Headteacher says Labour's Jess Phillips is 'racist and bullying'

Britain’s strictest headteacher says Labour’s Jess Phillips is ‘racist and bullying’ for firing up ‘vicious mob attack’ on her in extraordinary Twitter storm sparked by the death of Tina Turner

  • Katharine Birbalsingh made the sensational claims in a letter to Sir Keir Starmer 

Britain’s strictest headteacher today claimed Labour MP Jess Phillips is ‘racist and bullying’ for firing up a ‘vicious mob attack’ on her in an extraordinary Twitter storm sparked by the death of Tina Turner.

Katharine Birbalsingh, founder of the Michaela Community free school in London, posted a sensational four-page open letter to Sir Keir Starmer, making a series of claims about his Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding.

The row between the pair erupted in May following the death of pop icon Turner, which prompted Ms Birbalsingh, who described the star as ‘an iconic black voice of the 1980s’, to post a gif, made up of ‘different clips from her life’, with the caption ‘good times’.

However, she faced a backlash as the post appeared in users’ feeds with an image of her with Ike Turner, her abusive ex-husband.

Ms Phillips shared the tweet, which has since been deleted, and wrote: ‘Hold the line! Stay with me! Domestic abuse is never ok and we will defeat those who prop up the status quo. I repeat Hold the line! Stay with me! We will win.’

Katharine Birbalsingh (pictured), founder of the Michaela Community free school in London, posted a sensational four-page open letter to Sir Keir Starmer, making a series of claims about his Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding

The headmistress was embroiled in a Twitter row with MP Jess Phillips (pictured) following the death of Tina Turner

Page one of Ms Birbalsingh’s extraordinary open letter to Sir Keir Starmer, criticising Labour MP Jess Phillips

‘Hold the line’ is a popular phrase from the 2000 film Gladiator and was used by Ms Birbalsingh in a speech at the National Conservatism conference.

READ MORE: Schoolchildren now want to identify as HOLOGRAMS, Britain’s strictest head reveals 

When the headteacher claimed in a follow-up tweet – which has also since been deleted – that she didn’t support domestic violence, the MP responded by posting what Ms Birbalsingh described as a ‘sarcastic’ gif, captioned ‘sure…’

A further post by Ms Phillips then added: ‘I’m courageous enough to tweet under my own name. Seems that far from holding any kind of line that headteacher woman seems not to be able to take criticism of her actions. I’d be keen to hear of domestic abuse policies she has in her school or teaching plans, perhaps I’ll write.’

Ms Birbalsingh says that since the tweets were posted more than a month ago, she has endured ‘a deluge of Twitter abuse’, and claims parents have emailed the school asking for her dismissal.

In her extraordinary response today, Ms Birbalsingh – who has made headlines for her controversial views on ‘woke culture’ in schools – wrote to Sir Keir: ‘I want to bring to your attention what I believe to be racist and bullying behaviour from one of your Shadow team. 

‘She inspired a vicious mob attack against me on Twitter on the evening of May 24, 2023, and called into question my school’s safeguarding policies in a deliberate attempt to challenge my competence as Headteacher.’

Page two of Ms Birbalsingh’s extraordinary open letter to Sir Keir Starmer, criticising Labour MP Jess Phillips

Page three of Ms Birbalsingh’s extraordinary open letter to Sir Keir Starmer, criticising Labour MP Jess Phillips

Page four of Ms Birbalsingh’s extraordinary open letter to Sir Keir Starmer, criticising Labour MP Jess Phillips

Her statement continued: ‘My view is that Ms Phillips’ extreme and unprompted hostility towards me is motivated by my race. 

‘By this I do not mean that she hates all people of colour. Her behaviour is a clear example of ‘unconscious bias’. 

‘I mean that she hates me, despite not knowing me, because she subscribes to the idea that Black and Asian individuals in public life owe a duty to voice opinions that match with a left-wing view of the world, or they are worthy of her contempt.’

Ms Birbalsingh went on to say she was submitting a formal complaint to the Parliamentary Standards Commmissioner about Ms Phillips’ actions, claiming they were in contravention of the Code of Conduct.

‘Allow me to be candid: how dare she?’ the teacher wrote.

‘How dare she possibly tell me after 25 years of working in  schools, with the people I have known, in the inner-city areas I have worked, that I am an advocate of domestic abuse.’

The statement went on to address Ms Birbalsingh’s ‘light skin’, which, even though she has a black Jamaican mother and an Indo-Guyanese father, she said was the result of masters historically raping their slaves.

I am therefore aware in my very bones of what some women suffer,’ she said. 

Ms Birbalsingh (pictured) has caused a stir in the past by claiming that Shakespeare’s presence on the curriculum was under threat from woke educators and that children should not be allowed smartphones

‘I am livid that Jess Phillips’ behaviour towards me trivialises the unspeakable horrors my great great grandmothers endured. Ms Phillips does not own this issue and she does not own us black women.

‘I would also add that in Ms Phillips’ contempt for me, she refuses to call me by my name. Perhaps this makes me seems sensitive. My name is part of my identity and if she wishes to disagree with me, she should have the respect to address me by my name. White people took our names in slavery times and imposed new ones.’

Her statement added: ‘She holds me in contempt for being a black woman who does not bend the knee and consider her master, and instead I commit the atrocious crime of expressing views for myself.’

It comes Ms Birbalsingh recently claimed that children allowed to self-identify as animals, moons and holograms should be moved to another school by their parents.

She added that she was aware of a child at one school who identified as a gay male hologram – and at least one school where a group of students identified as cats.

In the past, she has caused a stir by claiming that Shakespeare’s presence on the curriculum was under threat from woke educators and that children should not be allowed smartphones.

Ms Phillips and the Labour Party have been approached for comment on the claims.

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