Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has opened up about his dealings with racism as a child and how his parents urged him to change his accent to “fit in,” so why hasn’t he expelled Lee Anderson’s ‘Islamophobic’ comments?
Rishi Sunak’s Revelations on Childhood Racism
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has opened up about the challenges he faced as a child regarding racism in British schools, after his parents moved from India to Kenya, and then to the UK.
Sunak disclosed that his parents were determined for their children to “fit in,” so they urged him to speak without an accent so he sounded the same as other kids in the school.
Sunak revealed that “obviously I experienced racism as a kid,” and that “it’s hard” not to be different, but racism “hurts in a way that other things don’t”.
Youngest British Prime Minister in Two Centuries
In 2022, at the age of 43, Rishi Sunak made history as Britain’s first Indian-origin prime minister, marking a significant milestone in British politics, assuming a new position on the Indian festival of Diwali.
Despite his clear understanding of racism through experience, it took days of relentless pressure for Sunak to condemn Conservative MP Lee Anderson for his comments that have been deemed “Islamophobic.”
Lee Anderson made the claims that London Mayor Sadiq Kahn was under the control of “Islamists” and that he’d let the capital city become taken over by “his mates.”
Anderson’s Controversial Statements
Lee Anderson, the Member of Parliament for Ashfield, faced backlash for suggesting that “Islamists” had “control over Khan,” and “control of London.”
Conservative Whip Simon Hart announced that Lee Anderson would be suspended “following his refusal to apologise,” which has also faced backlash from Labour MPs.
Labour MP “Deeply” Concerned
Labour MP Amelia Dodds argued that it is “deeply concerning” to think that Anderson would’ve been allowed back into the party if he simply apologised for his words, urging the Prime Minister to expel him.
Nick Lowles, Chief Executive of Hope Not Hate, called for Sunak to expel Anderson from the party for his comments, citing them as “Islamophobic, racist, and extreme.”
Deputy PM Refuses to Call Comments Racist
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden refrained from admitting that Anderson’s comments were “racist” when asked in an interview, preferring to say that Anderson used the “wrong words.”
Tory peer, Baroness Warsi, condemned Anderson’s comments and the Prime Minister’s refusal to condemn them, saying she is “really disturbed by where the Conservative Party has gone”.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman echoed Anderson’s comments, arguing that the Islamists, the extremists, and the antisemites are in charge now,” and that they “bullied” Labour MPs to get there.
Muslim Council of Britain’s Statement
The Muslim Council of Britain instantly condemned both Braverman and Anderson for their comments, arguing that the Conservative Party “has an Islamophobia problem” and urging them to address it.
“On the front page of a national newspaper, a former Home Secretary has shamelessly peddled extremist tropes about so-called ‘Islamist’ takeovers,” according to Secretary-General Zara Mohammed.
“That this comes on the day we learn of a stark rise of Islamophobic hate crime with over 2000 cases in the last 4 months is no less shameful,” said the Secretary-General.
Sunak Condemns Anti-Semitism
Sunak has condemned the rise in anti-semitism in the UK, stating that there is a “despicable resurgence of antisemitism,” but is yet to respond to Anderson’s comments that are deemed “Islamophobic.”
After a Labour MP in Rochdale was suspended for anti-semitic behaviour, Sunak was quick to tarnish the Labour Party’s reputation and delayed response to suspend the MP, but is yet to quell the calls of racism within his party.
Response from Keir Starmer
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer supported Anderson’s suspension, calling Anderson’s comments “appalling racist and Islamophobic.”
Leaked Whatsapp messages from Tory MPs elected in 2019 revealed that Nigel Farage, former leader of the Brexit Party, called Anderson “cancelled” and said he should join Reform UK to help “destroy” the Tories.
Despite Sunak’s background in experiencing racism as a child and his promise to address racism within the UK, Labour MPs question why he has yet to expel Anderson for his continued “Islamophobic” remarks.
The post Sunak Opens Up About Childhood Racism Yet Won’t Expel MP for ‘Islamophobic’ Comments first appeared on Pulse365 Limited.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Sean Aidan Calderbank.