‘Since when is a clown racist?’: Robert Jenrick blasts again after Labour MP lodges formal grievance about AI video of Cabinet minister David Lammy in circus costume

Robert Jenrick today blasted back at a ‘disgusting smear’ after a Labour MP lodged a formal complaint about him ‘drawing on historic racist tropes’.

The senior Tory said it was ‘ridiculous’ that he is facing a possible standards probe over his sharing of an AI-generated video of Justice Secretary David Lammy.

In a post on X last week, Mr Jenrick criticised ‘Calamity Lammy’ over the mistaken release of prisoners and his dodging of questions about wrongly freed inmates.

The shadow justice secretary also shared a mocked-up video of Mr Lammy in a clown costume and face paint.

The video sparked fury among Labour MPs, with some complaining it was a breach of Parliament’s rules on the use of House of Commons footage.

Uma Kumaran, the co-chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party’s BAME group, was also revealed to have lodged a complaint about ‘racism’ with a watchdog.

In a letter to the Commons Standards Commissioner, Ms Kumaran is reported to have accused Mr Jenrick of ‘drawing on historic racist tropes in a deeply problematic way’.

But, quizzed about the complaint during a radio interview on Wednesday morning, Mr Jenrick told Ms Kumaran, the MP for Stratford and Bow, to ‘get a grip’.

Robert Jenrick blasted back at a ‘disgusting smear’ after a Labour MP lodged a formal complaint about him ‘drawing on historic racist tropes’.

In a post on X last week, Mr Jenrick criticised ‘Calamity Lammy’ over the mistaken release of prisoners and his dodging of questions about wrongly freed inmates

‘I don’t know this MP, to be honest, I never heard of them before they made this so-called complaint,’ the shadow justice secretary told Times Radio.

‘But it seems completely and utterly ridiculous. And it says a lot about them, right? 

‘Instead of actually focusing on the real issue here – that prisoners, including sexual offenders, are being released onto our streets who should not be there, posing a danger to the public – they’re worried about a video, a graphic on Twitter.

‘I mean, get a grip. What bad priorities is that? That MP should be worried about the Epping victim who can’t get to sleep at night because of mistakes made by their government, not worried about a picture of a clown. I mean, for goodness sake.’

Mr Jenrick denied any racial connotations in choosing to depict Mr Lammy as a clown.

‘No, none whatsoever,’ he said. ‘In fact, it’s a disgusting smear against me. We can’t have a situation where clowns are racist. Is that really what we’re saying?’

He added: ‘A clown is racist. Right.’

In her letter to Daniel Greenberg, the Commons Standards Commissioner, Ms Kumaran was revealed to have accused Mr Jenrick of bringing the Commons into ‘disrepute’.

‘In doctoring a video of the first black person to answer PMQs from the Government despatch box in such a way, Mr Jenrick is drawing on historic racist tropes in a deeply problematic way and one that is completely unacceptable for a MP,’ she wrote, according to Politico.

‘It brings into disrepute our great debate chamber and all those within it.’

Mr Jenrick’s video was also the subject of two points of order in the Commons on Tuesday.

Graeme Downie, the Labour MP for Dunfermline and Dollar, branded it ‘juvenile and shameful’.

He also revealed he had written to Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to ask whether ‘it is a breach of the terms and conditions of Parliamentlive.tv, which explicitly prohibit the altering of video or audio recordings in any way’.

Calvin Bailey, the Labour MP for Leyton and Wanstead, also suggested Mr Jenrick’s video was a breach of Parliament’s rules on the use of Commons footage.

In response to the points of order, Deputy Speaker Caroline Nokes said: ‘The terms and conditions for downloading and making use of clips from Parliamentlive.tv are published online.

‘Although it would not be appropriate for me to refer to guidance given to individual Members, I urge all colleagues to follow the rules.

‘Ultimately, I am not responsible for what Members post online. How we treat each other is important and sets the tone for national debate.

‘I ask Members to consider carefully what is in good or bad taste, and to exercise good judgment in what they post online about colleagues.’