By Ben Kerrigan-
Boris Johnson’s comments in which he compared women wearing face veils to “bank robbers” and “letterboxes” gave the impression the Tories are “insensitive to Muslim communities” according to an independent probe.
The investigation, led by Professor Swaran Singh concluded anti-Muslim sentiment is “still a problem” in the Conservative Party , as he drew evidence of racism at local and individual levels.
In a pointed message to Mr Johnson, the review led by Professor Swaran Singh said the leadership of the Conservative Party “ought to set a good example for appropriate behaviours and language”.
The Prime Minister was cleared by an independent panel, which examined whether he had breached the Conservative Party’s code of conduct by using a Daily Telegraph column in 2018 to describe Muslim women who wear the burka as looking like “letterboxes” and “bank robbers”.
But the panel looking at Mr Johnson’s case was split, with a minority view that the language used in the article was “offensive and did not lead by example to encourage and foster respect”, and that as a result Mr Johnson had breached the party’s code of conduct.
The Prime Minister told Prof Singh’s investigation: “I do know that offence has been taken at things I’ve said, that people expect a person in my position to get things right, but in journalism you need to use language freely. I am obviously sorry for any offence taken.
“Would I use some of the offending language from my past writings today? Now that I am Prime Minister, I would not.”
The report said that several interviewees who spoke to the investigation considered Mr Johnson’s language “discriminatory and unacceptable”.
In response to Mr Johnson’s assertion that he would not make such remarks now, the report said: “While this could be considered leading by example, the investigation would like to emphasise that using measured and appropriate language should not be a requirement solely for senior people, but ought to be expected throughout the Conservative Party.”
The panel’s findings in Mr Johnson’s case were made public, but not its deliberations, which led some of those interviewed by the Singh Investigation to consider it a “whitewash”.
The report said the case illustrates the need for complaints handling to be not only independent of the party structure but also for greater transparency about process and outcome on individual complaints, particularly those that might be considered “high profile”..
The investigation examined the controversial and unsuccessful mayoral campaign run in London by Zac Goldsmith, as he was then, against Labour’s Sadiq Khan in 2016.
Lord Goldsmith said it was “important to hold Sadiq Khan to account for his record of associating with extremists, in particular Islamists”, but added: “I never believed that Sadiq himself was an extremist”, and his campaign had not suggested it.
Lord Goldsmith said: “On one side, there were anti-Muslim groups and individuals actively accusing Sadiq of being an extremist – a gross calumny.
“And on the other, Labour campaigners reframed legitimate questions about their candidate’s judgment in such a way that it appeared he was being smeared because of his faith… a large number of Muslim Londoners felt personally insulted by what they had been told was my campaign message, that is of course a source of major regret and sadness on my part.”
The report said Lord Goldsmith “accepts poor judgment in the way his campaign was conducted, but forcefully denies harbouring anti-Muslim sentiments or using such sentiments for political advantage”.
The mayoral campaign received one complaint, which was dismissed as unsubstantiated.
The review process has been regarded with scepticism by some critics, with the Muslim Council of Britain warning it would be a whitewash.
But Prof Singh said: “I hope fair minded people who read the report will see that we haven’t shied away from criticising the party.
“In fact, this is going to be very uncomfortable for the party, I hope it makes them uncomfortable, I hope it makes the rank and file uncomfortable and it also spurs them into action.”
In a message to Mr Johnson, Prof Singh said: “As the leader of the Conservative Party, I would say lead by example and accept our recommendations unequivocally. Accept them unconditionally. Implement them and get someone to monitor the implementation.”