The Conservative Party is facing renewed criticism about the way in which it handles complaints about Islamophobia after leaked emails showed the party chairman ‘failed to respond to complaints’.

According to emails obtained by Buzzfeed News, two Conservative association chairmen resigned in protest at their complaints being ignored for several months.

They accused party chairman Brandon Lewis and the CCHQ complaints department of failing to take action against a Tory councillor who is alleged to have made an anti-Muslim remark.

Conservative party chairman Brandon Lewis faced renewed criticism about the way in which the party handles complaints (Picture: Matt Crossick)

The revelations undermine the party’s claims that it had ‘always taken swift action’ on the issue.


It follows the news that a Conservative Party official informed chair Brandon Lewis and the party’s complaints department about anti-Muslim Facebook posts by Tory members last year, but no action was taken until BuzzFeed News raised the posts with the party this week.



According to emails obtained by the site, a ‘party official’ contacted Mr Lewis and the complaints department last October, asking them to investigate whether party members were among the subscribers of a Facebook group where Islamophobic posts were being shared.

A follow-up email appears to have been sent in November, but according to Buzzfeed, no action followed until the website contacted the party with screenshots earlier this week, resulting in 14 members being suspended.

Baroness Warsi has repeatedly called on the party to hold an inquiry into Islamophobia (Picture: EMPICS Entertainment)

The group is called ‘Jacob Rees-Mogg Supporters’, but has no formal links or connection to the Conservative MP.

Responding to the revelations, An MCB spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: ‘Conservative Party officials must now stop parroting the Brandon Lewis line that complaints are being dealt with very swiftly, and instead acknowledge the seriousness of Islamophobia at all levels of the Party.

‘More and more examples will continue to emerge and with such repeated denials from within the Party, an independent inquiry appears to be the only option.’

Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum, Mohammed Amin, said the wider issue of how the party deals with Islamophobia needs to be made ‘a lot more transparent’ in terms of how ‘cases are investigated’.

He also called on the party to publish the names of those suspended and reasons for their suspension.

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