News

Black MP ‘mistaken for cleaner’ in Westminster

1 March 2016

By Lauren E. White

A black MP has claimed she was “mistaken for a cleaner” in Westminster by another MP.

Dawn Butler, Labour MP for Brent Central, said she stepped into a members-only lift when a House of Commons member – who she has not named – told her that the “lift really isn’t for cleaners”.

The 46-year-old said that this incident of racism has been one of “so many incidents” she has had to endure in Parliament since becoming an MP in 2005.

Other incidents that Ms Butler, who is the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, has described include an occurrence when she was asked whether she was allowed in the members area of the Palace of Westminster terrace by a former minister in 2008. Ms Butler said that when she told the minister that she was an MP, he replied with: “They’re letting anybody in nowadays.”

Following Ms Butler’s appearance on BBC 5 Radio Live, where she discussed the racism she received, former London mayor Ken Livingstone stated that the situation was “ridiculous” as she frequently “gets up and speaks” in the Commons.

Like this article? Please share!

  •
    Books Book Review: Things a Bright Girl Can Do
    1914. The world stands on the edge of change. But women still have no vote. Evelyn is rich and clever, but she isn’t allowed to go to university. Life is set out for her, but Evelyn wants freedom and choice, even if it means paying the highest price alongside her fellow Suffragettes. Meanwhile, May campaigns […]
    Read Full Article
  • Editorials Will you miss anything about lockdown life?
    Every cloud has a silver lining. And in this pandemic era, that silver lining has arguably been the copious amount of time we’ve all had for self reflection. Lockdown life has given a lot of us time to focus on things we’ve always wanted to do, but never had the time to get around to.  […]
    Read Full Article
  • News Trump acquitted in impeachment trial
    Former president Donald Trump has been found not guilty of incitement of insurrection by the US Senate tonight as the short but historic impeachment trial comes to a close. Following the Capitol Hill riots earlier this year, Democrats in Congress moved quickly to try and impeach Mr Trump before he left office. Their efforts were […]
    Read Full Article
  • Books Book Review: Normal People
    5/5 If you’ve ever read a book review by yours truly before, you’ll know it’s rare I award five stars. They are reserved for special works of art – and Sally Rooney’s Normal People is exactly that. In fact, Normal People is a masterpiece. I first heard of the book when it was broadcast as […]
    Read Full Article
  • Reviews TV Review: Bridgerton
    4/5 Dearest reader, I give you my sincere gratitude for joining me in this reviewing endeavour. I am sure it will be most revealing indeed. * Now, if you haven’t seen or read Bridgerton, you’ll be wondering what on earth is going on with me! Netflix’s latest fantastic original, based on the novel series by […]
    Read Full Article
  • News Study finds North East has lost out due to Brexit
    BY FLAMINIA LUCK A report published by the University of Warwick, has calculated which areas of the country have won or lost out economically as a result of the Brexit vote. The report, titled Measuring the Regional Economic Cost of Brexit, has used data and statistics from 2018 to construct a predictive modelling which estimates […]
    Read Full Article