carlLee Anderson, the Conservative MP, has faced the suspension of the party whip after making controversial claims that London Mayor Sadiq Khan was under the influence of “Islamists.” The decision to suspend Anderson’s whip was attributed to his refusal to apologise for the remarks. The comments drew widespread criticism, and there was increasing pressure on Chancellor Rishi Sunak to address the issue.
Khan accused the Prime Minister and his Cabinet of condoning racism due to their “deafening silence” on the matter. While Cabinet minister Grant Shapps distanced himself from the remarks, business minister Nus Ghani and backbencher Sir Sajid Javid criticised Anderson’s comments.
Cabinet minister Grant Shapps distanced himself from the comments on Saturday morning but refrained from outright condemning his fellow MP, asserting that individuals should be permitted to express their opinions, stating “people should be allowed to speak their mind”.
Yet, business minister Nus Ghani and senior backbencher Sir Sajid Javid were among additional prominent Tory figures adding their voices to the increasing criticism from various political quarters. During an appearance on GB News on Friday, Anderson stated, “I don’t 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. He’s given our capital city away to his mates.”
For these reasons, Hart’s spokesperson was quoted as saying, “Following his refusal to apologise for comments made yesterday, the chief whip has suspended the Conservative whip from Lee Anderson MP.”
Many people in the United Kingdom considered Lee Andersons’s words controversial as he is a prominent political activist with a politician and conservative party. Sources claim others have agreed with his sentiment, but what will happen from here remains to be seen, as well as whether Mr Anderson will issue an apology for his remarks.
