Cabinet minister Grant Shapps has distanced himself from Lee Anderson’s claim that “Islamists” have “got control” of Sadiq Khan.
But the Defence Secretary appeared to defend the Tory former deputy chairman’s right to “speak (his) mind” as he was pressed on whether the remarks were acceptable.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing calls from Labour for Mr Anderson to lose the whip after he said the London mayor had “given our capital city away to his mates”.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Saturday, Mr Shapps said he had not seen the comments first-hand but added: “It’s certainly not the way I would put things.
“I think there are more concerns about the way that some of these (pro-Palestinian) protests have been taking place, in particular what we saw projected on to Parliament this week, but I certainly wouldn’t phrase things like that.”
The phrase “from the river to the sea” was reportedly beamed on to the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday as protesters gathered in Westminster to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
What I do believe is they've got control of Khan and they've got control of London
Asked whether Mr Anderson should lose the Tory whip, Mr Shapps said the matter was “one for party itself”.
The Defence Secretary declined to say whether the MP for Ashfield is a good representative voice for the Conservative Party, saying only that “we live in a democracy where people are allowed to speak their mind and Lee Anderson, I think, is famed for speaking his mind”.
In an appearance on GB News, Mr Anderson had said: “I don’t actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they’ve got control of Khan and they’ve got control of London… He’s actually given our capital city away to his mates.”
The remarks prompted criticism from Labour and some Conservatives, with senior Tory MP Sir Sajid Javid describing them as “ridiculous”.
Tory peer Gavin Barwell, who was Theresa May’s Number 10 chief of staff, said the remark was a “despicable slur”.
The Muslim Council of Britain said the comment was “disgusting” and criticised the “silence of the party in the face of such extremism”.
A spokesperson said: “In a week where we learn of an explosion in Islamophobic hate crimes, influential MPs and a donor to the Conservative Party are endorsing common talking points that peddle conspiracy theories and Islamophobic tropes of alleged Muslim takeovers of our country.”
Ashfield Independent council leader Jason Zadrozny said the town “deserves better” and “Lee Anderson is an embarrassment”.
A Conservative Party source said: “Lee was simply making the point that the mayor, in his capacity as PCC (police and crime commissioner) for London, has abjectly failed to get a grip on the appalling Islamist marches we have seen in London recently.”
