Conservative Muslim chair says he was expelled from group for questioning Boris Johnson's 'moral fitness'
The Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum says he has been expelled from the group for "casting doubt on Boris Johnson's moral fitness" during an interview, ITV News can reveal.
Mohammed Amin, who has been chairman of the party’s Muslim Forum since 2014, has been removed from the role following a disciplinary hearing last night.
Last week, during an appearance on BBC Radio 4, Mr Amin confirmed his intention to leave the party if current favourite for the top job, Mr Johnson became party leader.
He said he believed Mr Johnson does not have the "integrity" to be prime minister and popularity "is not the test" when deciding who should lead the country.
His interview sparked major controversy when he mentioned Adolf Hitler and compared the German dictator’s popularity in the 1930’s to Mr Johnson’s.
"A lot of Germans thought that Hitler was the right man for them," he said.
Mr Amin said his reference to Hitler was "unfortunate" but he was addressing a wider point that popularity should not be the primary determining factor when choosing the leader of a country.
Following the interview, a disciplinary hearing was called and multiple sources have told ITV News that Conservative Party Headquarters (CCHQ) had been in contact with the Conservative Muslim Forum about Mr Amin’s comments.
Last month, Mr Amin publicly said he voted for the Liberal Democrats in the European elections after disagreeing with the Conservative Party’s Brexit policy – a charge which was mentioned during his disciplinary hearings but had not been formally raised with him by CCHQ.
Confirming the news, the Conservative Muslim Forum said: "It was felt by the Executive Committee of the Conservative Muslim Forum that Mohammed Amin has breached the constitution of the Forum and brought the Conservative Party and the Forum into disrepute. … members present unanimously voted for Mohammed Amin to be expelled from membership of the Forum and as an office holder."
Mr Amin told ITV News he was "disappointed" and he believed questioning Mr Johnson’s integrity led to his removal.
"The party had known about the tweets since they were issued and had said and done nothing. After my BBC Radio 4 interview the party’s leadership became exercised, because I had cast doubt on the moral fitness of Boris Johnson to be prime minister," Mr Amin told ITV News.
"My Conservative Muslim Forum colleagues had no choice but to expel me, as the risk of disaffiliation was too great a risk for them to take."
CCHQ declined to comment when approached by ITV News.