A prominent Tory colleague has been accused of racism for saying someone “wasted a man’s white skin”.
Baroness Mone, 50, sent a WhatsApp message to a man of Indian descent, telling him he was “a complete disgrace” with “the mental vileness of a girlfriend” , according to the report.
The Scottish lingerie mogul has sent a poignant message to the man after the two were involved in a yacht accident off the coast of Monaco, which happened in 2019, which left one person dead.
Lawyers representing Baron Mone denied she was racist and said she had no recollection of the messages. In a statement, they said Baron Mone was unaware the claimant was of Indian heritage because “his appearance was 100% Caucasian, with a pure British accent”.
“She is not prepared to comment on the messages unless and until their authenticity has been confirmed but Baron Mone has, in any case, very strongly denied she is racist. racial, sexist or she disrespects people who are really suffering from mental health difficulties,” the attorneys said.
In 2019, Baron Mone and her husband, Douglas Barrowman, held a party on their yacht off the south coast of France. Another boat arrives to take guests, including a man of Indian heritage. As the ship sailed for Monaco, it collided with Baron Mone’s yacht, resulting in the death of one crew member.
The collision caused a commotion between Baron Mone and the man on the other boat.
In a message posted to a WhatsApp group chat, Baron Mone allegedly accused the other man of lying about the trauma his partner suffered, saying she was at the party “just days after” the incident. The man replied, “I want you back f*** off.”
Baron Mone then allegedly wrote: “OMG what a bunch of crap!! You’re talking to me, a bright, intelligent person who isn’t derailed by your shit! In fact, my bullshit detector has been tracking you since day 1. You and your emotional pain over a girlfriend who broke up [sic] like mad! . . . You need to embrace and respect someone who has been killed!!! Funny how your crazy girlfriend has deleted all the photos now, don’t worry, I have a screenshot of the date and time. 48 hours after the guy was killed. Your [sic] a low life, a waste of a man [sic] white so don’t tell us your lies. Your [sic] a complete disgrace. “
The man reported the incident to Martin Jelley, the House commissioner for standards, this year. Jelley declined to investigate on the basis of events that took place outside of Westminster.
“When a complaint is unrelated to the duties of a member of parliament, it is not covered by the statute or the mandate for standards,” the House said.
