Former Deputy Minister of Transport English, Nusrat Ghani, admitted that he was fired from the cabinet of the Prime Minister’s government Boris Johnson simply because of her status as a Muslim woman.
According to Ghani, he was sacked because his belief as a Muslim had made his colleagues in parliament and government uncomfortable.
The 49-year-old woman lost her job as junior transport minister in 2020. At that time, the parliamentary disciplinary enforcement commission told Ghani that her belief as a Muslim was the reason for her dismissal.
“I was told that at the Cabinet reshuffle meeting in Downing Street that the Muslim issue had been raised as a problem, that my status as ‘minister of Muslim women’ made my colleagues uncomfortable,” Ghani was quoted as saying by the Sunday Times newspaper. Reuters on Sunday (23/1).
Ghani admits, what he went through has shaken his faith, especially against the ruling Conservative party.
In fact, he often thinks whether to continue his status as a member of parliament after what he has experienced so far.
“I cannot pretend that this has not shaken my confidence in the party and I sometimes consider whether to continue as a member of parliament,” Ghani said.
On the other hand, the British Prime Minister’s Office has not yet responded to Ghani’s statement. But the UK government’s head of disciplinary enforcement, Mark Spencer, denied these allegations.
He even called what Ghani said slander.
“This accusation is completely wrong and I consider it slander,” he said on Twitter.
Ghani’s confession comes as the Johnson administration continues to be in the spotlight and is on the brink.
One Conservative politician even recently vowed to go to the police to bring up various scandals over the Johnson administration, one of which was the alleged blackmail of the parliamentary disciplinary committee against members suspected of trying to force Johnson to step down as prime minister.
Johnson’s calls to step down as prime minister have continued to emerge since a party held at his Downing Street office during the strict lockdown in May 2020 was revealed to the public. Johnson also admitted to being present at the drinking party.
These scandals have crushed public support for Johnson, both personally and for his party. It is also what makes Johnson face the most serious crisis of the prime ministership he is currently assuming.
The Conservative Party has previously faced accusations of Islamophobia. A report in May last year criticized the way it handled complaints of discrimination against Muslims.
The report also led Johnson to issue an apology for all his past comments on Islam, including a newspaper column in which he referred to women wearing burqas as “like a mailbox”.
The leader of the main opposition Labor Party, Keir Starmer, also said the Conservatives should immediately investigate Ghani’s account.
“This is shocking to read,” he said on Twitter.
(tst/rds)
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