A prominent Tory peer has been accused of racism for allegedly saying that someone was “a waste of a man’s white skin”.
Baroness Mone, 50, sent a WhatsApp message to a man of Indian heritage, telling him he was “a total disgrace” with a “mental loony of a girlfriend”, according to reports.
The Scottish lingerie tycoon sent the expletive-laden message to the man after the pair were involved in a yachting accident off the coast of Monaco, The accident, which occurred in 2019, resulted in the death of one person.
Lawyers acting on behalf of Baroness Mone denied that she was racist and said she had no recollection of the messages. In a statement, they said that Baroness Mone was unaware the complainant was of Indian heritage since “his appearance is 100 per cent white, with a cut-glass English accent”.
“She is not prepared to comment on the messages unless and until their authenticity has been confirmed but Baroness Mone, in any event, very strongly denies she is a racist, a sexist or that she has a lack of respect for those persons genuinely suffering with mental health difficulties,” the lawyers said.
In 2019, Baroness Mone and her husband, Douglas Barrowman, hosted a party on their yacht off the coast of the south of France. Another boat arrived bringing guests, including the man of Indian heritage. As the boat departed to sail back to Monaco, it crashed into Baroness Mone’s yacht, resulting in the death of a crew member.
The crash triggered a row between Baroness Mone and the man who had been travelling on the other boat.
In a message posted to a WhatsApp group chat, Baroness Mone allegedly accused the other man of lying about the trauma suffered by his partner, saying she had been partying “only a few days after” the incident. The man replied: “I would prefer you back the f*** off.”
Baroness Mone then allegedly wrote: “OMG what a pile of crap!! You are talking to me, a smart, bright individual who doesn’t get taken in by your shit! In fact my bullshit detector was on you from day 1. You & your mental loony of a girlfriend have been parting [sic] like mad! . . . You need to get a grip and have respect for a guy that was killed!!! Funny how your mad girlfriend has now deleted all the pictures, don’t worry I have screenshots of the dates and times. 48 hours after the guy was killed. Your [sic] a low life, a waste of a mans [sic] white skin so don’t give us your lies. Your [sic] a total disgrace.”
The man reported the alleged incident to Martin Jelley, the House of Lords commissioner for standards, this year. Jelley refused to investigate on the basis that the events took place outside Westminster.
The House of Lords said: “Where a complaint does not relate to a member’s parliamentary duties, it is not covered by the code or the remit of the commissioner for standards.”
