Labour MP called black Tory candidate ‘token ghetto boy’

A LABOUR MP described a black Conservative candidate as a “token ghetto boy” and said he who would no longer be welcome in her constituency if he was elected in a neighbouring area.

Emma Dent Coad criticised Shaun Bailey, a former adviser to David Cameron who contested the Hammersmith constituency for the Tories in 2010, in a blog post from the same year.

Ms Dent Coad quoted “former neighbours” as describing Mr Bailey as a “freeloading scumbag” and “the most hated man in North Kensington”. She also suggested he had been “used” by the Conservatives. Mr Bailey labelled the comments “hate-filled” and “racist”.

Ms Dent Coad, who became the first Labour MP for Kensington at the snap general election in June, said in a blog post published on April 19, 2010: “Who can say where this man will ever fit in, however hard he tries?

“One day he is the ‘token ghetto boy’ standing behind D Cameron, the next ‘looking interested’ beside G Osborne. Ever felt used? Two things are certain. One is that his current posse of public school buddies will drop him like a hot potato if he doesn’t get elected.

“The other is that he will no longer be welcome in North Ken if he does.”

The comments, first reported by the Guido Fawkes website, came to light on the same day that Ms Dent Coad launched a report on housing and inequality in Kensington and Chelsea.

Mr Bailey told Guido Fawkes: “I am shocked and saddened by the hatefilled, racist article written by Labour MP Emma Dent Coad which has surfaced this afternoon. During my time in politics I have dealt with prejudice and attacks from hard-line groups, including the BNP, but not once have I been labelled a ‘token ghetto boy’.”

Mr Bailey, who is now a Conservative member of the London Assembly, called for Labour to consider suspending her and said: “She should publicly apologise for these latest slurs – not just to me but to the wider black community – and the Labour Party should consider her position.”

A spokesman for Ms Dent Coad said: “As is clear from the original blog post, Emma was quoting Bailey’s own comments about parts of the borough, plus those of his Conservative colleagues on Kensington and Chelsea Council.”