Race row over ban on 'fancy dress' kilt

A kilt wearer was stunned when bosses at his favourite pub told him: “You’re not coming in dressed like that.”

Paul Robson no longer drinks in the Blackie Boy, in Bigg Market, Newcastle, a haunt where he has enjoyed a pint for 17 years.

The 47-year-old, from Byker, Newcastle, always turns up in his £1,700 kilt made in his family tartan.



He has Scottish relatives and has worn his kilt every Friday night for two years in recognition of his roots.

But managers at the Blackie Boy, which has recently changed owners and been refurbished, banned him because it has a “smart dress code” and says kilts are fancy dress.

Mr Robson said: “I think this is completely racist towards Scottish people. I was staggered and furious about it all. I wear my kilt because I’m proud of my heritage. I don’t wear it for a joke.”