Tory Islamophobia: Conservative members suspended over Facebook posts including 'Muslim scum'

One councillor wrote ‘Islam and slavery are partners in crime’, while a Boris Johnson campaigner called it ‘religion of hate’

Johnson’s government appears to be backtracking on his promise to hold an inquiry into Islamophobia within the Conservative Party (PA)

Several Conservative Party members have been suspended for making Islamophobic posts online, the party has said.

One Tory councillor was found to have written “Islam and slavery are partners in crime”, while a Boris Johnson supporter, who is thought to have worked on the 2012 London mayoral campaign, said it was a “religion of hate”.

Other incidents included comments made on Facebook and Twitter such as “Muslim scum” and “I don’t want Muslims in this country”.

The more than 20 posts – none of which were linked – came to light after an anonymous Twitter user reported them to the BBC.

A Conservative Party spokesperson has since confirmed many, though not all, had been written by members and said it had now suspended those involved.

They said: “The Conservative Party will never stand by when it comes to prejudice and discrimination of any kind.”

Referring to ongoing calls for an inquiry into allegations that Islamophobia is rife among party rank-and-file, they added: “We are already establishing the terms of an investigation to make sure that such instances are isolated and robust processes are in place to stamp them out as and when they occur.”

Yet the party continues to be accused of dragging its feet on the issue despite mounting evidence there is a rising problem – including a YouGov poll in June that found two-thirds of members believe parts of the country now operate under sharia law.

The Muslim Council of Britain has been calling for an investigation into the matter since 2018, while chancellor Sajid Javid has repeatedly urged his party to get to grips with the problem.

During a party leadership debate this summer, he asked his fellow candidates to commit to an inquiry – something each of the candidates promised to do but has not been enacted by new prime minister Boris Johnson.

And speaking on Radio 4 on Friday, Kwasi Kwarteng, minister for business, energy and clean growth and an ally of Mr Johnson, said the party had taken “decisive” action in expelling those members found guilty of Islamophobia – but appeared to suggest an inquiry would not be carried out after all.

“I think the party has enough structure and discipline and focus to try to deal with this problem in the first instance,” he said.

Harun Khan, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: “We are not surprised by the latest revelations. They are a manifestation of institutional Islamophobia within the Conservative Party, and corroborate the polling done demonstrating the scale of the issue.

“An independent and specific inquiry into Islamophobia specifically is long overdue. Sadly, the Conservative response has been woeful.”

He added: “As much as it continues to deny this, it is becoming increasingly evident that the Conservative Party’s problem with Islamophobia is endemic.”