If true, there’s probably more to the story.
[AlAhram] A former minister in Britannia's Conservative government says she was told her Moslem faith was a reason she was fired, a claim that has deepened the rifts roiling Prime Minister Boris Johnson...pro-Brexit British prime minister, succeeding no-Brexit Theresa May. BoJo is noted as much for his sparkling personality and his hair as for his Conservative policies....
's governing party.
Former transport minister Nusrat Ghani told the Sunday Times that when she was demoted in 2020, a government whip said her ``Moslemness'' was ``making colleagues uncomfortable.''
She said she was told ``there were concerns `that I wasn't loyal to the party as I didn't do enough to defend the party against Islamophobia
...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do...
allegations.'
``It was very clear to me that the whips and No. 10 (Downing St.) were holding me to a higher threshold of loyalty than others because of my background and faith,'' Ghani said.
Chief Whip Mark Spencer said he was the person Ghani was talking about, but strongly denied
No, no! Certainly not!
her allegation.
``These accusations are completely false and I consider them to be defamatory,'' he wrote on Twitter. ``I have never used those words attributed to me.''
The Conservative Party whips' office said Ghani's claims ``are categorically untrue.''
``The Conservative Party does not tolerate any form of racism or discrimination,'' it said in a statement.
The prime minister's office said Johnson met with Ghani to discuss her concerns in 2020, and invited her to file a formal complaint, but that she didn't do so.
Several Conservative politicians, however, spoke up to support Ghani. Caroline Nokes, who heads Parliament's Women and Equalities Committee, said Ghani's treatment had been ``appalling'' and she was brave to speak out.
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi tweeted that Ghani's allegations must be ``investigated properly & racism routed out.'' His tweet ended with the hashtag ``standwithNus.''
When Ghani was made a minister in 2015, her boss, then Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, said it was proof the Conservatives ``were a party of opportunity.'' But some have accused the party of failing to stamp out anti-Moslem prejudice under Johnson, who in 2018 compared women who wear face-covering veils to ``letter boxes.''
Ghani's allegation comes after another Conservative politician, William Wragg, accused party whips of intimidating and blackmailing members of Parliament to ensure they supported the government. Wragg says he is meeting police this week to discuss his claims.
Internal rifts in the Conservative Party have been blown open by allegations that Johnson and his staff held lockdown-flouting parties while Britannia was under coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague)
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...restrictions.
A handful of Conservative politicians have called for Johnson to resign. Others are awaiting a report by Sue Gray, a senior civil servant appointed to investigate claims that government staff held late-night soirees, ``bring your own booze'' parties and ``wine time Fridays'' while Britannia was under coronavirus restrictions in 2020 and 2021.
Gray's findings are expected to be published next week. If Gray criticizes Johnson, more Conservative politicians may be emboldened to call for a no-confidence vote in Johnson that could result in his ouster.