Columnist Rod Liddle has sparked outcry from leading Muslim groups after writing a piece in which he suggested preventing them from voting in the upcoming general election.

In an article published in the Spectator on Thursday, he wrote: “My own choice of election date would be a day when universities are closed and Muslims are forbidden to do anything on pain of hell, or something.”

His comments, which extended to a proposition that preventing the Muslim population from voting “would deliver at least 40 seats to the Tories”, have been condemned as discriminatory.

A spokesperson for the Muslim Council of Britain said Liddle’s “hate” was “not new”, describing the article as “the usual bigotry Muslims have become accustomed to”.

“Here he calls for the discrimination against Muslims and a denial of their democratic rights, particularly when the far-right are on the rise,” the spokesperson told HuffPost UK.

“Outlets such as the Spectator regularly give racists a platform to share their anti-Muslim propaganda and feed into far right narratives that thrive on Islamophobia.

“The publishers and editors cannot be given a free pass. They must be held to account.”

Chancellor Sajid Javid said the column was “not funny and not acceptable”.