Raab: Party can't act on Islamophobia claim 'in absence of formal complaint'
23 January 2022, 13:05
Dominic Raab on Ghani Islamophobia allegations
Nusrat Ghani must lodge a formal complaint for allegations of Islamophobia to be properly investigated, the Deputy Prime Minister tells LBC.
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The vice-chair of the 1922 committee Nusrat Ghani came out on Sunday to say that her faith was given as a reason for losing a ministerial role in 2020.
"Do you believe her allegations?" Tom Swarbrick asked Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab
"I listened very carefully to what she said but I also listened to what the chief whip Mark Spencer said in response," he replied, pointing out that Ms Ghani "was invited to make a formal complaint in 2020."
"In the absence of a formal complaint we can't trigger the mechanisms that would mean this would be looked at."
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"So it's up to her to make the complaint", Tom said, closing the line of inquiry. Mr Raab jumped in.
"To trigger the formal process that's right for her to consider", he said, reiterating the earlier point that Ms Ghani should make a formal complaint.
"This advice was given to her back in 2020" he repeated.
Rachel Johnson spoke to Nusrat Ghani MP for Global original podcast Rachel Johnson's Difficult Women. Listen here.
Mohammed Amin hits out at Tories amid Islamophobia scandal
Boris Johnson met with Nusrat Ghani to discuss her "extremely serious claims" that she was sacked as a minister because of concerns about her "Muslimness", Downing Street has said. A No 10 spokesman said in a statement that the Prime Minister invited her to make a formal complaint but she did not do so.
"After being made aware of these extremely serious claims, the Prime Minister met with Nusrat Ghani to discuss them," the spokesman said. "He then wrote to her expressing his serious concern and inviting her to begin a formal complaint process. She did not subsequently do so.
"The Conservative Party does not tolerate prejudice or discrimination of any kind."
