Exclusive: Mone is accused of calling man of Indian heritage 'a
waste of a man's fair skin' in WhatsApp exchange
The phrase was reportedly used in a WhatsApp message sent by a Tory member of the House of Lords in June 2019 during a disagreement following a fatal boat accident off the coast of Monaco.
The message was part of a series of WhatsApp exchanges, screenshots of which have been sent to the Commissioner for Standards of the House of Lords, as part of a complaint accusing Lady Monae of sending racist and derogatory messages.
The Guardian has seen complaints and screenshots of the exchanges, in which Monáe makes derogatory remarks about the male's partner's mental health, describing him as a "psychic lunatic" and a "nut case bird". The commissioner replied that he was unable to investigate Monáe because messages were not sent during his parliamentary duties.
Contacted by the Guardian, a representative for Tory Peer initially said: "Baroness Monáe is not 100% racist. Baroness Monáe and her husband have built over 15 schools in Africa over the past three years."
Her lawyers later made another statement in which they said Monáe had "no access" to the messages and "no detailed memory of her".
"She is unwilling to comment on the messages until their authenticity has been confirmed, but Baroness Monáe, in any event, very strongly denies that she is a racist, a sexist or those There is a lack of respect for people who are actually suffering with mental health difficulties."
The statement added that it was "as illogical as it is unimaginable that she could have made such remarks or with the slightest racist intent" because, at the time, she had no knowledge that the complainant was "its was anything other than "British white, as his appearance is 100% white, with a cut-glass English accent".
Monáe was appointed to the House of Lords by David Cameron in 2015, a year after selling an 80% stake in his Ultimo lingerie company. He was then selected to lead a government review on entrepreneurship. The then Secretary of Work and Pensions, Ian Duncan Smith, said at the time: "No one is better qualified to help young entrepreneurs from disadvantaged backgrounds turn a good idea into a flourishing business."
In separate correspondence, his lawyers also stated that his client at the time believed that the man had "no trace of a non-white complexion or any characteristic" that would suggest that he "100% white and British" was not.
The ferry crash occurred in late May 2019, at the end of the day when Monae and her husband, Isle of Man-based businessman Douglas Barrowman, spent their boat socializing with friends and guests who had arrived on another yacht. As his friend's yacht was on its way back to shore in Monaco, it collided with Barrowman and a crew member was killed.
In the weeks following the collision, Mone appears to be embroiled in a disagreement on WhatsApp with the man of Indian heritage, who describes his appearance as brown-skinned, who was a guest on another boat with his partner.
According to the complaint, on June 13, 2019, Mone used a WhatsApp group to question whether the man's partner was actually psychologically harmed after the accident, claiming that he was "only a few days later "It was a party.
The man replied that his partner was seriously traumatized by the ferry incident, adding: "I'd love you to take the crap back."
According to the complaint and WhatsApp screenshot, the Tory coworker then said: "OMG what the fuck!! You're talking to me, a smart, bright person who doesn't get into your bullshit! Actually my bullshit detector is on you from day one." tha. you and your girlfriend's psychic are falling apart like crazy man!…you need to get a hold and have respect for a killed guy!!!Funny how your crazy girlfriend has all now Photos have been removed, don't worry I have screenshots of the dates and times. 48 hours after the man was murdered. Your [sic] one less life, a waste of a man [sic] fair skin so don't give us your lie. Yours [sic] a total disgrace."
She continued: "You now deal with police inquiries including your nut case bird."
The man immediately sent a reply in which he said: "A waste of a white man's skin? Didn't know you were a racist, Michelle. Fifteen minutes later, Mone said: "Your [sic] is blocked and take your mental case to the police station."
Responding to questions from the Guardian, Mone's lawyers also questioned the intentions of the complainant, a financial advisor who worked for Barrowman for some time. Trying to cast doubt on the authenticity of the messages, he suggested that they were "written in a frantic manner with someone with coherence issues in mind, rather than a well-educated and articulate Baroness".
The complainant, who did not wish to be named, made a complaint in August 2021 to the Lord's commissioner for standards Martin Jelly. The document alleges that Monáe's conduct in WhatsApp messages tantamounts to bullying and harassment, arguing that the messages were "abusive and racist towards her" and "abusive and degrading" towards her partner's mental health.
Jelly replied that he could not investigate because the Lord's Code of Conduct, which contained the "Nolan Principles" for people in public life, applied only to members "in the course of their parliamentary duties and activities".
The commissioner informed Mone that a complaint had been made, but it would not go ahead. When contacted by the Guardian, Jelly said the Lord's Code prevented him from confirming or denying information about the complaint.
