Jeremy Corbyn backs calls for investigation into Tory Islamophobia

Jeremy Corbyn has backed calls for an investigation into allegations of Islamophobia in the Conservative party.



It comes amid pressure on the Conservatives from the Muslim Council of Britain to launch an independent inquiry into Islamophobia after they claimed there was “more than weekly incidents” taking place.

Speaking at a west London mosque, the Labour leader told the Press Association: "I think if there are allegations made then an inquiry should be held and it should be addressed and it should be dealt with.

"Islamophobia, as with anti-Semitism, as with any other form of racism, has no place whatsoever in our society or in any of our political parties. Nobody should be condoning it, nobody should be hiding it, everybody should be exposing it."

Mr Corbyn referenced the growing number of Islamophobic hate crimes, adding: "Let’s dedicate ourselves, during Ramadan, to say we will drive out Islamophobia from our society."

The Labour leader, whose party has been rocked by a number of anti-Semitism allegations since his election, launched an investigation into the issue in 2016. Labour is currently drawing up plans to crack down on anti-Jewish abuse.

Mr Corbyn's comments come after former Tory party chairman Baroness Warsi claimed her own party was in "denial mode" about the problem.

She told ITV News: "What, for me, is deeply disappointing is that I raised this issue with my party long before the ugly head of anti-Semitism raised itself within the Labour party.

"And what I find is that we were quite right to challenge the Labour party on its issue of anti-Semitism, but it now disappoints me and concerns me why we're not prepared to deal with bigotry when it finds itself in our own backyard."

But Home Secretary Sajid Javid denied that his party had a problem with Islamophobia, telling the Andrew Marr show this weekend: "I have got a lot of time for Baroness Warsi but I’m afraid I do not agree with that… For a start let’s just have a look at who the Home Secretary is in this country. As you’ve just described me my name is Sajid Javid, I am the Home Secretary in this country."

He added: "That said, there are issues with anti-Muslim hatred in the country as there is, for example, anti-Semitism. All types of hate crime is wrong at every level. We will fight it and we will continue to have that strategy that deals with it and we will listen to anyone that wants to help us in that fight."

Mr Javid's remarks prompted a backlash from the head of the Muslim Council of Britain.

Harun Khan said: "These real concerns of Islamophobia are shared by two Conservative Muslim peers, as well as voices across the spectrum, many of them Conservatives.

"If the response is to instead attack the Muslim Council of Britain, it sadly indicates that the party has no interest in dealing with this matter with the seriousness it deserves."