Nick Ferrari cut off an interview with Michael Tomlinson after he repeatedly refused to say why he thought Lee Anderson’s comments about Sadiq Khan were “wrong”.
The illegal migration minister was pressed at least six times by the LBC presenter on why it was necessary to withdraw the Tory whip from the Ashfield MP and if his remarks were Islamophobic.
But he would only say the former Conservative Party deputy chairman, who claimed “Islamists” had “got control” of the London Mayor, was “wrong” without elaborating.
Pressed this morning on why it was necessary to strip him of the whip, Mr Tomlinson said: “I think what Lee said was wrong and as a result of what he said he had the whip removed from him, that’s robust action.”
Ferrari said: “What was it specifically that meant the whip had to go. We agree it was wrong but why was it wrong?”
Mr Tomlinson said again that Mr Anderson’s comments were “wrong”.
Asked why they were wrong, he added: “What he said was wrong, as a result of what he said the whip was removed from him, that was robust action.”
Ferrari asked: “But why was it wrong, that’s what I’m trying to get at.”
Mr Tomlinson said: “It was wrong because of what he said.”
Mr Ferrari then asked the illegal migration minister if Mr Anderson’s comments were Islamophobic.
Mr Tomlinson replied: “What he said was wrong and robust action was taken and the whip was removed within 24 hours.”
Pressed again, he said: “Nick, it was wrong.”
Ferrari said: “I’m normally a very polite man but I’m effectively going to put the phone down.
“I’ll ask you now for the third time, I’ve asked you six times why it was necessary, for the third time was it Islamophobic?”
Mr Tomilinson said: “Nick it was wrong.”
Ferrari then ended the interview, saying: “I’ll have to curtail the interview there, I’m grateful for your time but enough already. Michael Tomlinson is a minister of state for illegal migration, unable to answer a question.”
Mr Anderson was suspended from the Conservative Party over the weekend after refusing to apologise for his comments about Mr Khan in the wake of pro-Palestine protests.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday said Mr Anderson had been deprived of the Tory whip because his “choice of words wasn’t acceptable, it was wrong”.
But he refused to describe his comments as Islamophobic when pressed repeatedly.
