UK MP Lee Anderson has had the whip suspended by the Conservative Party, following comments made concerning London's Labour Party Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Anderson, a former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, claimed on UK media outlet GB News that "Islamists" held "control" over Khan, London, and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. He further described Khan as "cowardly," alleging that he had "given our capital city away to his mates."
Sunak and his government's timid reaction to Anderson's racist comments will leave many questioning the values and current state of the Conservative Party. Anderson's accusations are categorically false, and are an archetype of the fear mongering rhetoric that GB News has become known for. Muslims — like any other religious, ethnic, or cultural group — hold the right to protest a matter as severe as what we are witnessing in Gaza, and by no means should this reality endorse the Islamophobic language that we have witnessed from a Tory politician.
Anderson's comments are not deserving of the backlash they have garnered. The MP, like many, is concerned by the increasing grip that Islam and its ideology holds upon the UK and the manner by which it is championed by many elites in London. Although Anderson's words have often led him to trouble, they resonate with many UK voters who will be watching with concern as a radical ideology that opposes basic British values continues to be championed by virtue-signaling politicians and media outlets.