Priti Patel row: Matt Hancock says he ‘abhors identity politics’ from Labour
Matt Hancock has said he “abhors” the identity politics he says Labour is pushing, after a group of opposition MPs told home secretary Priti Patel she was “gaslighting” BAME communities.
The letter, signed by dozens of BAME Labour MPs, expressed “dismay at the way [Patel] used [her] heritage and experiences of racism to gaslight the very real racism faced by Black people and communities across the UK”.
It added: “Being a person of colour does not automatically make you an authority on all forms of racism.”
The letter was sent after Patel, who is of Ugandan-Indian origin, brought up instances of racism she had experienced in response to accusations that the government did not understand racial inequalities in Britain.
Hancock emphatically defended Patel at today’s briefing, while also chastising the Labour MPs who sent the letter.
“I’ve seen this leter and I abhor this divisive identity politics that’s being levelled at Priti Patel,” he said.
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“I’m incredibly proud to be part of the most diverse government in history.
“We don’t think there’s such a thing as the wrong type of BAME, we think people are equal.”
Patel said she was “sad” to receive the letter.
“I will not be silenced by Labour MPs who continue to dismiss the contributions of those who don’t conform to their view of how ethnic minorities should behave,” she said.
The row comes as a part of an explosion of debate over the past week about race within 21st century Britain.
Statues of slave traders Edward Colston and Robert Milligan have been pulled down in Bristol and London respectively, with some activists calling for removal of all commemorations linked with Britain’s colonial and slave-owning past.
This has caused a backlash from some, with Tory MP Bim Afolami tweeting “this is all going completely nuts” when it was announced Liverpool University was going to rename one residence named after William Gladstone.
Gladstone, former Prime Minister and founder of the Liberal Party, was the son of a slave owner.