The Tory party must now open its eyes to the Islamophobia within its ranks

Editorial: It is several years since a damning internal report found Islamophobia within the Conservative Party, yet its recommendations are still yet to be implemented. With the Lee Anderson affair, we are at last learning more about the anti-racist credentials of the Conservative Party – and it is not encouraging

Enough hot air between them: Rishi Sunak needs to be clear with disgraced former deputy chair Lee Anderson that Islamophobia will not be tolerated (Jacob King/PA)

Whatever they choose to call it, the Conservative Party has a problem with Islamophobia, or “anti-Muslim hate”, to use the apparently preferred term. Of course, there are Islamophobes in the Labour Party and, still, antisemitism; and no doubt some Conservatives also harbour some old-fashioned prejudices about Jews. But, at the moment, the focus is on what Lee Anderson’s remarks about Sadiq Khan, and the reaction to it, tells us about the anti-racist credentials of the Conservative Party – and it is not encouraging.

Mr Anderson notoriously said the capital was being “controlled” by Islamists and accused Mr Khan of handing the city over “to his mates”. The comments lost him the Tory whip.

In a slightly bizarre twist in this phobic tale, he has made a supplementary, and welcome, statement in which he declares that “the vast majority of our Muslim friends in the UK are decent, hard-working citizens who make an amazing contribution to our society and their religion should not be blamed for the actions of a tiny minority of extremists”.