won, she’s saying it was racist. This is insanity. I genuinely think that, given what she said, she should have the whip removed.”
Badenoch expressed a preference for focusing on policy rather than her race, saying, “When I hear people say isn’t this remarkable, we have a Black female leader of the Conservative party, I’m glad because it shows that my country and my party are actually places where it doesn’t matter who you are, what you look like. It’s about what the offer is. What I don’t want is for that to be the thing that ends up being talked about,” she told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday. Source: The Guardian
