THE Observer has responded after publishing a "racist" cartoon featuring Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn.
The paper has said it is "genuinely sorry" for the cartoon by Saffron Swire and has said it will be removing it from its website.
The cartoon, published on page 33 of the July 20 paper, is based on an "invitation" to Corbyn's "party" and depicts the ex-Labour leader wearing 1970s disco attire which is branded with the Communist Party logo.
A speech bubble next to Corbyn reads "let's paint the town red!" while the RSVP address lists the House of Commons.
In the corner of the cartoon, there is an image of a "goodie bag" containing a box of raisins saying "Zarah Sultanas" on it, with the image of a "brownfaced" version of the famous Sun-Maid woman. The "bag" also contains a copy of Karl Marx’s Das Kapital.
Sultana slated the cartoon on social media, branding Swire a "right-wing hack".
Swire is the daughter of Baron Swire, who is an ex-Tory MP and now sits in the House of Lords.
A statement from The Observer, which has been published on its website, said: "We are genuinely sorry for causing offence and we are taking the cartoon down."
Sharing a picture of the cartoon, Sultana posted on Twitter/X on Monday: "Brownfacing a box of raisins and mocking my surname.
Brownfacing a box of raisins and mocking my surname. Exactly what you’d expect from a right-wing hack who is the daughter of an aristocrat and ex-Tory MP. https://t.co/Zvyt4NlS7M pic.twitter.com/Krhvk8sLCy
— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) July 20, 2025
"Exactly what you’d expect from a right-wing hack who is the daughter of an aristocrat and ex-Tory MP."
After The Observer removed a post of the cartoon from its Twitter/X account, Sultana added: "The Observer has now deleted the post, but shame on them for publishing such racist trash in the first place.
"The editor and 'artist' still haven’t apologised. So much for accountability. Pathetic."
The "cartoon of the week" from Swire attracted a swathe of negative comments on Twitter/X, with dozens of people accusing the paper of racism.
Award-winning TV producer Richard Sanders shared the cartoon saying it was a sign of a "sad decline" from the newspaper.
He added: "Leaving aside the racism of the 'Zarah Sultanas' jibe – this simply isn't funny."
Eurosceptic Baron Swire served as an MP from 2001 to 2019 and had several ministerial roles. Since 2022, he has been a member of the House of Lords.
His daughter Saffron has written or produced cartoons for Prospect, Tortoise, The Economist, Art UK and the New European, as well as The Spectator.
Sultana resigned the Labour whip earlier this month to focus on leading a new party with Corbyn – although there has been no formal launch yet.
A poll suggested last week the new party would be level with Labour when it comes to voting intention.
The survey, conducted by pollsters Find Out Now for LBC News, found that of the 650 people polled, 15% would support the new party, matching Labour’s support at 15%.
