A probe has been launched into social media posts by an NHS England manager after they were shown to have hurled a racist slur at Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.
Lucy Hunte, national programme manager for apprenticeships at NHS England, used a series of coconut emojis when sending a message on X to Mrs Badenoch.
Other posts by Ms Hunte – revealed in a dossier of her social media activity seen by the Daily Mail – include her appearing to downplay the fears of Jewish people during pro-Palestinian marches in London.
In one post she suggested that ‘normal Jewish people’ were not concerned by the marches, but ‘only those who support genocide’.
Ms Hunte also publicly supported Bob Vylan after the band led ‘death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)’ chants during their controversial performance at Glastonbury Festival last summer.
The term ‘coconut’ is widely viewed as a racist slur and is seen to accuse someone of being a ‘race traitor’.
Ms Hunte used three coconut emojis in a message to Mrs Badenoch in August last year, when the Tory leader supported the flying of St George and Union flags across towns and cities in England.
NHS England said it was ‘urgently investigating’, while Mrs Badenoch told the Daily Mail that Ms Hunte’s post ‘tells you all you need to know about the culture that has taken root in many of our public services’ and vowed her Conservative Party would tackle ‘bigotry’.
The Tory leader said: ‘The fact that an NHS manager felt comfortable hurling racist abuse at me for loving Britain and our flag tells you all you need to know about the culture that has taken root in many of our public services.
‘If she’d do that to a high-profile politician, imagine what she’s doing to the ethnic minority colleagues unfortunate enough to work with this cretin.
‘The far-Left has spent years embedding itself in our institutions, and the result is NHS managers who think patriotism is a provocation and racism is progressive.
‘They can’t see the bigotry for the buzzwords and the Conservatives will root it out.’
Ms Hunte sent the message to Mrs Badenoch on 24 August, posting: ‘Are you really this dumb?! It’s the likes of you they are up in arms about?!
‘They don’t see it as “our” country even if we are born and bred here?!’
The NHS England employee’s post was in reply to the Tory leader sharing a newspaper article she had penned to celebrate English flags being flown ‘proudly as symbols of unity, nationhood, and optimism’.
Campaigners put UK and England flags on display last summer following an online movement called ‘Operation Raise the Colours’.
But it sparked a row after some local councils took them down from council-owned infrastructure such as lampposts, while the campaign was also linked to far-Right groups.
Ms Hunte posted the racial slur despite her having previously been vocal about racism on social media.
She has used the hashtag #NoRoomForRacism and also complained that ‘xenophobia and racism is rife’.
In one post, Ms Hunte expressed her hope that ‘racists decide to boycott the NHS’ as she suggested they might find ‘too many brown faces’ in a new NHS careers advert.
In September last year, Ms Hunte responded to a fellow X user who said Jewish people ‘completely avoid London’ as a result of ‘pro-terror’ marches in the capital since the October 7 attacks on Israel.
Ms Hunte replied: ‘No not normal Jewish people only those who support genocide!’
She expressed her support for Bob Vylan during a major row over the band’s Glastonbury performance in June.
The Prime Minister condemned the UK punk duo for urging ‘death’ to Israeli troops in what he called ‘appalling hate speech’.
But, posting on X in response to Avon and Somerset Police announcing they were assessing the comments, Ms Hunte said: ‘Haven’t you got anything better to do?! Genocide is the actual crime!’
The police investigation later concluded with no further action taken.
Ms Hunte has often expressed her party political leanings on social media.
She criticised the decision by Keir Starmer to block Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from standing as Labour’s candidate in the recent Gorton and Denton by-election.
Ms Hunte also expressed her disappointment about ‘infighting’ during the launch of Your Party, the new Left-wing movement fronted by ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Since NHS England and Ms Hunte were approached about her social media posts, Ms Hunte appears to have deleted her X account.
An NHS England spokesman said: ‘Any form of racism or discrimination by members of NHS staff is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. We are urgently investigating these posts.’
