The Labour Party has demanded that Tory MP Lee Anderson be stripped of the whip due to comments they labelled as Islamophobic, following criticism of London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Anderson stated on GB News that Islamists had “got control” of Khan and had “given our capital city away to his mates”. This follows Paramilitary protests outside Parliament, which received significant attention due to controversial elements concerning how the vote was handled, including allegations of trade-offs and whips given against SNP officials.
The comments made by Anderson have been met with condemnation across Parliament. Labour Party Chairwoman Anneliese Dodds wrote on Twitter that Anderson’s comments were “unambiguously racist and Islamophobic”, suggesting that Rishi Sunak should immediately remove the whip from Anderson. Similar remarks were made in a letter by Labour’s shadow paymaster general, Jonathan Ashworth.
On the other hand, Conservatives have defended Anderson’s words. A Conservative source stated that Anderson had merely indicated that Khan, in his role as Police and Crime Commissioner, had failed to address Islamist marches in London. Meanwhile, former Conservative chancellor Sajid Javid called it a “ridiculous thing to say”. Leader of the Conservative Party at City Hall, Neil Garratt, said he had “no shortage of criticisms of Mayor Khan” but that “he is not an Islamist, he is not in the pockets of Islamists, and I completely disagree with anyone who says otherwise”.
Anderson, who served as one of the deputy chairmen of the Conservative Party until January, is currently a regular presenter for GB News. Anderson has yet to comment on calls for him to be stripped of the whip. Labour’s Dodds and Ashworth have also called for Conservative politician Liz Truss to lose the whip after promoting “blatant conspiracy theories” about why her time as Prime Minister ended after just 49 days
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