AN IRISH peer has been accused of racism after referring to the new American vice president as 'the Indian'.
Lord Kilclooney, the former deputy leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, made the comment about Kamala Harris on social media.
Ms Harris, who is the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants to America, made history at the weekend by becoming the fist woman to be elected as vice president.
Lord Kilclooney tweeted earlier this afternoon, saying: "What happens if Biden moves on and the Indian becomes President. Who then becomes Vice President?”
His remark sparked outrage across the political and cultural spectrum, with the Lord Speaker saying the peer should retract and apologise" for his comments.
Lord Speaker Lord Fowler said: "This is an offensive way to refer to anyone, let alone a woman who has just made history.
"The comment is entirely unacceptable and has no place in British politics. I could not be clearer."
Conservative MP Simon Hoare, who is chairman of the Commons Northern Ireland affairs select committee, wrote that the message was “Bad. Rude. Racist. Appalling” and said he had submitted a formal complaint to the Lord Speaker’s office.
Labour’s leader in the Lords, Baroness Smith, added: “I am so angry about this comment. It is despicable and beneath contempt, and totally unacceptable from anyone – but especially from someone in Parliament.”
UUP leader Steve Aiken stressed the peer had not been a member of the party “for at least a decade” as he criticised the “reprehensible” remarks.
“There is simply no excuse for it. He should delete what he has said and apologise. This isn't the first time he has done something like this, but it should be the last,” Mr Aiken said.
Labour shadow minister Wes Streeting added: “He did it before to Leo Varadkar and now he’s done it to Kamala Harris. This sort of racism would be unacceptable from anyone, but from a member of the House of Lords it beggars belief.”
The crossbench peer, who previously deleted a tweet describing then-Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar as a “typical Indian”, insisted there was “nothing racist” in his latest message.
However following mounting criticism, he has now posted an apology, but has not deleted the offending tweet.
He wrote: "Whilst Biden is proud to be Irish and Harris is rightly proud of her Indian background I certainly withdraw my reference to her as an Indian as it seems to have upset some people.
"I did not know her name and identified her with the term Indian.
"Most people understood. Racist NO."
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