Oliver Dowden refuses to answer if Tory party regards Lee Anderson as ‘racist’
Rishi Sunak has said MP Lee Anderson’s remarks that sparked an Islamophobia row “weren’t acceptable, they were wrong”, as he denied the Conservative Party has Islamophobic tendencies.
The former Tory deputy chair has been suspended from the party after a racist rant on GB News about Sadiq Khan, in which Mr Anderson claimed “Islamists” have “got control” of the mayor of London.
The prime minister insisted to local BBC radio broadcasters on Monday morning that his party “of course” did not have Islamophobic tendencies, as transport minister Mark Harper told Sky News that he would like to see Mr Anderson “be able to contribute to the Conservative Party in the future”.
The PM told BBC Radio York: “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 had the whip suspended.”
Asked whether his party has an Islamophobia problem, the prime minister said: “No, of course it doesn’t.”
Key Points
Show latest update
Minister says he wants Lee Anderson to have future in the Tory party
Transport secretary Mark Harper has said he would like to see Lee Anderson “be able to contribute to the Conservative Party in the future”, as he refused to say whether the former Tory deputy chair’s comments about Sadiq Khan were racist.
“Well it was wrong, and I’m not going to get into arguing about the rights and wrongs of what he said. Wrong is a very strong word in my book,” Mr Harper told Sky News.
He added: “I’m not going to tell the chief whip how to do his job, that’s for him,” he said. “He’s contributed a lot in the past. I’d like to see him be able to contribute to the Conservative Party in the future.”
Andy Gregory
26 February 2024 09:06
Minister denies Tories using Muslims as ‘campaign fodder’
Transport secretary Mark Harper has rejected an accusation by the party’s former co-chair Baroness Warsi that “anti Muslim racism is tolerated within [the Conservative Party and] that Muslims are not just fair game but convenient electoral campaign fodder”.
Mr Harper told Sky News: “Well I don’t agree with her and the fact that we took such robust action so quickly against what Lee Anderson said I think shows exactly why she’s wrong. The prime minister took swift action to deal with what Lee said. That was the right thing to do. And I think actions speak louder than words.”
Andy Gregory
26 February 2024 09:01
Breaking: Sunak says Lee Anderson comments were wrong but denies Conservative party has ‘Islamophobic tendencies’
Rishi Sunak has said offensive comments by former deputy chair 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.
Our political correspodent Zoe Grunewald has this breaking report, which you can refresh for updates:
Andy Gregory
26 February 2024 08:52
Good morning, and thanks for joining us on The Independent’s politics blog, where we’ll be bringing you the latest updates as the row over Lee Anderson’s Islamophobic comments continues.
Andy Gregory
26 February 2024 08:50
Loading PerspectiveSplit analysis...
