LEE Anderson has declared he won’t say sorry over his attack on London Mayor Sadiq Khan as it would be a “sign of weakness”.
The Ashfield MP doubled down on his controversial comments, insisting “when you think you are right you should never apologise”.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak slammed Lee Anderson’s comments as ‘not acceptable’[/caption]
The ex-deputy party chairman was stripped of the Tory whip on Saturday after saying Mr Khan was controlled by “Islamists”.
The comments sparked widespread condemnation from across the political divide including from several senior Tories, such as Tory peer Baroness Warsi and business minister Nus Ghani.
This morning, the Prime Minister also criticised Mr Anderson’s comments, branding them as “not acceptable” and “wrong” as he denied the Tory Party had issues with Islamophobia.
But Cabinet minister Mark Harper left the door open for Mr Anderson’s possible return to the Tory party, telling Sky News: “I hope he will reflect on what he said and he will retract those comments and apologise…”
Speaking to GB News, though, Mr Anderson made clear he does not intend to do so.
He said: “If you are wrong, apologising is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength.
“But when you think you are right you should never apologise because to do so would be a sign of weakness.”
In a statement drawn up on Saturday but only released today, the Ashfield MP also accused the Mayor of London of overseeing “double standards for political benefit” in the way that pro-Palestinian marches are policed in London.
He wrote: “Hundreds of people had been arrested for racist abuse on these marches and we barely hear a peep from the mayor.
“If these marches were about something less fashionable Sadiq Khan would have been the first to call for them to be cancelled. It’s double standards for political benefit.”
Mr Anderson will now sit as an independent unless he defects to another party that chooses to offer him its backing.
Rumours he could join the Reform Party have been downplayed by its leader Richard Tice who said he had not had any defection talks.
But Tice backed Anderson today, saying while he “may have been clumsy in his precise choice of words… his sentiments are supported by millions of British citizens, including myself.
“Never has Westminster and the craven left leaning Establishment been so out of touch with ordinary people,” he added.
“The truth is that Lee speaks for millions of people who are appalled by what is happening to our country.
“Between them, this gutless government and the Mayor of London appear to have lost control of our streets.
“The projecting of a vile antisemitic slogan on our Houses of Parliament last week is a shocking illustration of the breakdown of law and order.”
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman also appeared to back Mr Anderson’s comments.
She wrote on X: “We need to urgently focus now on the big problem: how to tackle Islamist extremism in the UK. The hysteria in response to those calling out the crisis is one of the reasons why we’re not making progress. Language does matter but it’s time for resolute Government action.”
Ms Braverman urged ministers to fix the Government’s counter-terror scheme, pass a law that empowers ministers to take action against “hateful marches” and properly hold the police to account.
