Met Police ‘Assessing’ Hate Speech Complaint Against Lee Anderson

Lee Anderson MP during the Conservative Party Conference at Manchester Central Convention Complex, Manchester on Monday 2nd October 2023. (Photo by Pat Scaasi/MI News/NurPhoto via AP)

The Metropolitan Police are currently “assessing” whether to launch an investigation into a hate speech complaint lodged against MP and GB News host Lee Anderson.

According to The Sun, the anonymous complaint was submitted to the police after Anderson claimed “Islamists” had seized control of London and the city’s Mayor Sadiq Khan in an interview on GB News on Friday. Khan accused Anderson of racism in response.

After making the comments, Anderson lost the Tory whip for refusing to apologise. In a statement Anderson doubled down on his remarks, although admitted his wording was “clumsy.”

The fallout, however, has been wider. In interviews with the media key Conservatives, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, have stopped short of labelling the comments as Islamophobic or racist. The party line, instead, appears to be flatly asserting that the comments, punishable by the severe political repercussion of losing the whip, were “wrong” but not going into detail as to why.

This has led to accusations from the opposition that the party is pandering to the political right, with circulating claims that some within the party support Anderson’s comments, while the Muslim Council of Britain said that the party has an issue with “systemic Islamophobia” – a claim Sunak denied.

Amidst calls for his reinstatement by some Tory allies and speculation about his potential move to the Reform Party, Anderson remains defiant. He accuses Khan of “playing the race card” for political gain.