BLACK MP, DAWN BUTLER MISTAKEN FOR A CLEANER BY ANOTHER MP IN COMMONS LIFT

A black Member of Parliament, Dawn Butler, 46,  Labour MP representing Brent Central has recounted to BBC how she was a victim of racism when she was mistaken for a cleaner by a fellow Member of Parliament in a lift designated for members only in Palace of Westminster.
When asked if she had ever faced racism in Parliament during BBC 5 Pienaar's Politics, Dawn said, "Yes - God, there are so many incidents and relived one particular incident,

 "There was a time I was in the lift. It was a members' lift that Members of Parliament use specially in cases (when) we have  (to) get to places quickly".

"I was in the  lift and some other MP said, 'This lift really isn't for cleaners".

Dawn in 2008 also wrote an article for Fawcett Society where she described how former Tory Minister David Heathcote-Amory had accused her of not being an MP.

She wrote that he confronted her as she went to sit in the members area on the terrace.

She wrote,
"He actually said to me, "What are you doing here? This is for members only". "He then proceeded to ask me, 'Are you a member?".

"And I said, 'Yes Iam, are you?' And he turned around and said to his colleague, 'They are letting anybody in nowadays'.

"This man could not equate the image he saw in front of him with that of an MP. It was quite upsetting for my team and so we had to take it further@.

Mr. David Heathcote-Amory denied that his comments then to Dawn Butler were racist and said he just didnot recognise her as a new MP.