FOOLISH AND DANGEROUS

LABOUR last night accused the Tories of condoning anti-Muslim hatred after incendiary remarks by loudmouth MP Lee Anderson.

- SASKIA ROWLANDS and JOHN STEVENS

The Conservatives yesterday suspended Mr Anderson for saying London's mayor was controlled by "Islamists" in a TV rant.

The MP for Ashfield, Notts, told GB News that Sadiq Khan had "given our capital city away to his mates".

He continued: "I don't actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they've got control of Khan, and they've got control of London".

Mr Anderson added that they have "got control of [Labour leader Keir] Starmer as well".

His outburst on Friday came after pro-Palestinian protests outside Parliament during a vote on whether to call for a ceasefire in Gaza on Wednesday. His rant followed a newspaper article by ex-Home Secretary Suella Braverman, in which she said "the truth is that the Islamists, the extremists and the anti-Semites are in charge now".

DESPERATE

Mr Anderson who gets £100,000 a year on top of his MP's salary as a presenter for GB News sparked outrage from Tories as well as Labour.

Nus Ghani, a minister and the Conservatives' first Muslim woman MP, wrote on X: "I don't for one moment believe that Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists. To say so, is both foolish and dangerous."

Mr Khan - who has spoken in the past of the mental trauma he suffers due to the regular death threats he receives as London mayor said Mr Anderson's remarks "pour fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred", and slammed the Tory high command for failing to condemn them.