KILCLOONEY IN RACE ROW ANGER AFTER UNIONIST VETERAN REFERS TO VARADKAR AS ‘THE INDIAN’
LORD Kilclooney was forced into a climbdown last night after he referred to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as “the Indian”.
A Twitter storm erupted around the former Ulster Unionist Party member sparking claims of racism, which the peer rejected.
He said he used the term as shorthand for Mr Varadkar as he “couldn’t spell his name”.
After hundreds of replies he later withdrew the remark because of the “upset and misunderstanding caused”.
Lord Kilclooney made the original comments in a Twitter reply to Sunday Business Post journalist Hugh O’Connell, who quoted Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney as saying he would like a united Ireland “in his political lifetime”.
“Simon Coveney is stirring things up. Very dangerous non statesman like role. Clearly hoping to undermine the Indian,” Lord Kilclooney posted.
As the backlash, began Lord Kilclooney rejected claims of racism. “Certainly not racism but shorthand for an Indian surname I could not spell,” the peer said. “I should have said PM and not used Indian as shorthand for his name which I must learn to spell correctly. The new Irish PM is 100 per cent Irish and has an Indian name which I am still trying to spell.
“(The) term Indian (was) used for shorthand. I am certainly no racist as my past confirms.”
Former victims commissioner Patricia MacBride said she would report the comment to the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards.
Alliance’s Stephen Farry urged the peer “to have the courage to withdraw” the remark.
Mr Varadkar’s father, Dr Ashok Varadkar, emigrated from India to England in the 1960s, where he met his wife, Miriam, a nurse from Dungarvan, Co Waterford. Mr Varadkar was born in Ireland after the family spent a period living in India. BBC presenter Mark Carruthers pointed out the peer had spelled the Fine Gael leader’s name correctly in a previous tweet.
Lord Kilclooney responded: “Some tweets say Veradkar and others Varadkar — I now know the latter is correct and am assured he is 100 per cent Irish with an Indian name. He is not enjoying ioyal (sic) support of Coveney who shot down his idea of an Irish Sea border.”