The British Conservative Party of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak excluded an MP from the parliamentary group on Saturday February 24 after his refusal to apologize for accusing the Labor mayor of London of being controlled by Islamists.
The remarks of Lee Anderson, former vice-president of the party and customary of controversial outings, were made Friday evening and widely condemned as racist and Islamophobic, while anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim acts have exploded in the United Kingdom since the Hamas attacks on October 7 on Israeli soil.
“Following his refusal to apologize for his comments made yesterday (Friday)
,” the MP was suspended from the Conservative group in Parliament, said a spokesperson for the head of internal discipline, MP Simon Hart.
On the ultra-conservative GB News channel, Lee Anderson argued that Islamists would have
“taken control”
of Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of the British capital elected in 2016.
“He gave our capital to his acolytes
,” added the MP, elected in a constituency in the north of England.
Muslim Council condemns 'repugnant'
remarks
These comments come in a context of controversy surrounding accusations of pressure on deputies with a view to a vote on a call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Lee Anderson's comments sparked condemnation from all sides, with Labor Party president Anneliese Dodds in particular deeming them
“unambiguously racist and Islamophobic”
.
The Muslim Council, an organization representing the British Muslim community, condemned “repugnant”
comments
.
Denouncing “anti-Muslim”
and
“racist”
remarks
, Sadiq Khan attacked the
“deafening silence”
of Rishi Sunak and key members of the government, believing that their failure to speak out amounted to supporting racism.
Hours later, Lee Anderson's suspension was announced.
The MP, who will now sit as an independent, said late Saturday night that he understood his comments had put Messrs.
Hart and Sunak in a
'difficult position'
.
“I fully accept that they had no other option
,” he said, without apologizing.
“However, I will continue to support the government's efforts to denounce extremism in all its forms, whether anti-Semitism or Islamophobia
,” he added.
“Rishi Sunak must get his act together”
Lee Anderson was appointed vice-president of the Conservative Party last year, before leaving the position last month to support a tougher line than the government on immigration.
Labor leader Keir Starmer blasted
the Prime Minister's
"judgment" when he
"made Lee Anderson vice-president of his party"
.
“This situation is not only embarrassing for the Conservative Party, it emboldens the worst forces in our politics.
Rishi Sunak must get his act together and tackle the extremists in his party
,” Mr Starmer urged.
Lee Anderson's remarks come as former Interior Minister Suella Braverman also proclaimed in an article that
"Islamists, extremists and anti-Semites are now in charge
. "
She was reacting in particular to the heated debates in parliament around a motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.