The Tory MP and GB News presenter Lee Anderson has been suspended from the Conservative Party after he said he believed “Islamists” had “got control” of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Anderson made the comments yesterday on GB News during a discussion about pro-Palestine slogans being projected onto Big Ben and the cancelled Gaza ceasefire vote in Parliament.
He said: “We’ve got a very cowardly Khan running London, he seems to be letting not just the Jewish population down but the whole population of London and Britain as a whole… I don’t actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they’ve got control of Khan and they’ve got control of London and they’ve got control of Starmer as well… He’s (Khan) actually given our capital city away to his mates.”
Anderson also called for more aggressive policing akin to a “little bit of” the police’s brutal actions during the miner’s strike in the 1980s to “take control of the streets.”
But earlier today a spokesperson for the Tory chief whip said: “Following his refusal to apologise for comments made yesterday, the chief whip has suspended the Conservative whip from Lee Anderson MP.”
Earlier on Saturday Mr Khan accused the prime minister of being “complicit” in racism for failing to condemn Mr Anderson’s comments that “pour fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred”.
He said the claim by the former Tory deputy chairman was Islamophobic and sent the message that Muslims were “fair game” when it came to racism.
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Highlighting a recent rise in hate crimes, he said: “These comments pour fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred.
“I am afraid the deafening silence from Rishi Sunak and from the cabinet is them condoning this racism. I am afraid it confirms to many people across the country that there’s a hierarchy when it comes to racism.”
Some Tories have also spoken out against Mr Anderson’s remarks, including former cabinet minister Sir Sajid Javid, who branded them “ridiculous.”
And Business Minister Nus Ghani described her Tory colleague’s comments as “foolish and dangerous.”
In a post on X, the Wealden MP said: “I have spoken to Lee Anderson. I’ve called out Islamic extremism (& been attacked by hard left, far right & Islamists).
“I don’t for one moment believe that Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists. To say so, is both foolish and dangerous. Frankly this is all so tiring…”
Mr Anderson gets £100,000 a year for his GB News show on top of his £86,584 MP salary.
Meanwhile, MEND CEO Azhar Qayum commented: “It high is time that political parties show zero tolerance for Islamophobia. Rishi Sunak should go further. Firstly, he needs to suspend Suella Braverman for saying ‘Islamists are in charge of Britain,’ Suella’s awful written piece in the Telegraph emboldened Lee to say what he said.
“Secondly, why does Liz Truss retain the Tory whip, despite appearing alongside Steve Bannon and talking about an ‘Islamist’ winning in Rochdale and worse?
“Worse, much of this recent Islamophobic ferver stemmed from claims by the Speaker about dangers to MPs. All dangers to MPs should be taken seriously, however when aspersions like this are cast about a community they end with real life violence and discrimination against Muslims.”
