Rishi Sunak told to launch investigation into 'structual Islamophobia' in Tory ranks

The Muslim Council of Britain also accused the PM of being ‘silent’ over Lee Anderson’s remarks

Britain’s largest Muslim body called on Rishi Sunak to launch an investigation into “structural Islamophobia” in the Tories’ ranks.

The Muslim Council of Britain also accused the Prime Minister and his Cabinet of remaining “silent” over Lee Anderson’s “racist” remarks. The former Deputy Chairman of the Conservatives was stripped of the Tory whip over the weekend after he refused to apologise for suggesting the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was controlled by “Islamists”.

In a letter to the Tory chairman Richard Holden, the Muslim Council of Britain said it welcomed Mr Anderson’s suspension.

But Secretary General Zara Mohammed said: “Our view is that the Islamophobia in the (Conservative) Party is institutional, tolerated by the leadership and seen as acceptable by great swathes of the party membership.” She said anti-Muslim sentiment in the party was “on display this week”.

The Council also raised concerns over 49-day PM Liz Truss for remaining silent while being interviewed by Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon, who described the far-right figure Tommy Robinson as a “hero”.

Over the weekend the former Tory chairwoman Baroness Sayeeda Warsi said Mr Anderson’s comments were just the “tip of the iceberg”. She claimed a previous review of Islamophobia in the party’s ranks in 2021 was a “whitewash” and didn’t have the confidence of Muslims in the party.

On Sunday the Deputy PM Oliver Dowden fuelled tensions as repeatedly declined to say whether Mr Anderson’s were Islamophobic. Appearing on BBC ’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he said: “I don’t believe that Lee Anderson said those remarks intending to be Islamophobic”. The senior Tory also said Mr Anderson would have kept the whip had he had apologised for the comments.

Baroness Warsi said after his appearance: “Disturbing mealy mouthed evasive responses by Oliver this morning. A clear display that anti-Muslim racism is tolerated within [the] Conservatives.”

Mr Sunak also released a statement warning of the dangers polarisation and extremism pose to UK politics. But the London Mayor Mr Khan responded: “Rishi Sunak’s statement on hatred in politics fails to mention anti-Muslim hatred at all.”His Deputy today refused to condemn Lee Anderson’s racist and Islamophobic remarks. Theses are just two most recent examples of enabling anti-Muslim hatred in the Conservative Party.”

Labour also called on the PM to confirm no deals had been offered to Mr Anderson that would see him have the Tory whip restored. Reform UK leader Richard Tice did not rule out opening the door to Mr Anderson after his suspension, saying over the weekend: “I haven’t been in touch with Lee, he hasn’t been in touch with me.”

A Conservative Party spokesman said: “An investigation and subsequent independent review, both conducted over several years by professor Swaran Singh, found no evidence of institutional racism in the Conservative Party.”