Sally Nugent leaves Starmer squirming after Rupa Huq probe
Keir Starmer grilled by Nugent on Rupa Huq's comments
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BBC Breakfast presenter Sally Nugent put Sir Keir Starmer on the spot on Wednesday morning as she questioned him on working with suspended MP Rupa Huq. Hosts Jon Kay and Sally Nugent spoke to Labour leader Keir Starmer, who is currently at the party’s conference in Liverpool.
Nugent was quick to ask about Rupa Huq, who has been suspended over “racist” remarks towards Kwasi Kwarteng. Starmer was left squirming as he struggled to give an answer.
An investigation is now underway after Ms Huq stated Kwarteng was “superficially” black.
Following a backlash from her Labour peers on the inappropriate comments, she has publicly apologised.
Nugent put Starmer on the spot as she questioned: “What is there to investigate?
“In my view, what she said was racist,” the Labour leader replied.
“I’m very glad that the Labour party, under my leadership, suspended her straight away.
“We took very strong swift action, it now does go to an independent investigation, that’s the process in place for all allegations and we need to let that take its course.”
Nugent pressed the MP further, asking: “Do you want her sacked?”
However, Starmer skirted around the question as he answered: “As I say, it’s gone into an independent process and that will now determine the outcome of that particular case.
“That’s not specific for this case, that’s what we do for all these cases. It goes through a process.
“That’s the right way to deal with it and obviously, it’s not for me to tell independent process what they should do.”
Nugent hit back: “You are the leader of the Labour party, given what you’ve just said to us about the comments that she’s made and you’re aware of what you think of them, how would you be able to work with someone who said that?”
Starmer replied: “As the leader of the Labour party I put in place an independent process because I thought that’s the right way to deal with all these complaints whatever they are, wherever they come from.
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“Having put that in place, I’m going to respect that process and let them come to their outcome.
“But for me, I’m very clear about this, I’m not being ambiguous about it. I think it was racist and I’m pleased that the labour party acted swiftly.”
Following Huq’s quick suspension, the MP has since taken to social media to reveal she’s been in contact with Kwarteng over her “ill-judged” comments.
In a statement, she wrote: “I have today contacted Kwasi Kwarteng to offer my sincere and heartfelt apologies for the comments I made at yesterday’s Labour conference fringe meeting,”
“My comments were ill-judged and I wholeheartedly apologise to anyone affected.”
Her comments were made on Monday evening at a fringe event entitled What’s Next for Labour’s Agenda on Race.
An audio clip of her remarks was published moments before the Labour leader began his speech at the conference in Liverpool.
Huq could be heard saying: “He’s superficially, he’s, a black man but again he’s got more in common… he went to Eton, he went to a very expensive prep school, all the way through top schools in the country.
“If you hear him on the Today programme you wouldn’t know he’s black.”
BBC Breakfast airs daily on BBC One from 6am
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