04 November 2023 , 12:19
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A Tory MP who told an activist to "go back to Bahrain" has surrendered the Conservative Whip while he appeals against his conviction for a racially-aggravated public order offence.
Beckenham MP Bob Stewart was fined £600 and ordered to pay a further £835 in legal costs by Westminster Magistrates Court on Friday following the heated exchange row with campaigner Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei last December. He also told Mr Alwadaei "you're taking money off my country, go away!"
Rishi Sunak has been under pressure to kick the 74-year-old out of the party over his conduct. But today, Mr Stewart told Chief Whip Simon Hart he wanted to give up the Conservative whip while he appeals the decision, according to a Government source. This means he joins the ranks of independent MPs who have often quit or been kicked out of their parties.
The Metropolitan Police launched a probe following a complaint from Mr Alwadaei, a Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) activist, who says he is living in exile after being tortured in the Gulf state. During a one-day hearing, the court heard that Mr Alwadaei shouted "Bob Stewart, for how much did you sell yourself to the Bahraini regime" as the MP attended an event hosted by the Bahraini embassy at the Foreign Office's Lancaster House in Westminster.
During a heated exchange, Mr Stewart replied: "Go away, I hate you. You make a lot of fuss. Go back to Bahrain." In footage played during the trial, he also said: "Now shut up, you stupid man." The court also heard that he told Mr Alwadaei "you're taking money off my country, go away!" during the confrontation.
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The MP said he was “deeply hurt” to find himself on trial as he argued he had spent his entire life “defending minorities and people of different colours”. The former Army officer who was stationed in Bahrain in 1969, said he is a "friend" of the Middle Eastern country.
He told the court he had "no idea" who Mr Alwadaei was and said he used the word "hate" to refer to the protesters words. He went on: "'Go back to Bahrain' meant 'Why don't you go back to Bahrain and make your point there?"' He told of being "goaded" and "embarrassed" by Mr Alwadaei.
Mr Stewart insisted was not a racist and he had been offended by Mr Alwadaei's claim he was corrupt. "My honour was at stake in front of a large number of ambassadors. It upset me and I thought it was extremely offensive," he said.
Speaking about the row, Mr Alwadaei said: "I feel that I was dehumanised, like I was someone who is not welcomed in the UK." He added: "Because of my skin colour, because of where I came from, he feels I am taking money from his country."
Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring said that he accepted Mr Stewart "is not racist per se, but that is not the case against him". "Good men can do bad things," he added.
In a statement on Friday, Mr Alwadaei said: "Justice was served today. No one should think twice about holding an MP or members of the government to account because of their skin colour."