Lee Anderson has been suspended by the Conservatives after he “refused to apologise” for comments aimed at London mayor Sadiq Khan.
Anderson’s suspension was announced on Saturday afternoon by Tory chief whip Simon Hart, and came after comments he made on GB News on Friday.
On Friday, the former Tory deputy chairman said “Islamists” had “got control” of the mayor of London during an appearance on the channel.
He said: “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… He’s actually given our capital city away to his mates.”
The Ashfield MP’s comments were condemned by Khan, who labelled them “Islamophobic, anti-Muslim and racist”, adding that Anderson’s words “pour fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred.”
The London mayor also criticised the government for their “deafening silence” on the matter.
He said: “I’m afraid the deafening silence from Rishi Sunak and from the Cabinet is condoning this racism and confirms to many people across the country there is a hierarchy when it comes to racism in this country.
“I am unclear why Rishi Sunak and members of his Cabinet aren’t calling this out and condemning this.”
Just over an hour after Khan’s criticism, the Tory chief whip Simon Hart said: “Following his refusal to apologise for comments made yesterday, the chief whip has suspended the Conservative whip from Lee Anderson MP.”
Along with criticism from opposition, Anderson’s comments had also been condemned by some Conservatives, including former chancellor Sir Sajid Javid who described the comments as “a ridiculous thing to say”.
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