24 February 2024 , 22:36
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Loudmouth Lee Anderson was suspended by the Tories tonight as politicians on both sides called for his expulsion in extraordinary scenes.
Mr Anderson refused to apologise for accusing London Mayor Sadiq Khan of being “controlled by Islamists” in a TV rant. Tories joined Labour in condemning the outburst which led the Conservatives to suspend him as their MP for Ashfield, Notts, meaning he now sits as an independent.
But Labour blasted PM Rishi Sunak and his Cabinet for “a deafening silence” on the issue. And Mr Khan said the remarks were racist and “pour fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred” – which was “being tolerated from top to bottom” of the Tory party.
Nus Ghani, the Conservative’s first female Muslim MP, slammed his comments as “foolish and dangerous.” Labour tonight accused the Tories of condoning anti-Muslim hatred after the incendiary remarks by Mr Lee Anderson.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (Facundo Arrizabalaga)The MP for Ashfield, Notts, told GB News that Sadiq Khan had “given our capital city away to his mates”. He continued: “I don’t actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they’ve got control of Khan, and they’ve got control of London”. Mr Anderson added that they have “got control of [Labour leader Keir] Starmer as well”.
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His outburst on Friday night came after pro-Palestinian protests outside Parliament during a vote on whether to call for a ceasefire in Gaza on Wednesday. And his rant followed a newspaper article by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, in which she said “the truth is that the Islamists, the extremists and the anti-Semites are in charge now”.
Mr Anderson – who gets £100,000 a year on top of his MP’s salary as a presenter for GB News – sparked outrage from Tories as well as Labour. Nus Ghani, a minister and the Conservatives’ first Muslim woman MP, wrote on X: “I don’t for one moment believe that Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists. To say so, is both foolish and dangerous.”
Lee Anderson refused to apologise for his comments (Getty Images)Mr Khan – who has spoken in the past of the mental trauma he suffers due to the regular death threats he receives as London mayor – said Mr Anderson’s remarks “pour fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred”, and slammed the Tory high command for failing to condemn them.
He told us: “The silence from Rishi Sunak and the Cabinet and tacit endorsement of these vile remarks via Conservative briefings can’t help but lead to the conclusion that Muslims are fair game as far as the Conservative Party is concerned. Blatant anti-Muslim hatred is being tolerated from top to bottom of the party, with everyone from ministers to mayoral candidates failing to condemn racism.
“Enough is enough – it’s time for the Tories to stop the moral rot that demeans not only their party but our country’s and capital’s proud values of openness, decency, and respect.”
Mr Anderson’s suspension by the Tories means he will sit as an independent MP while the whip is withdrawn. Voters can decide whether they want him to remain as their MP at the next election but Labour want him expelled from the party now.
Labour chair Annaliese Dodds told us it was appalling the Tories had suggested Mr Anderson could remain as an MP if he apologised. She wrote: “The Prime Minister should be doing everything to rid the Conservatives of these radical and dangerous views. Instead, he seems to be tolerating them. Lee Anderson should have no future in the Conservative Party.”
Nick Lowles, of campaign group Hope Not Hate, added: “These comments are clearly Islamophobic, racist and extreme. Not only are they a lie but they are stoking the flames of the far right and could put the Mayor of London in serious danger.”
In a letter to Tory Chairman Richard Holden, he added: “I urge you to… expel him from the Conservative Party with immediate effect.” Mr Anderson’s rant follows a damning poll which found a third of the public thinks the Tories have a problem with Islamophobia.
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Labour leader Keir Starmer added: “Rishi Sunak needs to get a grip and take on the extremists in his party. The Tories may be getting more and more desperate as the election approaches but Rishi Sunak has a responsibility to stop this slide into ever more toxic rhetoric.” Mr Anderson, 57, who is from a family of Nottinghamshire miners and used to be a Labour councillor, has a reputation for controversial opinions, including saying the poor were more resourceful in the past.
He was dubbed “30p Lee” after claiming people can make a daily meal for that amount from scratch. Mr Sunak made him deputy chairman of the party last year but he stood down last month so he could rebel against the Rwanda plan.
He moonlights as a highly paid GB News host despite railing against those who split their time between the Commons and other work. Other Conservatives who blasted his TV rant include ex-Chancellor Sir Sajid Javid who said it was a “ridiculous thing to say”.
The leader of Mr Anderson’s local mosque has also expressed outrage. Runu Ahad, 50, who runs the Mansfield Jamee Masjid congregation, told us: “The comments are preposterous and I would like to see him step down. Our congregation will be appalled. How on earth can a politician speak in that way unless they have grounds for it?” Yesterday Cabinet minister Grant Shapps said the matter was for “others in the party to decide”.
Last night Mr Anderson said he accepted the party had no option but to suspend him. He added in a post on X: “However, I will continue to support the Government’s efforts to call out extremism in all its forms – be that antisemitism or Islamophobia.”