Conservative peer Baroness Michelle Mone 'pays £50k settlement over racism claim'

Conservative peer Michelle Mone has reportedly paid a £50,000 settlement to settle a libel claim.

The Glaswegian Baroness was accused by a former friend of Indian heritage of sending him a racist message, calling him a “waste of a man’s white skin”.

Richard Lynton-Jones sued her over comments she made in the media in January, after racist and abusive messages she had allegedly sent him in June 2019 were revealed.

Mone’s lawyers confirmed to The Guardian that she and Lynton-Jones had reached a settlement, although they did not confirm that she had paid him, or how much the settlement was.

In a statement that they said was jointly made with Lynton-Jones, Mone’s lawyers said: “Both parties have settled their differences on a no fault or damages basis in relation to the alleged racist claim and the matter is now concluded.”

Lady Mone, a member of the House of Lords since 2015, allegedly sent the WhatsApp messages during a disagreement after a fatal yacht crash off the coast of Monaco in which a 27-year-old deckhand was killed.

She appeared to accuse Lynton-Jones and his then partner of showing insufficient respect after the crash, an accusation they rejected.

The Guardian reported that screenshots of the message appeared to show the Tory peer responding after the Monegasque businessman told her to back off, writing: “Your [sic] a low life, a waste of a mans [sic] white skin so don’t give us your lies. Your [sic] a total disgrace.”