Conservatives launch independent review into Islamophobia in the party
It comes after the PM apologised for "all the hurt" that had been caused to the Muslim community by Islamophobia within the party.
Wednesday 18 December 2019 07:22, UK
The Conservative Party has launched an independent review into its handling of complaints of discrimination and prejudice, including Islamophobia.
Professor Swaran Singh, a former commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, has been appointed to head the review, the party said.
He will look at how the Conservatives can improve procedures and ensure "any instances are isolated and that there are robust processes in place to stamp them out".
The Muslim Council of Britain has criticised the appointment and reiterated its calls to hold an inquiry specifically into Islamophobia within the party.
It comes after Boris Johnson apologised during the general election campaign for "all the hurt and offence" that had been caused to the Muslim community by Islamophobia within the party.
Labour came under fire during the general election over its failure to deal with antisemitism, with leader Jeremy Corbyn refusing to apologise to Jewish people in Britain after the chief rabbi criticised his handling of antisemitism cases.
Meanwhile, the Tories were accused by the Muslim Council of Britain of "denial, dismissal and deceit" when it came to Islamophobia.
Mr Johnson has been widely criticised for past remarks likening Muslim women who wear the veil to "bank robbers" and "letter boxes".
He originally promised an independent inquiry into Islamophobia in the party when he was campaigning to be the Tory leader last summer, and the commitment was widened to cover all forms of discrimination and prejudice.
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When announcing the appointment of Prof Singh - who is currently the professor of social and community psychiatry at Warwick University - party chairman James Cleverly said they were committed to stamping out "unacceptable abuse".
He added: "The Conservative Party has always worked to act swiftly when allegations have been put to us and there are a wide range of sanctions to challenge and change behaviour.
"The Conservative Party will never stand by when it comes to prejudice and discrimination of any kind and it is right to hold an independent review, so we can stamp out unacceptable abuse that is not fit for public life."
Muslim Council of Britain secretary-general Harun Khan said Prof Singh's appointment is "at risk of being seen in the same light as the Conservative Party's customary approach to Islamophobia, that of denial, dismissal and deceit".
Mr Khan continued: "We were promised an independent inquiry into Islamophobia specifically. Now we have a review that aims to broaden the scope to examine discrimination more generally.
"A laudable aim if it were not for the fact that the Conservative Party is afflicted with a particular type of bigotry which it refuses to countenance.
"The appointment of Professor Singh does not instil huge confidence in the process."