Lee Anderson's comments about Sadiq Khan present Rishi Sunak with a profound question of moral judgment – Scotsman comment

The Prime Minister should make clear that Lee Anderson is no longer welcome in the Conservative party

Rishi Sunak needs to be much stronger in his condemnation of Lee Anderson's remarks about Sadiq Khan (Picture: Ben Stansall/pool/AFP via Getty Images)

After Lee Anderson failed to apologise and retract his ridiculous claim that Islamists control London mayor Sadiq Khan and that they are “his mates”, the suspended Conservative MP should be expelled from the party forthwith. It is, first of all, blatantly untrue and the sort of deranged fantasy that would once have only been put about by ignorant, far-right thugs.

Khan is a moderate Labour politician. For Anderson to make such an allegation because pro-Palestinian demonstrations have taken place in London and Khan happens to be a Muslim who has called for a ceasefire in Gaza is despicable. Neil Garratt, Conservative leader in the London Assembly, stressed that Khan “is not an Islamist” and “is not in the pockets of Islamists”.

Anderson’s comment appeared to make a connection between ordinary Muslims like Khan and extremists that simply does not exist. Perhaps someone explained this to him because his statement yesterday, while shamefully doubling down on his attack, contained the obvious statement that “the vast majority of Muslims are not Islamists”. The fact that he felt the need to issue such a truism speaks volumes.

Khan pointed out that “we have yet to hear the Prime Minister call it [Anderson’s comment] what it is: Islamophobic, anti-Muslim hate and racist”. This is now becoming a serious test of character for Rishi Sunak. Calling Anderson's remarks “unacceptable” and “wrong” will have little impact if, following the suspension of the whip, they ever sit together again in the Commons.

Get our weekly opinion newsletter for expert analysis from The Scotsman’s team of columnists

This would be a failure of moral judgment and a politically damaging decision at a time when the Tories are already struggling in the polls. Emboldening anti-Muslim extremists and ramping up tensions is the precise opposite of what all well-meaning politicians should be doing, for the sake of this country and the Middle East. As Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari told BBC Radio 4: “The one thing that Israelis and Palestinians don’t need more of is more rage, and you have this phenomenon of people all over the world making a package of their rage and sending it over.”