LBC Host Kicks Tory Minister Who Says Lee Anderson Remarks ‘Wrong’ But Won’t Say Why
LBC host Nick Ferrari booted Illegal Migration Minister Michael Tomlinson off the air after the politician refused to answer his question multiple times as to whether suspended Tory MP Lee Anderson’s comments about London Mayor Sadiq Khan were Islamophobic.
Tomlinson’s appearance on LBC came after Anderson doubled down from his claims made during a GB News interview on Friday that Khan was under the influence of “Islamists.” Anderson was suspended Saturday.
LBC’s Ferrari was keen to interrogate Tomlinson on the action the party took against Anderson but the politician would not break rank and be drawn out. Staying on point, he repeated the wording that Anderson’s comments were “wrong” but, despite Ferrari’s questioning, refused to say why.
The host began: “Why was it necessary for Lee Anderson to have the whip suspended? Where was the tolerance there?”
Tomlinson replied: “Well, Nick, respectfully, I think what Lee said was wrong, and as a result of what he said, he had the whip removed from him. That’s robust action.”
Ferrari repeated: “What was it specifically that meant the whip had to go? We agree it was wrong, but why was it wrong?”
The politician refused to expand: “Nick, it was wrong. What Lee said…”
“No, but why was it wrong?” the host asked again.
Tomlinson began again: “What he said was wrong. As a result of what he said, the whip was removed from him. That was robust action.”
“Why was it wrong? That’s what I’m trying to get at,” Ferrari pressed.
“It was wrong, Nick, because of what he said, and robust action was taken as a result.”
Growing frustrated, Ferrari tried another way to ask the question: “You’re well educated. Let’s try this a different way. Was it Islamophobic?”
Tomlinson, like a skipping record, repeated his line: “What he said was wrong, and robust action was taken, and the whip was removed within 24 hours.”
The host said: “Minister, was it Islamophobic?
Tomlinson said, again: “Nick, it was wrong.”
Ready to give up, Ferrari pulled back to give the politician one more chance to answer: “Minister, I’m going to… And I’m normally a very polite man. I’m actually going to effectively put the fact… I’ll ask you now, for the third time, I’ve asked you six times why it was necessary. For the third time, was it Islamophobic?”
“Nick, it was wrong,” Tomlinson said.
Bringing the interview to an end the host said: “I’ll have to curtail the interview there. I’m grateful for your time, but enough already. Michael Tomlinson is the Minister of State for Illegal Migration, unable to answer a question.”
In a statement issued Monday, Anderson, a host at GB News, admitted his choice of words were “clumsy” and that many Muslims contribute positively to Britain but that he stood by his comments directed at extremists and Kahn.
Tomlinson’s refusal to brand the comments in any way come at a time when the party is facing wider accusations of “systemic Islamophobia” within its ranks.
