Priti Patel jumps to PM’s defence after Dave calls him racist

The home secretary said the south London rapper was “completely wrong” about Boris Johnson

DEFENCE: Priti Patel

PRITI PATEL has jumped to Boris Johnson’s defence after he was called a racist by rapper Dave at last night’s Brit Awards.

The south London artist, whose full name is David Orobosa Omoregie, delivered a powerful performance full of political statements at the 40th anniversary of the awards show hosted in London’s O2 Arena.

Towards the end of his performance of Black, Dave, 21, included an additional verse in which he commented on the government’s mistreatment of the Windrush Generation and Grenfell Tower fire victims, and called the prime minister a racist.

Defending Johnson on BBC Breakfast this morning, Patel said: “I simply do not subscribe to those comments at all.

“I know the prime minister, I’ve worked with the prime minister for a long time, for many years, he’s absolutely not a racist.”

She added: “I work with the prime minister, I know Boris Johnson very well, no way is he a racist, so I think that is a completely wrong comment and it’s the wrong assertion to make against our prime minister.”

Dave, who won album of the year with Psychodrama, adapted the album track to include the lyrics: “It is racist, whether or not it feels racist, the truth is our prime minister’s a real racist. They say, ‘you should be grateful, we’re the least racist’. I say, ‘the least racist is still racist’.”

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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn showed support for some of his sentiments in a tweet posted shortly after Dave performed.

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott told BBC Breakfast that she had not seen Dave’s performance but that she believed his comments “clearly resonated with people, particularly after this incident in the past few days where Number 10 brought in a policy adviser who thought that black people were inferior intellectually to white people”.

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3 Comments

  1. | NGOZI OBIDIEGWU

    Dave
    He spoke from the heart. I am not into Dave music ? but when I heard him on the Brits Award?I felt everything.
    I came to Britain ?? with my late British mother and two of my sibling upon whom one of them is now British but unfortunately I developed lupus during 1996. So I was dealing with lupus fog until I gave birth to a very sick ? kid in 2000. I went to college from 1993-1998. Worked two various job with a National Insurance Number been given. Due the situation around my very sick ? kid I had to deal with ignorant oppressors who saw me as someone they could take advantage of because I am nurturing a very sick ? kid. I was just 18.5years old who arrived 02.10.1993.
    Due to me busy nurturing my very sick ? kid I forgot about my own needs and later decided to take up applying for my British passport.
    I was told that due to my date-of-Birth I would have to go through my late father. It was my late mother who applied for us to come over with a supportive letter from Onna King -We finally arrived.
    The fact is that the Home Office have the evidence on their system but they asked for me to provide it. Without any valid passport I cannot travel to Nigeria ?? to get the evidence.
    It is very traumatic that I have to deal this situation if some people in authority did their job they were paid for.
    Now I am in a situation that I am just writing ✍? letters back and forward which is affect my health.
    So those words Dave said reflect on what is happening in Britain ??
    Nothing personal Boris Johnson.
    Despite I have saved the uk ?? Government billions of pounds ? they treat me like a second class citizen.
    My late mother was a nurse and never cared if the patients were black or white. I have given them all the evidence my late parent gave me.
    Moreover I gave birth to two beautiful sons of whom I have raised.
    I just need someone to act on my behalf.

    Kind regards

    Ngozi Obidiegwu

    Reply

  2. | Grace P. Pinnock

    What needs to be understood by society at large, is that a person does not need to voice racist views to be accused of racism. This is the reason why it is so hard to prove in certain instances, and has prevailed for decades and centuries in the U.K. The higher up you go in society, the more adept, and skilful the ability to conceal it. The Honourable Home Secretary should be reminded of that fact.

    Reply

  3. | Grace P. Pinnock

    First class performance by Dave. The lyrics in ‘Black’ is what needs to be said, but as usual, it is too uncomfortable to hear. Those lyrics tell what has existed in the U.K. for decades, but again, as usual the black population, generation after generation are under an illusion of racism.
    Well, people, of all races and colour, we black folk all have a real life story on racism to tell, be it covert or overt. Keep listening.

    Reply

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