THE behaviour of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn towards two ethnic minority MPs, one from the North-East, could have led to a racial discrimination case if he had been a private sector boss, a shadow cabinet member has claimed.

Chi Onwurah expressed concern at the way she and fellow Labour MP Thangam Debbonaire have been treated by Mr Corbyn.

The shadow minister for culture and the digital economy said Mr Corbyn had "picked on" the two Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) MPs and made it "impossible" for them to do their jobs properly.

Ms Onwurah, MP for Newcastle Central, said the Labour leader "undermined" both women when he gave part of her shadow cabinet brief to Ms Debbonaire without telling her.

The shadow minister said Mr Cobyn then returned the role to her without informing Ms Debbonaire.

Writing in The New Statesman, Ms Onwurah said: "If this had been any of my previous employers in the public and private sectors Jeremy might well have found himself before an industrial tribunal for constructive dismissal, probably with racial discrimination thrown in - given that only five per cent of MPs are black and female, picking on us two is statistically interesting to say the least.

"Indeed as Thangam was undergoing treatment for cancer at the time he could have faced disability action as well.

"In any other job I would have called on my union for support in confronting an all-white management which prevented two of its few black employees from doing their jobs. I would have expected the Leader of the Labour Party to condemn such ineffectual management which allowed such abuse."

Explaining the background to her concerns, Ms Onwurah said: "In September Jeremy gave me the job of shadow minister for culture and the digital economy. In the January reshuffle he gave half the job to Thangam Debbonaire. As the leader, he had every right to do so; unfortunately he omitted to tell her or me. When he realised what he had done, he gave the role back to me, without telling Thangam. So far, so annoying, but to be fair uncertainty is part of every reshuffle.

"However Jeremy then went on for the next two months refusing my insistence that he speak to Thangam, indeed refusing to speak to either of us, whether directly or through the shadow cabinet, the whips, or his own office. No one knew what he wanted us to do, no one was clear on what we should be doing.

"Jeremy made it impossible for two of the very few BME women MPs to do their jobs properly, undermining both us and Labour's role as the voice of opposition to the government."

The shadow minister said the behaviour fitted into a pattern, stating: "But Jeremy dismissed criticism that he was undermining his shadow ministers - just as he had earlier dismissed criticism that not appointing a woman to any of the great offices of state showed a lack of commitment to gender equality.

"He would decide what the great offices of state were. As I have said previously, being a white man comes with many privileges. Deciding what constitutes gender or ethnic equality isn't one of them.

"Far from being the only route to greater equality in society in my personal experience Jeremy is not even the best person to ensure that within Labour."

A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: "Chi Onwurah's comments relate to a discussion about the delineation of shadow cabinet roles last January, as is not uncommon in both shadow cabinets and cabinets.

"Chi was appointed by Jeremy Corbyn to be shadow minister for culture and the digital economy last September.

"When Thangam Debbonaire was appointed as a dedicated shadow minister for the arts in January, there was a negotiation about the division of responsibilities with Chi and Thangam, but at no point was anyone sacked.

"We regret that Chi feels she was singled out, but this was clearly not the case."