British MP suspended from parliament after calling London Mayor Sadiq Khan ‘under the control of Islamists’

Britain’s ruling Conservative Party on Saturday suspended London’s Labor mayor, Sadiq Khan, from his parliamentary party after the former deputy leader refused to apologize for saying the mayor was controlled by Islamists. .

Lee Anderson’s controversial comments on Friday were widely condemned as racist and Islamophobic, increasing pressure on Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party.

It comes amid a dramatic spike in Islamophobic and anti-Semitic incidents across the UK amid increasing polarization since the Gaza war broke out in October last year.

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A spokesperson for Conservative MP Simon Hart said: “Following his refusal to apologize for his comments yesterday, the Chief Whip has suspended the Conservative whip for Lee Anderson.”

As chief whip, Mr Hart is responsible for discipline within the Conservative Party.

Mr Anderson claimed on the right-wing GB news channel that “Islamists have seized control” of Mr Khan, who was the first Muslim mayor of a western capital when he was first elected in London in 2016.

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“He has actually handed over our capital to his allies,” added Mr Anderson, a Conservative MP who is contesting a seat in central England.

His comments drew criticism across political lines.

Conservative economy minister Nous Ghani, senior backbencher Sajid Javid and Tory colleague Gavin Barwell also condemned the comments, with Mr Barwell calling them a “vile slander”.

The Islamic Council of Britain said they were “disgusting” and extremist.

Mr Anderson, who will now sit in parliament as an independent, said late on Saturday that he understood his comments had put Mr Hart and Mr Sunak in a “difficult position” but stopped short of apologizing. .

– Sunak criticized –

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“I fully accept that in these circumstances we had no choice but to suspend the whip,” he added.

“However, I continue to support the government’s efforts to condemn extremism in all its forms, whether anti-Semitism or Islamophobia.”

Mr Khan and Labor leader Keir Starmer both condemned Mr Anderson’s comments as “racist” and “Islamophobe”, and also directed criticism at Mr Sunak, who has not commented on the scandal. .

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Mr Khan slammed the “deafening silence” of Tory leaders and ministers, saying it was tantamount to condoning racism.

Mr Starmer questioned the wisdom of appointing Mr Anderson as Conservative Party deputy leader last year. The lawmaker resigned last month to rebel against Sunak’s government over immigration.

“What does the Prime Minister’s decision to make Lee Anderson deputy chairman of the party mean?” the Labor leader said.

“This is not only an embarrassment for the Conservative Party, it emboldens the worst forces in our politics. Rishi Sunak needs to tighten his grip and stand up to the extremists within his party.”

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Anderson’s comments followed a similar newspaper article in which former Home Secretary Suela Braverman claimed that “Islamists, extremists and anti-Semites are now in charge.” It became.

She was responding in part to the disruption in the House of Commons earlier this week over a rival motion calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict.

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle faced a fierce backlash on Tuesday after breaking with normal practice and allowing Labor to vote on an amendment to the motion.

Mr Hoyle said he wanted as wide a debate as possible on the issue, but also said he was keen to defuse threats of violence against MPs who had not previously voted in favor of the Gaza ceasefire.