Northern Ireland

Lord Kilclooney under fire for referring to Taoiseach as 'the Indian'

John Taylor, now cross-bench peer Lord Kilclooney, referred to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as "the Indian" in a tweet
John Taylor, now cross-bench peer Lord Kilclooney, referred to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as "the Indian" in a tweet John Taylor, now cross-bench peer Lord Kilclooney, referred to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as "the Indian" in a tweet

A FORMER Ulster Unionist deputy leader was at the centre of a racism row last night after he referred to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as "the Indian".

John Taylor, now cross-bench peer Lord Kilclooney, tweeted the remark after the Republic's foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney said he would "like to see a united Ireland in my lifetime".

Lord Kilclooney, a former senior Ulster Unionist who helped negotiate the Good Friday Agreement, hit out at Mr Coveney's remarks and suggested he was attempting to undermine the Taoiseach.

He tweeted: "Simon Coveney is stirring things up. Very dangerous non statesman like role! Clearly hoping to undermine the Indian".

Mr Varadkar, the son of a Bombay-born doctor and a mother from Co Waterford, was born and raised in Dublin. He was elected as Taoiseach in June.

Two northern politicians were among the first to condemn Lord Kilclooney's comments.

Sinn Féin's Alex Maskey and Alliance Party deputy leader Stephen Farry both branded the remarks as racist. And Mr Farry urged Lord Kilclooney to withdraw them.

Mr Maskey tweeted: "Can't see that comment as anything other than racist?"

Mr Farry also wrote on Twitter: "Let's call this out for what it is - racism. The Taoiseach is just as Irish as Simon Coveney. Let's see if there is the courage and integrity to withdraw this."

Fine Gael senator Catherine Noone hit out at the remarks.

"Disgraceful comment John. Leo is 100% Irish as you well know. The mind boggles," she tweeted.

Former victims' commissioner Patricia Mac Bride said she would report the comments.

"I'm staying out of the twitter storm but I do intend to report Lord Kilclooney's racist comments to the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards," she tweeted.

When challenged about his remarks, Lord Kilclooney replied: "Certainly not racism but shorthand for an Indian surname which I could not spell".

He also claimed he was not aware until yesterday that Mr Varadkar was "100 per cent Irish".

"The new Irish PM is 100 per cent Irish and has an Indian name which I am still trying to spell!" he tweeted. "Term Indian used for shorthand as I am certainly no racist as my past confirms."

However, several Twitter users pointed out that Lord Kilclooney had spelled Mr Varadkar's name correctly in an earlier tweet.

The peer has made several controversial comments in the past.

In August, he claimed northern nationalists are not equal to unionists.

He told The Irish News that a unionist majority meant nationalists could not claim equality – though they were entitled to equality of opportunity.

And earlier this week he claimed Co Donegal should join the UK.

“It really is the hinterland of Northern Ireland and it would be great to have it back in with us,” he said.