Rishi Sunak has said offensive comments by former deputy chairman Lee Anderson are ‘wrong’ but has denied the Conservative party has “Islamophobic tendencies”.
Mr Anderson has faced fierce backlash after he said ‘Islamists’ had control of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, and was suspended by the party over the weekend.
When asked if the party has a problem with Islamophobia on Monday morning, the prime minister told the BBC: “Of course it doesn’t.”
He added: “I think it’s incumbent on all of us, especially those elected to Parliament, not to inflame our debates in a way that’s harmful to others. Lee’s comments weren’t acceptable. They were wrong, and that’s why he’s had the whip suspended.”
The former deputy chairman’s comments have received condemnation from several senior Conservatives. Sir Robert Buckland, former justice secretary, called Mr Anderson’s comments “repugnant”, while former chairwoman under David Cameron, Baroness Warsi said his comments revealed the “rot at the heart” of the party.
(PA Wire)
Over the weekend, deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden refused to say whether the former deputy chairman’s comments were Islamophobic and told BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that Mr Anderson was not “intending to be Islamophobic”.
Former Conservative MP, Anna Soubry condemned Mr Downden for his refusal to condemn Mr Anderson’s comments. Talking to Sky News, Ms Soubry said Mr Dowden’s refusal to call the comments Islamophobic was “quite extraordinary”.
“Oliver Dowden, the deputy Prime Minister of our country said if he apologised he would not have lost the whip. I cannot believe the state the Conservative party has got itself into” she added.
The Telegraph has since reported that some Conservative MPs have voiced concerns about the party’s decision to let Mr Anderson go as they said their constitunents have rallied around the former deputy chairman.
Chairwoman of the Labour party Anneliese Dodds said she has written to the Conservative Party chairs seven times over the past three years calling for them to take action against Islamophobia in the party.
“This isn’t something that popped up five minutes ago, it is a continuing concern”, Ms Dodds said.
She also said that Labour is calling for the government to adopt an official definition of Islamophobia.
Lee Anderson accused Mr Khan of giving the capital ‘away to his mates’
(PA Wire)
Ms Dodds said Lee Anderson’s remarks about Sadiq Khan were “appalling” and were “clearly not to do with who Sadiq Khan is, it was a slur that was directed at him because of Islamophobia”.
The Muslim Council of Britain has written to the chair of the Conservative Party demanding an investigation into “structural Islamophobia” in the party.
In a letter to Richard Holden, the organisation said it welcomes the removal of the whip from Mr Anderson, but alleged that Islamophobia “persists” in the party.
Zara Mohammed, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: “Our view is that the Islamophobia in the [Conservative] Party is institutional, tolerated by the leadership and seen as acceptable by great swathes of the party membership.”
The Conservative Muslim Forum also released a statement condemning the remarks made by Mr Anderson, stating:
“The Conservative Party is a natural home for Muslim voters, we cannot let a few individuals ruin the excellent work carried out by our MPs over the last decade.”