Two newly-elected black Labour MPs have joked that they need name tags after sharing their experiences of being taken for someone else.
Abena Oppong-Asare and Florence Eshalomi both won their seats in December and have spoken out about attitudes in Parliament.
Oppong-Asare, who is MP for Erith and Thamesmead, says she was also handed a bag by a Tory MP to look after because he thought she was someone else.
(Image: abenaopp/Twitter)
She was also confused with other black women in the Commons.
In a Twitter thread she explained: “The other day I was outside the @HouseofCommons chamber talking to @DrRosena [Rosena Allin-Khan] and one of the Tory MPs walked straight to me to put his bag in my hands asking me to look after it #ThisIsWhyRepresentationMatters “
She said: “In my first week someone came up to me confusing me with another black MP. I said no I’m the other black sista from Erith and Thamesmead Labour . He raised he eyebrows and said wow there more of you”.
Adding: “Last week another MP from another party came over to chat to me about a convo we had before Xmas. I realised a few mins in she got me confused with another #BlackSista “
She concluded: “I’m thinking I might need to write my name on my forehead as I think some people are really struggling to tell the difference”.
Once Ms Oppong-Asare started posting her experiences fellow newbie Florence Eshalomi joined in the discussion.
She tweeted: “Girl I also got confused for another black sista MP as we were coming out of the voting lobby…… but I have to admit it was by a fellow Labour MP. Guess we all need to wear massive name tags right.”
(Image: Daily Mirror)
Their tweets prompted an outpouring of support.
Leadership candidate Jess Phillips remarked: “Abena you are already making your mark in Parliament as a brilliant force. This experience speaks to so much that is wrong with our parliament and our institutions.
“You should find the Tory who did it next week and ask them to hold your bag and throw your coat in too!”
But Rayner faced a backlash for her response to Florence Eshalomi.
She commented: “Me and Jess Phillips often have the same problem because we both have an accent despite them being totally different.”
Some users accused her of comparing their experiences with her experience of being mistaken for other MPs with a strong regional accent.
She later deleted the message, saying her remark y had been poorly judged, adding: “As I would in no way compare that to my colleagues who are mistaken due to the colour of their skin.”
(Image: PA)
It comes as both Clive Lewis and Dawn Butler, who do not yet have the numbers they need to get on the leadership and deputy leadership ballots, have suggested that the Parliamentary Labour Party has an issue with racism.
Butler, who has been an MP since 2005 has previously spoken of being mistaken for a cleaner in parliament.
Mr Lewis hinted that his race had played a part in his struggle to get enough nominations from his parliamentary colleagues to get on the ballot paper.
“I have never said that it is because of my colour that I am not being nominated by my parliamentary colleagues, but what I was saying if you want to understand why we haven’t had a woman, why we haven’t had a person of colour as leader of the Labour Party then we have to look at the entity of the issue.”
