FORMER London minister Paul Scully was under pressure today to apologise after he described parts of Tower Hamlets as a “no-go” area — sparking outrage from MPs and residents.
The Conservative MP for Sutton and Cheam made the comments yesterday during a discussion about allegations of anti-Muslim sentiments within the party. It followed Lee Anderson being stripped of the Tory whip for claiming that “Islamists” had “got control” of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Mr Scully said: “The point I am trying to make is if you look at parts of Tower Hamlets, for example, where there are no-go areas, parts of Birmingham Sparkhill, where there are no-go areas, mainly because of doctrine, mainly because of people using, abusing in many ways, their religion to … because it is not the doctrine of Islam, to espouse what some of these people are saying. That, I think, is the concern that needs to be addressed.”
Mr Scully today expressed regret for the controversy triggered by his contentious description of two areas of Tower Hamlets, both with large Muslim populations. His comments were condemned by Labour MPs Apsana Begum and Rushanara Ali, whose constituencies cover Tower Hamlets.
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