Photograph: Richard Maude/Labour Party/PA
The British Labour MP Helen Goodman has apologised for a tweet she wrote about health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s wife.
The tweet, which has since been deleted, read: “If China is so great, why did Jeremy Hunt’s wife come to England?”
The tweet attracted a lot of anger, with some fellow MPs accusing Goodman of using unacceptable and racist language.
Properly nasty, dumb racist tweet from Labour MP Helen Goodman about Jeremy Hunt's wife. Thank the Lord these people aren't in power
— Marcus Fysh MP (@MarcusFysh) October 11, 2015
.@HelenGoodmanMP @Jeremy_Hunt Helen that is a terrible thing to say. I hope you delete and apologise to Mrs. Hunt. Have you been hacked?
— Nadhim Zahawi (@nadhimzahawi) October 11, 2015
Just tested the Goodman tweet on my husband. I like to check outcry with him...verdict...very very offensive.
— Jess Phillips MP (@jessphillips) October 11, 2015
The context of Goodman’s tweet was a controversial speech by Hunt at last week’s Conservative party conference. Hunt mentioned his wife’s Chinese nationality while extolling the virtues of cuts to tax credits, arguing that they would help people in Britain work hard “in the way that Asian economies are prepared to work hard”.
Some commentators on Twitter debated what exactly it was that made Goodman’s tweet so offensive.
Is it because it criticised Hunt's wife? Or is it because people feel it's racist? If the latter, explaining how will help people learn.
— Helen Lewis (@helenlewis) October 12, 2015
For some, the language used in Goodman’s tweet was reminiscent of racist taunts and far-right rhetoric.
@helenlewis reminds me of being at primary school,when kids used to retort "go back to where you came from" weird, since I lived across road
— Zee Mitha (@ZeeZooMeeMoo1) October 12, 2015
I feel like @HelenGoodmanMP was about to tweet “if China is so great, she can go back there!”. She was *that* close…
— kiramadeira (@kiramadeira) October 11, 2015
Goodman later made a full apology, which contained an attempt to explain the thought process behind the tweet.
Wish to absolutely totally apologise for earlier tweet.
— Helen Goodman (@HelenGoodmanMP) October 11, 2015
Helen Goodman's official response to Twitter row with Jeremy Hunt. Full apology. pic.twitter.com/Hf4K45UavJ
— Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) October 12, 2015
While apologising, Goodman’s explanation was that Hunt had mentioned his wife in his speech. But her tweet broke with the political convention that an opponent’s family should be out of bounds in terms of public criticism.
The Labour peer Angela Smith told the BBC’s Westminster Hour: “It is absolutely bizarre, I do not understand it at all.
“I think there is a lesson for all here: that our partners and our families are not in the public domain to be criticised or commented on.”
Terrible tweet from @HelenGoodmanMP. Never attack politicians families. I hope she apologises.Clearly she missed the 'Kinder Politics' memo
— Tim Farron (@timfarron) October 11, 2015
The new politics seems to consist of being a bit nasty to each other
— Anna Yearley (@AnnaYearley) October 11, 2015
Goodman’s tweet won’t have impressed the new Labour leader, Jeremy “I don’t do personal” Corbyn, whose speech Tim Farron is referencing.
Though the BBC’s political editor, Nick Robinson, once made the editorial judgment that Nigel Farage’s stance on the EU and immigration made his wife’s German nationality fair game, politicians are usually sensible enough to criticise on policy, not familial ties. And Corbyn has made a big deal of refusing to make personal attacks.
Goodman has attracted criticism for her tweets before. Last July, the MP passed comment on the newly promoted female Conservative ministers Nicky Morgan, Anna Soubry and Penny Mordaunt.
“All are puppets who’ll change nothing and their appearance really is the most interesting thing about them,” she tweeted. It was later deleted.
