Rishi Sunak has declared himself ‘living proof’ that Britain isn’t a racist country, amid a growing row over suspended Tory MP Lee Anderson’s claims that the Mayor of London is being ‘controlled by Islamists.’
The Prime Minister told The Times: ‘We’re a proud multi-ethnic democracy, one of the most successful anywhere in the world.
‘I am standing here as living proof of that and it’s important that we work hard to protect that, because that’s one of the things that makes our country incredibly special.’
He said Anderson’s words to Sadiq Khan on Friday were ‘unacceptable’, but he refused to call them Islamaphobic.
‘In a situation like this it’s important that we maintain high standards and, unfortunately, the words that Lee chose weren’t acceptable.
The Prime Minister told The Times : ‘We¿re a proud multi-ethnic democracy, one of the most successful anywhere in the world’
‘My priority is to try and take the heat out of this situation and that’s what everyone wants to see. And that’s why words matter and his words weren’t acceptable and we’re wrong and that’s why the whip was suspended.’
He said that ‘any form of prejudice or racism’ was unacceptable.
But under-fire MP Lee Anderson has seemingly doubled down on earlier comments, tonight insisting that ‘we are losing control’ of London to ‘extremists’ just days after he was suspended as a Tory MP for claiming Sadiq Khan was ‘being controlled by Islamists.’
The former Tory deputy chairman refused to apologise to London’s Labour mayor ‘while I’ve still got breath in my body’ for the controversial attack.
In a defiant statement, which suggests there is no prospect of an imminent return to the Conservative fold, Mr Anderson said it would be a ‘sign of weakness’ to apologise ‘when you think you are right’.
He told GB News he would not apologise ‘while I’ve got a breath in my body… because the comments I made weren’t racist, at all. They keep bandying this word ‘Islamophobia’ about – nobody can explain what it really means.’
Mr Anderson added: ‘It absolutely makes me sick to the pit of my stomach to see these extremists on our streets in London terrorising people. (Daily Mail)
