Lee Anderson: MP suspended from Tory party over criticism of
2024-02-24 15:24:29+00:00

The former Tory deputy chairman has been suspended from the party
after "refusing to apologise" for comments aimed at Sadiq Khan.

Lee Anderson told GB News on Friday "Islamists" had "got control" of
the mayor of London.

Mr Khan described the remarks as "pouring fuel on the fire of anti-
Muslim hatred".

Losing the Tory whip essentially expels Mr Anderson from his party in
Parliament.

Pressure had been mounting on Rishi Sunak to take action over the
comments from the Ashfield MP after Mr Khan criticised a "deafening
silence" from the prime minister and his Cabinet.

Just over an hour after Mr Khan's criticism, a spokesperson for the
Tory party's 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."

Until January Mr Anderson served as one of the deputy chairmen of the
Conservative Party, but he resigned so he could rebel against the
government over the Rwanda vote.

On Friday, Mr Anderson told GB News: "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 remarks prompted criticism from Labour and some
Conservatives - including former chancellor Sir Sajid Javid who
reposted the video of Mr Anderson making the comments and wrote "a
ridiculous thing to say".