The Baroness of Basildon is set to make an official complaint after a member of the House of Lords referred to Kamala Harris, US vice-president-elect, as “the Indian”.

Lord Kilclooney, former deputy leader of the Ulster Unionist party, has faced major backlash after tweeting: "What happens if Biden moves on and the Indian becomes President. Who then becomes Vice President?”

The Speaker of the Lords, Norman Fowler, was among those demanding that John Kilclooney retract and apologise for his remarks about Kamala Harris, who is the first black and Asian-American person to be elected to in her new role.

He said: "Lord Kilclooney should retract and apologise. This is an offensive way to refer to anyone, let alone a woman who has just made history.

"The comment is entirely unacceptable and has no place in British politics. I could not be clearer."

And Labour’s Lords leader, baroness Angela Smith, said she would be making an official complaint.

She said: “I am so angry about this comment. It is despicable and beneath contempt and totally unacceptable from anyone – but especially from someone in parliament.”

When challenged Lord Kilclooney claimed he had not “known her name yet” and denied it was racist.

He tweeted: "Whilst Biden is proud to be Irish and Harris is rightly proud of her Indian background I certainly withdraw my reference to her as an Indian as it seems to have upset some people.

 “I did not know her name and identified her with the term Indian. Most people understood. Racist NO.”