Islamist threats led to chaos in Commons during Gaza vote, says Deputy PM

Oliver Dowden declines to say if he considers Lee Anderson's remarks about Sadiq Khan to be Islamophobic

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden arrives at BBC Broadcasting House in London on February 25. PA

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The UK's Deputy Prime Minister blamed the chaos over parliament's ceasefire vote this week on "Islamic extremists", as he declined to describe Lee Anderson's comments as "Islamophobic".

Oliver Dowden said “Islamic extremists” had threatened MPs over their stance on Gaza, stifling debate in parliament.

The ceasefire debate on Wednesday descended into chaos after Speaker Lindsay Hoyle agreed to Labour’s amendments to the motion tabled by the Scottish National Party, with Conservative and SNP MPs walking out.

“I never thought that in my lifetime, I would see a situation where what is happening in the House of Commons is influenced by the threat of violence,” he told the BBC on Sunday.

“These threats of intimidation are often coming from Islamic extremists and we shouldn’t be shy of calling that out."

These threats were “being used to intimidate Jews in this country and are being used to intimidate a debate that is going on in our parliament", he said.

His remarks came as former Conservative deputy chairman Lee Anderson was suspended from the party on Saturday after refusing to apologise for his suggestion that London Mayor Sadiq Khan was controlled by "Islamists".

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has not commented on the remarks made by Lee Anderson (left). PA

Mr Dowden declined to say whether he considered Mr Anderson's remarks to be Islamophobic.

Instead, he said he did not believe that Mr Anderson, the former deputy chairman of the Conservative party, was "intending" to be Islamophobic.

He defended former home secretary Suella Braverman, who recently claimed the UK is "sleepwalking into a ghettoised society" with "Islamists" in charge.

Asked if Mr Anderson would have kept the whip if he had apologised, Mr Dowden said: "Yes."

Mr Anderson’s remarks drew widespread criticism from figures including business minster Nus Ghani and senior Conservative politician Sajid Javid.

The Prime Minister has not yet commented publicly on the remarks, and Mr Khan has said his "silence" amounts to "tacit endorsement" of Islamophobia.

Labour's Nandy warn of 'dangerous' streak within Conservative party

Labour's Lisa Nandy warned of a 'dangerous' streak within the Conservative party, whose members were 'spouting conspiracy theories'.

On Sunday Lisa Nandy, Labour MP for Wigan and shadow secretary for international development, warned of a “dangerous” streak within the Conservative party, whose members were “spouting conspiracy theories.”

“What’s going on in the Conservative party is dangerous and is bigger than Lee Anderson," Ms Nandy told Sky News.

Alongside Mr Anderson and Mrs Braverman, she accused Liz Truss, who was perceived to have endorsed convicted criminal and far-right leader Tommy Robinson in an interview this week, of having "repeatedly sought to stoke hate and division, spouting conspiracy theories that are normally confined to the sort of thing that we see online".

Threats to MPs were coming from “multiple directions”, Ms Nandy added, without naming any group in particular.

“Our political debate has become one that is very angry. Social media grants a great deal of anonymity,” she said.

"What we've seen happening on the streets of Britain, the rise in Islamophobia and anti-Semitism is also reflected in anger towards MPs," she said.

“We’ve had it in the last few months from people who purport to stand for Israel and purport to stand for Palestine as well,” she added,

“This is a wider problem of the way in which our political discourse has become angry and divisive,” she added.

Asked if anybody from her party had threatened Speaker Lindsay Hoyle in the lead-up to the Gaza ceasefire vote, she said no.

A handout photograph released by the UK Parliament shows Britain's main opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer speaking during the weekly session of Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons, in central London on February 21, 2024. UK Parliament / AFP

Labour leader Keir Starmer has “categorically” denied threatening the Speaker to call Labour’s amendment.

Ms Nandy added that she did not believe anybody else from the party had done so.

“I don’t believe for a moment that anyone in Labour did. Certainly our chief whip, Keir Starmer, none of the senior figures in Labour would ever dream of threatening the speaker,” she told Sky News.

"The idea that Speakers can be pushed around by members of parliament, leaders of political parties, is frankly for the birds,’ she said.

“There were MPs from all political parties who made representations to the Speaker. Not just about their safety and security but the fact that we’ve got an impending ground invasion in Rafah,” she said.

Defending Labour’s amendments, she added. “There was an urgent need for the commons to speak in one voice to prevent that from happening, and to back an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” she added.

Ms Nandy declined to endorse a candidate in the upcoming Rochdale by-election, where the Labour candidate Azhar Ali was suspended over anti-Semitic remarks.

“I would just ask people not to vote for candidates who are spouting hate and division. We’ve had enough of that, we’ve seen it from the Conservative party this weekend,” she said.

Ms Nandy had been seen campaigning in Rochdale with Mr Ali before the remarks came to light, but said she was unaware of his comments then.

"I didn’t know that he’d made antisemitic comments. I was appalled by what he said about Israel," she said.