to think this MP's comments are outrageous?

[SashimiStevens]

London MP Dawn Butler has said she was a victim of racism when a fellow MP assumed she was a cleaner.

www.independent.co.uk/news/people/black-mp-dawn-butler-reveals-she-was-victim-of-racism-in-parliament-after-fellow-mp-assumed-she-was-a6901261.html

In a separate incident in 2008 former senior Tory minister David Heathcote-Amory confronted her in the Members’ section of the terrace.

“He actually said to me, ‘What are you doing here? This is for Members only’,” she wrote. “He then proceeded to ask me, 'Are you a member?' And I said, ‘Yes I am, are you?‘ And he turned around and said to his colleague, ‘They’re letting anybody in nowadays.’ “This man could not equate the image he saw in front of him with that of an MP. It was quite upsetting for my team and so we had to take it further.”

Mr Heathcote-Amory rebuffed the accusation that his remarks were racist.

“It’s quite absurd,” he said. “What she is actually objecting to is that I didn’t recognise her as a new MP. I simply asked her what she was doing at that end of the terrace, and they are quite sensitive about this kind of thing, they think that any kind of reprimand from anyone is racially motivated.”

[acasualobserver]

Tory.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

Yup. Tory.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

‘They’re letting anybody in nowadays.’ And the use of 'they'. Can't think why anyone would think this racist was a racist.

[SashimiStevens]

I know. It's such a disgusting way to refer to anyone! What a piece of work

[nceccoli]

It's absolutely hilarious that in rebuff ingredients any accusation that he is racist, Heathcote -Amory has gone on to display how actually racist he indeed is.

[nceccoli]

Rebuffing

[sugar21]

Yep Tory

[BunnyTyler]

There are actually black Tories by the way, and non bigoted Tories.

I think the sage nodding and "Yup, Tory" is a bit pathetic to be honest.

Regardless of his political leanings he is a bigoted, racist twat and that is rife across all sections of the population and quite probably not that uncommon across all parties.

[caroldecker]

Note she refuses to name the Labour MP who assumed she was a cleaner

[Tanith]

Perhaps the MP who mistook her for a cleaner apologised for their mistake when it was pointed out to them.

Presumably all party MPs are capable of apologising for mistakes, not just Labour ones.

[sweetcherrycakes]

Agree Bunny

Tory is hardly a synonym for racist

[AdrenalineFudge]

Par for the course really.

[UnmentionedElephantDildo]

Why has this become a story now, 8 years after the events in question?

[JoffreyBaratheon]

I've been on that terrace - am not an MP nor was the person I was with. Never got stopped or challenged. I'm white, though.

Tory is not a synonym for 'racist' - but TBH those tories who fake being PC never quite convince. Cameron always reminds me of Flashman. He knows the 'right' thing to say and to pretend to believe, but you'd be naive to think he was anything other than a shit when behind closed doors with his old Etonian mates. And anyone who can stay in a political party fronted by that - well they're never going to be nice people, are they? I suspect they're as racist and homophobic as ever - the vast majority of tories. They have just realised the world have moved on and now it's expedient to hide it. Is anyone really taken in by them?

[WhiskyTangoFoxtrot]

As she didn't name the other MP, nor give details on whether she or he apologised, there's not much we can do other this. Speculate.

But I do think it's worth reminding people that as the Tories have always had about the same number of black MPs as Labour, plus the only Jewish and only female PM, and the highest number of state school educated PMs.

It's easy to castigate the stereotype. But also worth pausing to remember that it's not terribly accurate. Confirmation bias is a snare.

[sweetcherrycakes]

Do you believe everyone who votes conservative is racist or homophobic Joffrey? Honestly?

[caroldecker]

It was a Labour council and Unison who conspired to pay men more than women in birmingham and refused to support the court cases initially.
Trade unions also have a long history of racism.

[jeremyisahunt]

Disgusting behavior. His response sums him up.

I'm glad she has spoken out though. I doubt she's the only one that this kind of thing has happened to.

[Gartenzwerg]

The irony of some of the previous posts is astounding - professing outrage at one person's bigoted view of black people by demonstrating their own bigoted view of Tories.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

There is a difference between judging someone on the colour of their skin than on their stated political preference. Not saying that all Tories are racist BTW but that someone's own stated political stance says something about their tolerance to that party's stance on immigration etc.

[Chipstick10]

Labour, the kinder politics . Yeah alright

[SchnooSchnoo]

Well, if there was any doubt about him being a racist before his handy explanation, then there certainly isn't now! What a twat.

[PaulAnkaTheDog]

And things like this are the reason that the only page I follow on Facebook is 'Nobody likes a Tory'.

[Chipstick10]

My son is the kindest, least non judgemental person you could ever wish to meet. I have been told so many times he's a son in a million. No mother could be prouder. He gained a first at uni from sheer hard work and continues everyday to make me proud with his gentle nature . He votes Tory. paulAnka that makes me so sad and angry.

[ForalltheSaints]

A Tory MP looking down on other people? Whatever next? It may not have been based on race (though I think it could have been, or because Dawn is a woman) but still unacceptable.