A high-ranking Tory has suggested demands for an inquiry into allegations of Islamophobia within the party have a "political motive", prompting a backlash from a Conservative peer.
Party vice chair and Saffron Walden MP Kemi Badenoch, considered a rising star in the party, rejected the Muslim Council of Britain's (MCB) call for an independent probe into anti-Muslim prejudice within the Conservatives.
Earlier this year, the MCB said it had seen weekly incidents of Islamophobia from Conservative representatives and candidates as it urged Tory officials to take action.
However, asked whether such issues were a reason why the Conservatives have a relative lack of support among ethnic minorities, Ms Badenoch dismissed the MCB's claims.
She told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday show: "We take every single allegation of Islamophobia seriously and where we do find party members or people who hold positions in local government doing things we suspend them, we investigate thoroughly." [Sky News] Read more
