Nusrat Ghani said: “The impact of being told this was devastating and my motivation in pursuing the complaint was to ensure it wasn’t buried, but that it ended with me so that no other colleague would have to endure anything similar.”
Oh, no worries, Ms. Ghani! Even though Mark Spencer was cleared, the purpose this ordeal has been served: everyone will tiptoe around Muslim officials, bending over backwards not to offend them, so as to avoid charges of “Islamophobia.”
“Investigation clears former chief whip Mark Spencer over sacking of Muslim Tory MP Nusrat Ghani,” by Alexandra Rogers, Sky News, April 6, 2023 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
Rishi Sunak has said no further action will be taken against minister Mark Spencer after a probe could not establish whether he told a female Tory MP she had been sacked because of her Muslim faith.
However, an investigation by the prime minister’s ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, identified some “shortcomings” in Mr Spencer’s behaviour towards Ms Ghani.
Ms Ghani said in response to the report that there was “no criticism or doubt expressed regarding my version of events”.
“Others will have to explain the report noting the ‘omissions’, ‘shortcomings’, ‘incomplete information’, ‘inaccurate briefings’ and claims ‘implied without evidence’ in their actions and story,” she said.
Sir Laurie had been investigating claims made by Ms Ghani that she was sacked as a government minister after her “Muslimness was raised as an issue”.
The Tory MP, who lost her position in the February 2020 reshuffle, claimed last January that she had been told by a whip, whom she did not identify, that her “Muslim woman minister status was making colleagues feel uncomfortable”.
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She also said there were concerns she “wasn’t loyal” to the party because she did not do “enough” to defend it against allegations of Islamophobia.
In the immediate aftermath of Ms Ghani’s comments, Mr Spencer, the former chief whip who is now an environment minister, identified himself as the the whip in question but denied her claims.
He described her allegations as “completely false”, adding: “I consider them to be defamatory. I have never used those words attributed to me.”
‘Some shortcomings’
In his investigation into the alleged Islamophobia, Sir Laurie said it was not possible to determine what the then chief whip said to Ms Ghani in two 2020 meetings.
As chief whip Mr Spencer was responsible for enforcing discipline among MPs.
However, Sir Laurie identified “some shortcomings” in how Mr Spencer responded to Ms Ghani’s concerns including that he failed to invite a witness to one of the meetings on 4 March 2020….
Ms Ghani said in a statement: “We all serve at the prime minister’s choosing and there is no shame in a political career ending. But to be told your faith and identity is the reason for it cannot be acceptable in any way.
“The impact of being told this was devastating and my motivation in pursuing the complaint was to ensure it wasn’t buried, but that it ended with me so that no other colleague would have to endure anything similar….
