Tory MP who warned of 'no go' zones in London and Birmingham quits

04 March 2024 , 10:54

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Paul Scully has been the Tory MP for Sutton and Cheam since 2015 (Image: BBC)

A Tory MP who warned there were “no go” areas in London and Birmingham has announced he is quitting the Commons.

Paul Scully faced a backlash after he made the remarks about Tower Hamlets and Sparkhill in a radio interview last week. The former government minister, who has been the MP for Sutton and Cheam since 2015, has said he will stand down at the election.

Mr Scully, 55, said it was a decision he had been considering for "some time" and he had not been swayed by the fallout after his controversial comments. His seat, which he won with a 8,351 votes majority at the last election, is a top target for the Liberal Democrats.

Mr Scully said there was a perception among Londoners that his party was “being disrespectful”.

He told the Standard: “At the moment we've lost focus as a party. The Budget clearly is a moment to try and regain that focus, but if we don’t then there's a real risk that we just repeat the mistakes of 1997 and start chasing an ideology rather than listening to what people actually want.

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“I don't want to retire as a politician but I’m not going to be part of the long term solution. So it's better for me to go. It's been a real privilege to be the MP for my home area but it’s just the right time to go before things outside that home area start to present themselves.”

In an interview with BBC Radio London about Islamophobia last week, Mr Scully said: "The point I'm trying to make is if you look at parts of Tower Hamlets, for example, where there are no go areas or parts of Birmingham Sparkhill, there are no-go areas mainly because of doctrine and mainly because people are sort of abusing in many ways their religion, you know."

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, who is a Tory, criticised the remarks saying: "The idea that Birmingham has a ‘no go’ zone is news to me, and I suspect the good people of Sparkhill. It really is time for those in Westminster to stop the nonsense slurs and experience the real world. I for one am proud to lead the most diverse place in Britain."

Labour MP Jess Phillips, whose Birmingham Yardley constituency includes Sparkhill, added: "As one of the MPs for Sparkhill I am expecting an apology for this utter drivel.”

John Stevens