Lee Anderson says Tory Party could've given him 'a little more backing' after Sunak rebuke
The Ashfield MP was suspended over the weekend after he claimed “Islamists” had “got control” of London Mayor Sadiq Khan and London
The former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson doubled-down on Monday and claimed that the Conservative Party "could have given him more backing" rather than suspending the whip.
The Ashfield MP was suspended over the weekend after he claimed “Islamists” had “got control” of London Mayor Sadiq Khan and London.
In his latest GB News interview on Monday evening, Mr Anderson again denied that his comments against Khan were racist, adding that he will not apologise "while he has breath in his body".
He said: "Although I didn't directly apologise to Mayor Khan - which I'm not going to - not while I have a breath in my body, because the comments I made weren't racist at all.
"They keep banning this word Islamophobia but nobody can explain what it really means.
Anderson is a regular commentator on GB News.
His comments came after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called Anderson's remarks "wrong, ill-judged, and unacceptable".
Anderson admitted that the Prime Minister's decision to remove the whip was "not an overreaction", but affirmed his plans to stand at the next election.
Downing Street has said the Government does not tolerate “anti-Muslim hatred in any form”.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman was challenged over his refusal to refer specifically to Islamophobia or anti-Muslim hatred while condemning prejudice more generally.
The official told reporters: “The PM has been clear that we don’t tolerate any anti-Muslim hatred in any form and we will combat that and any sort of discrimination of that kind, as we do any racism or prejudice and intolerance, wherever it occurs.”
The spokesman declined to describe Lee Anderson’s comments about Sadiq Khan as Islamophobic.
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