Rishi Sunak has broken his silence to condemn Lee Anderson’s attack on Sadiq Khan as not acceptable and “wrong”.
Mr Anderson, the MP for Ashfield and former deputy party chair, was suspended at the weekend after he refused to apologise for claiming “Islamists” had got “control” over London and that Mr Khan had “given our capital city away to his mates”.
Speaking on BBC Radio York, the prime minister denied that the party has “Islamophobic tendencies” and said: “I think it’s incumbent on all of us, especially those elected to parliament, not to inflame our debates in a way that’s harmful to others.”
Asked about Mr Anderson specifically, Mr Sunak said: “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.”
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Mr Sunak’s statement to local radio was the first time he has directly addressed the comments made by Mr Anderson, who told GB News last week: “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.”
His comments sparked condemnation from across the political divide, including from Tory peer Baroness Warsi who said she was “really disturbed by where the Conservative Party has gone” and that “anti-Muslim racism is being used as an electoral campaign tool”.
