Boris Johnson branded ‘racist’ and likened to the right-wing Tea Party after his attack on the ‘part Kenyan’ Barack Obama
- Mayor of London mentioned Obama’s African ancestry as he criticised the decision to remove Winston Churchill bust from the Oval Office
- Johnson suggested Obama got rid of the statue because of his ‘ancestral dislike of the British empire’
- But former Lib Dem leader Lord Campbell dismissed ‘unacceptable smear’
- Labour frontbencher Diane Abbott hits out at ‘offensive’ comments that echoed the right-wing Tea Party in the US
Boris johnson, Boris? odd first name for a full blooded Briton, just exhibited a remarkable level of political immaturity. Transporting the unbridled vituperation sometimes associated with elbow throwing in Commons across the waters, does little to support his stake to the highest office in the United kingdom. If he can not rein his base instincts in addressing minor issues with his country’s most significant ally, how is he expected to handle the pressures navigating today’s international politics and global crises …
Boris Johnson was accused of ‘dog whistle racism’ and likened to right-wing ‘Tea Party’ politicians in the US this morning after his attack on the ‘part-Kenyan’ Barack Obama.
The Mayor of London spoke out against the US President after he urged British voters to stay in the EU and mentioned his African ancestry as he criticised the decision to remove a bust of Sir Winston Churchill from the Oval Office shortly after Mr Obama entered the White House.
Mr Johnson – who is favourite to succeed David Cameron as Prime Minister – suggested the President got rid of the statue as a ‘snub’ to Britain’s wartime prime minister and a ‘symbol of the part-Kenyan President’s ancestral dislike of the British empire’.
But Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell hit out at Mr Johnson and demanded he withdraw the controversial remarks.
He wrote on Twitter: ‘Mask slips again. Boris part-Kenyan Obama comment is yet another example of dog whistle racism from senior Tories. He should withdraw it.’
This afternoon Mr Johnson defended his remarks and said he did not imply the US leader was anti-British. Diane Abbott, Shadow International Development Secretary, hit out at Mr Johnson, describing his remarks as ‘offensive’ and said they echoed those of the Tea Party’s right-wing, anti-immigration tendency in the US.
Former Lib Dem leader Lord Campbell said Mr Johnson’s comments were ‘an unacceptable smear’.
‘If this is an illustration of the kind of diplomacy that we might expect from a Johnson leadership of the Tory Party then heaven help us.’
Boris Johnson (left) suggested the US President (pictured left arriving in the UK last night) got rid of the Sir Winston Churchill statue as a ‘snub’ to Britain’s wartime prime minister and a ‘symbol of the part-Kenyan President’s ancestral dislike of the British empire’
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