Officials from the office of Nottingham MP Nadia Whittome say reports she is locked in talks with the Chief Whip over a deleted Rishi Sunak tweet are incorrect. The Labour MP for Nottingham East was advised by Labour Whips to take down a tweet in which she said Mr Sunak's election as Prime Minister "isn't a win for Asian representation".
Ms Whittome highlighted Mr Sunak's personal circumstances to argue that "he is not on your side". Her official spokeswoman said on Tuesday (October 25) that Ms Whittome was "pointing to Rishi Sunak’s record as Chancellor to demonstrate that effective political representation of British Asian communities - and the interests of all working people - is about far more than the ethnicity of the Prime Minister".
However, a spokesperson for the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was quoted by The Guardian as saying there are "conversations ongoing" between the party's Chief Whip and the MP for Nottingham East over the deleted tweet.
Read More: People of Nottingham call for 'honesty' and general election
And Jack Elsom, a political correspondent for The Sun, tweeted on Wednesday afternoon (October 26) to say: "Labour spokesman confirms Nadia Whittome was told to delete this tweet, and is currently in talks with the party Chief Whip about what happens next."
However, Ms Whittome official spokeswoman said the reports were wide of the mark and the talks with the Chief Whip had been drawn to a conclusion. When asked about the aforementioned reports, Ms Whittome's spokeswoman said: "They were mistaken, they were misinformed. There are no conversations ongoing with the Chief Whip. There were conversations on Monday, Nadia deleted the tweet and, as far as everyone is concerned, the matter is resolved." The spokeswoman added: There is no further action expected by her or by the whip."
Ms Whittome's deleted tweet read: "Rishi Sunak as prime minister isn't a win for Asian representation. He's a multi-millionaire who, as chancellor, cut taxes on bank profits while overseeing the biggest drop in living standards since 1956.Black, white or Asian: if you work for a living, he is not on your side."
Despite the deletion of the original tweet, Ms Whittome did repeat her concerns around Mr Sunak's personal wealth by writing: "Rishi Sunak and his wife sit on a fortune of £730,000,000. That's around twice the estimated wealth of King Charles III. Remember this whenever he talks about making "tough decisions" that working class people will pay for."
Read Next:
Man recalls being 'frozen to the ground' after 'UFO sighting'
£1.8m plan for homeless accommodation at old Nottingham car park
Martin Lewis crashes government website after tip to add £5,500 to state pension
Man says he would "rather go to prison" than pay council tax
GP practice put in special measures over patient safety concerns
