The Conservative MP said she was sacked as minister because her Islamic faith ‘made her colleagues uncomfortable’

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A Conservative MP claimed she was told her Islamic faith “makes her colleagues feel uncomfortable” after she was asked why she was fired as a minister.

Nusrat Ghani told the Sunday Times that she asked a party member about the decision and was told that her religion had been discussed at a meeting in Downing Street.

The former transport minister also said she had been told there were concerns she had not done enough to defend the Conservative Party against allegations of Islamophobia.

This comes as whips’ behavior is under intense scrutiny amid accusations of intimidation and extortion.

Earlier this week, a Conservative MP claimed his colleagues had received “disinvestment” threats, while a MP who defected to the Labor Party claimed plans to set up a new school in his constituency had been threatened if he voted against the government.

Ms Ghani said she spoke to the party whips after losing her ministerial role in February 2020 and “asked what was the thinking behind the decision to expel me and what was the musical mood when my name was mentioned in No. 10 on the cabinet reshuffle”.

She said: “I was told at the Cabinet reshuffle meeting in Downing Street that ‘Islam’ was being raised as an ‘issue’, that my ‘Muslim minister’ status was making my colleagues uncomfortable and that there were concerns ‘that I was not’. loyal to the party because I did not do enough to defend the party against allegations of Islamophobia.”

She told the newspaper it was like “punching in the stomach” and making her feel “humiliated and weak”.

Her allegations drew immediate condemnation from Conservative MPs and opposition parties alike, with her calling for an investigation.

The situation escalated further on Saturday evening, when whip boss Mark Spencer said he was the one who spoke to Ms Ghani – although he vehemently denied using the alleged words.

In a statement posted on Twitter, he said: “To ensure that others are not drawn into the scourge of this matter, I identify myself as the person to whom MP Nusrat Ghani made the allegations regarding this evening.”

“These accusations are completely false and I consider them defamatory. I have never used those words attributed to me.”

Labor leader Anneliese Dodds said the allegations were “extremely serious” and called for an urgent investigation into what happened.

“This is just the latest claim in a long list of appalling behavior in the midst of the government that the prime minister appears willing to condone,” she said.

Tory MP William Wage, who accused ministers of threatening colleagues who were considering trying to oust Boris Johnson earlier this week, called Ghani “very brave to speak out”.

Meanwhile, Conservative Party Minister Nadim Zahawi said there was “no place for Islamophobia or any form of racism” in the Conservative Party after his colleague’s allegations. “This must be properly investigated and racism stamped out,” he said.

A Conservative Party office spokesman described Ghani’s allegations as “completely untrue”.

“Ministerial roles are assigned on the basis of merit and rewards for hard work,” they said. “The Conservative Party does not tolerate any form of racism or discrimination.”

Earlier this year, a report on Islamophobia in the Conservative Party rejected allegations of institutional racism.

However, he has been critical of the Conservative complaints process. It also found that the party registered more than 1,400 complaints about 727 incidents of alleged discrimination between 2015 and 2020, two-thirds of which related to discrimination against Muslims.

The Independent has reached out to the Conservative Party and Cabinet Office for comment.

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