Labour MP Rupa Huq suspended for making ‘racist comments’ about UK’s first black Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng

Rupa Huq, a Labour MP has been suspended for making ‘racist comments’ about UK’s first black Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng.

Huq had claimed that Kwasi was “superficially black” at a party conference panel event titled “what’s next for Labour’s Agenda on Race?”

She said; 

“Superficially (Mr Kwarteng) is a black man….if you hear him on the Today programme, you wouldn’t know he’s black.”

The MP shockingly went on to refer to former Chancellor Rishi Sunak as a “little brown guy”. She also accused Nigerian-born Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch and Home Secretary Suella Braverman of having been “superficial” candidates in the Tory leadership contest this year.

Huq added;

 “Ok, superficially they’ve had four brown Chancellors and that.

“But when you have a little brown guy who…. and also the leadership contest I think that I’d say alludes to that. When there was say Suella Braverman, Kemi Badenoch, all these people in it superficially ‘oh look it’s a multicultural leadership race’.”

Shortly after being suspended, Ms Huq issued an apology to Kwasi Kwarteng. She said; 

“I have today contacted Kwasi Kwarteng to offer my sincere and heartfelt apologies for the comments I made at yesterday’s Labour conference fringe meeting. My comments were ill-judged and I wholeheartedly apologise to anyone affected.”

Mr Kwarteng is the UK’s first black Chancellor. He was born in Ghana to Ghanaian parents and moved to Britain aged 13 after winning a prestigious scholarship to Eton College.