Lee Anderson, former deputy chair of the Conservative Party, has declined to apologize for suggesting that London mayor Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists. Anderson became embroiled in controversy following the comments, which led to his suspension from the Tory party. Though he acknowledged that his remarks were “clumsy”, Anderson refused to offer an apology, insisting that they were born out of frustration at Khan’s record. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak criticised the Ashfield MP’s comments but refused to say if he thought they were Islamophobic.
Anderson made his comments during a discussion on GB News, in response to a Daily Telegraph article by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman. Braverman had claimed that Islamists, extremists and antisemites are “in charge now”. Opposition Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of lacking the “backbone” to call out Islamophobia. Khan himself described Anderson’s words as Islamophobic.
Conservative West Midlands Mayor Andy Street denied that Birmingham had any “no-go” zones, following comments by Anderson and Conservative former minister for London Paul Scully. Scully claimed that certain areas, including parts of Birmingham, had become “no-go areas”. Birmingham Labour MP Jess Phillips branded Scully’s comments “utter drivel”.
In 2019, the Conservative Party launched an inquiry into claims of Islamophobic behaviour. The resulting report found evidence of anti-Muslim views at a local and individual level, but did not identify “institutional racism”. However, Conservative MP Rehman Chishti has called for an independent adviser on Islamophobia to be appointed
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