The UK Conservative Party has suspended MP Lee Anderson after he claimed that London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of the city and a member of the Labour Party, was influenced by Islamists.
Khan, often criticized by Conservatives for his policing policies in London, especially regarding pro-Palestinian demonstrations, dismissed Anderson’s comments as racist and Islamophobic, warning they could exacerbate anti-Muslim sentiment.
The controversy escalated after a protest outside parliament and a contentious vote related to the Gaza ceasefire.
Anderson’s remarks on GB News, suggesting Khan had ceded control of London to Islamist associates, led to his suspension by the Conservative Party amidst increasing backlash.
“Following his refusal to apologize for comments made yesterday, the Chief Whip has suspended the Conservative whip from Lee Anderson MP,” a spokesperson for Simon Hart, the government minister in charge of party discipline, said.
Anderson, a former Conservative Party vice chairman, said he understood the decision to suspend him.
“I will continue to support the government’s efforts to call out extremism in all its forms – be that antisemitism or Islamophobia,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. Sunak said that a ceasefire is essential to allow humanitarian aid to reach the region and to secure the release of hostages.
In a statement to the British Parliament, Sunak said that the UK’s conflict with the Houthis is not with the Yemeni people.
The UK’s attacks on the Houthis are aimed at securing maritime navigation in the Red Sea, he said, and the UK does not want to escalate the conflict.
