Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson has been suspended from the Conservative Party after refusing to apologise for his remarks aimed at Sadiq Khan.
The MP for Ashfield told GB News on Friday, February 23, that “Islamists” had “got control” of the Mayor of London.
Mr Khan responded on Saturday and described the comments as “pouring fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred”.
Mr Anderson’s refusal to apologise led to the Conservative chief whip Simon Hart suspending him, and he will now sit as an independent.
A spokesperson for Mr Hart said: “Following his refusal to apologise for comments made yesterday [on Friday], the chief whip has suspended the Conservative whip from Lee Anderson MP.”
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak denied that the Tory party has “Islamophobic tendencies”, telling BBC Radio York: “Lee’s comments weren’t acceptable, they were wrong. That’s why he’s had the whip suspended.”
He added: “Words matter, especially in the current environment where tensions are running high. I think it’s incumbent on all of us to choose them carefully.”
Mr Anderson issued a statement, published by GB News on Monday, which said his words were “clumsy” and “borne out of sheer frustration at what is happening to our beautiful capital city”.
He doubled down on his refusal to apologise, saying: “If you are wrong, apologising is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength. But when you think you are right you should never apologise because to do so would be a sign of weakness.”
Leaked WhatsApp messages obtained by Sky News have revealed that some Tory MPs see Mr Anderson’s suspension as a mistake.
They complain that the suspension of the high-profile Tory MP is the “final nail in the coffin” and will harm support.
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