Johnson said he was leaving it to his successor as prime minister and their independent adviser to complete the investigation.
Boris Johnson has delayed a government inquiry into claims by Tory MP Nus Ghani that she was sacked as a minister because of her Muslim faith.
Ghani had said in January that a government whip had told her that her “Muslimness was raised as an issue,” which former Chief Whip Mark Spencer said was a false and defamatory claim that refers to him.
Following her claims, Boris Johnson said he was taking the matter very seriously, before ordering a cabinet office investigation.
But many Muslims won’t be surprised to learn that once again Johnson has kicked the issue of tackling Islamophobia into the long grass. He has form of course, having previously pledging a specific investigation into Islamophobia during the 2019 leadership election only to subsequently downgrade it into an investigation into all forms of prejudice.
In a letter to the Liaison Committee published on Tuesday, Johnson said he was leaving it to his successor as prime minister and their independent adviser to complete the investigation.
Responsibility for carrying out the investigation had been given to ethics chief Lord Geidt, who was carrying out the probe until he resigned in June with Johnson failing to replace him.
Meanwhile the Tories are safe in the knowledge that they can continue to do little to tackle Islamophobia because many in the media will simply ignore it. The EHRC, the country’s equalities watchdog, has thus far refused to investigate the Conservative Party over Islamophobia despite the refusal of the party to deal with it.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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