Another Tory MP has made 'dangerous' remarks about Islamophobia and Islamism

Just two days after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stood outside No 10 and called for people to “stand together to combat the forces of division” in a speech about ‘protecting democracy’ from “Islamist extremists and the far right”, another Tory MP has been met with condemnation for “inflammatory” remarks about Islamophobia and “Islamist extremism”.

Robert Jenrick, the former immigration minister who resigned over the government’s Rwanda policy, penned an article for the Mail on Sundaywith the title, “Why does the Left consider it Islamophobic to want to expel the cancer of extremism from Britain?”

In it, he writes: “Just this week we saw the strength of the alliance between the hard-left and Islamists on full display, with George Galloway’s brand of sectarian politics proving a decisive vote-winner in Rochdale.

“Alarm bells should be ringing. But even now, after one of the darkest days in our democracy – when Parliament caved to threats of violence from a mob of Islamist and far-left extremists – there remains a state of denial in our political and media establishment.

“Many are worried that they will be smeared as ‘Islamophobic’ for exposing Islamist extremism, even though doing so is in no way anti-Muslim.”

Jenrick also goes on to boast about his grappling “with the link between uncontrolled mass migration and extremism” as immigration minister, before calling on the UK to “end the disastrous experiment with mass migration” and warning that a delay in taking the “necessary action” will only allow “the cancer of Islamist extremism to grow”.

The Newark MP’s intervention is the latest from the Conservative Party to be met with criticism and outrage, after GB News host and former deputy chairman Lee Anderson had the whip suspended for suggesting Islamists have “got control” of London mayor Sadiq Khan.

After that sparked a row over Islamophobia in the Tory party, ex-home secretary Suella Braverman waded in to the discourse by penning an article for The Telegraph in which she claimed “the Islamists, the extremists and the antisemites are in charge now” and that they have “bullied the Labour Party … our institutions … [and] our country into submission”.

Meanwhile, over in the US, our shortest-serving prime minister Liz Truss shared a stage with Trump backer Steve Bannon and remained silent as he hailed the far-right figure Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) a “hero”.

Not the best backdrop to the PM’s speech on Friday in which he said far-right groups are “spreading a poison”…

Sunak said Anderson’s comments were “wrong”, but repeatedly refused to describe them as Islamophobic or explain what exactly was “wrong” about them.

The whip hasn’t been removed from Truss or Braverman, and in fact policing minister Chris Philp told Sky News the former shouldn’t have it suspended because she “did nothing wrong”.

And Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, a Tory peer, slammed her own government for “[dragging] its heels on any work to tackle this form of racism”.

Now Jenrick’s article has been met with criticism of its own, with many arguing the “serious problem” is actually the Tories:

Unsurprisingly, Lee Anderson has branded the article “first class” and said Jenrick has been “consistent and courageous throughout”.

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