The Lee Anderson saga shows no sign of going away anytime soon. Five days after the Ashfield MP had the whip removed for claiming ‘Islamists’ had ‘got control’ of the Mayor of London, Tory ministers are still tying themselves in knots over how best to elegantly distance themselves from their now-suspended colleague. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has declared that what Anderson said was ‘wrong’ but his colleagues appear unable to agree whether his comments were ‘Islamophobic’.
The latest hapless minister to trip up is Michael Tomlinson, the man tasked with the immigration brief. Appearing on LBC this morning, Tomlinson was asked six times why it was necessary to remove the whip from the red wall Rottweiler. Ferrari asked three times if Anderson’s comments were wrong, and three times whether they were Islamophobic before stopping the interview, saying: ‘Michael Tomlinson is a minister of state for illegal migration, unable to answer a question.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in