The Londoner: Rupa and Tulip in racist security row

Labour’s Rupa Huq has revealed that she is regularly stopped by Parliament authorities — even though she’s an MP. Huq, right, who represents Ealing Central and Acton, told colleagues in Westminster Hall yesterday: “I have been stopped more times in this place since my election in 2015, than in 43 years outside.”

She told The Londoner: “In reality it is a fairly daily occurrence for me to have my credentials questioned by security staff within Parliament, to an extent that I’m certain Steve Pound, my parliamentary neighbour, does not encounter.” She notes: “Because of our pigmentation we are treated differently”.

When she challenged the authorities, Huq says she found herself in hot water. “I have the correct pass, and the last time I gave the rejoinder that I had every right to be here, a complaint was made against me through the office of the Serjeant at Arms.” Though this morning Huq added "To some extent they’re only doing their job."

Huq told us: “I imagine most BME MPs have encountered it in some form or other.” Her fellow London Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, left, confirmed this. “I get stopped all the time, people asking for my pass or saying that this area is just for MPs.” Furthermore, she and Huq have a running joke about the number of times they’re mistaken for one another, though they don’t look alike.

“The current figure is 23,” Siddiq told me. Last week the BBC called Siddiq “Rupa Huq” in a Commons debate and a prominent shadow Cabinet minister congratulated Siddiq for a “good question” that Huq had asked in PMQs.

Siddiq says prejudice is not confined to Parliament. “Once I got into a black cab right after voting and the driver said: ‘Do all the MPs have such pretty PAs these days?’”

This morning a spokesperson for the Commons said: “Parliament is firmly against racial profiling and takes steps to prevent it, including providing staff with equality and diversity training. We will be seeking to speak to Ms Huq about her concerns to find out the circumstances and will take action as appropriate.”

Labour demands many happy returns

The Labour Party is one of thousands of organisations sending GDPR emails begging recipients to opt in to mailing lists. One arrived last night asking us to click to “keep me updated”. Labour is using a unique incentive: emotional blackmail. “This weekend it’s Jeremy Corbyn’s birthday,” the email points out, “and the last thing he’d want as a gift is to see our movement lose strength. Come on, don’t ruin Jeremy’s birthday.” The leader, who is in Belfast for an official visit, turns 68 on Saturday. Many happy returns, JC.

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Nigel Farage is feeling stung by the reception he recieves in Brussels, where he works as an MEP. On last night’s Channel 4 documentary Carry On Brussels: Inside the EU, the former Ukip leader reveals that the city is full of people who hate him and that lots of restaurants “won’t even let me through the door”.

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John Simpson claims he always carries a hardback: “I often forget to brush my teeth and change my socks. But correspondents don’t know when they might be arrested, if you didn’t have a book to read, it would be terrible.” A BBC colleague contradicts: “Simpson is always impeccable in pressed cream linen.”

Bermondsey’s code brown: Alexa and pals touch base for Orla

The flower show may be in full bloom in Chelsea but there are plenty of florals in Bermondsey, too. Irish designer Orla Kiely, noted for her bold prints, hosted the launch of a retrospective of her work at the Fashion and Textile Museum last night. Food writer Jasmine Hemsley, poet Greta Bellamacina and model/presenter/designer Alexa Chung matched in their mustard-brown tones. “I actually think brown is a very sophisticated colour,” Kiely once said. “Cool and very strong. It’s a great base for colour — if you have brown walls then it’s nice to have colour in other places — a yellow chair or a kingfisher-blue sofa. It’s what you put with it.”

SW1A

Forget fields of wheat, Theresa May cannot stay away from the boxes of lupins at the Chelsea Flower Show. She had a private visit on Monday for an hour and was enamoured with The Welcome to Yorkshire garden, complete with real cowpats. Her trip is unusual for a sitting PM as the show is traditionally the Queen’s territory. May (below) was back last night, tailed by armoured vehicles. Not since John Major in 1995 has the CFS had such political pull, but May is the first PM to visit twice. I’m told: “Philip May is a very keen gardener.”

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Tom Tugendhat admits he’s struggling to cope while his wife, Anissia, is away on business. “I’ve been alone less than three hours,” the Tonbridge and Malling MP despaired yesterday. “I’m late to work, slightly covered in baby milk, OK baby vomit, my son is furious about his packed lunch — don’t ask — and my wife is away for three days. This hasn’t started well.”

Quote of the day

‘I said, “Hey, darkness is good”’ Steve Bannon, interviewed by Emily Maitlis on Newsnight, explains his response to being told: “You’re Darth Vader, you’re Satan.”

Let’s boldly go... Thandie’s diversity call

Actor Thandie Newton — who was at a BFI Q&A for Star Wars spin-off Solo last night — is pleased to become the first leading black character in the space franchise. “We’re in a very exciting time because things have changed,” she said. “But we’re in London, which is very different to being outside the city. I feel Brexit happened partly because of the fear of diversity and the fear of mixing everyone up.”

TV is the solution, she said. “I want to fill these screens that enter our home with people like me. The more we see representation in homes in every kind of drama or comedy, the less alone people will feel.”