London (Parliament Politic Magazine) – The Muslim Council urges Rishi Sunak to probe structural Islamophobia in Tories, blaming PM, Truss, and leadership for silence.
Britain’s most prominent Muslim body asked Rishi Sunak to launch an investigation into “structural Islamophobia” in the Tories’ ranks. The Muslim Council of Britain also blamed the Prime Minister and his Cabinet for remaining “silent” over Lee Anderson’s “racist” remarks. The former Deputy Chairman of the Conservatives ousted the Tory whip over the weekend after he declined to apologize for suggesting the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, was controlled by “Islamists.”
In a letter to the Tory chairman Richard Holden, the Muslim Council of Britain stated it welcomed Mr. Anderson’s suspension. But Secretary-General Zara Mohammed expressed: “Our view is that the Islamophobia in the Party is institutional, tolerated by the leadership and seen as acceptable by great swathes of the party membership.” She said anti-Muslim sentiment in the party was “on display this week.”
The Council also presented concerns over 49-day PM Liz Truss for remaining silent while being questioned by Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon, who conveyed the far-right figure Tommy Robinson as a “hero.”
Over the weekend, the former Tory chairwoman Baroness Sayeeda Warsi stated Mr. Anderson’s comments were just the “tip of the iceberg.” She asserted a previous review of Islamophobia in the party’s ranks in 2021 was a “whitewash” and didn’t have the confidence of Muslims in the party.
On Sunday, Deputy PM Oliver Dowden fuelled strains as repeatedly declined to say whether Mr. Anderson was Islamophobic. Appearing on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he stated: “I don’t believe that Lee Anderson said those remarks planning to be Islamophobic.” The senior Tory also expressed Mr. Anderson would have kept the whip had he apologized for the comments.
After his appearance, Baroness Warsi said, “Disturbing mealy-mouthed evasive responses by Oliver this morning. A clear display that anti-Muslim racism is tolerated within [the] Conservatives.”
Rishi Sunak also released a statement cautioning of the dangers polarisation and extremism pose to UK politics. But the London Mayor, Mr. Khan, reacted: “Rishi Sunak’s statement on hatred in politics fails to mention anti-Muslim hatred at all.”His Deputy today refused to condemn Lee Anderson’s racist and Islamophobic remarks. These are just two most recent examples of enabling anti-Muslim hatred in the Conservative Party.”
Labour also urged the PM to confirm no deals had been proposed to Mr. Anderson that would see him have the Tory whip repaired. Reform UK leader Richard Tice did not rule out opening the door to Mr. Anderson after his suspension, saying over the weekend: “I haven’t been in touch with Lee; he hasn’t been in touch with me.”
Read More: Rishi Sunak Joins Farming Protest Alongside Net Zero and Climate Conspiracy Group
A Conservative Party spokesman stated: “An investigation and subsequent independent review, both conducted over several years by Professor Swaran Singh, found no evidence of institutional racism in the Conservative Party.”