Rishi Sunak warns of hatred in politics after Lee Anderson's row

After a tumultuous week in Westminster, Rishi Sunak warned of political division and hatred.

He was commenting following the suspension of Tory MP Lee Anderson from his party for his refusal to issue an apology after claiming that "Islamists" had "Got control" of the London Mayor.

The prime minister spoke about protests and MP safety instead of explicitly addressing the remarks.

Sir Keir Starmer of Labour demanded that Mr Sunak "Get a grip" of his party.

Both Labour and Tory MPs attacked Ashfield MP Mr Anderson after he said on Friday night to GB News: "I do not really think that these Islamists have control of our country, but what I do believe is that they have control over Khan and London. In fact, he has allowed his friends free reign over our capital city."

Mr Khan denounced Mr Anderson's remarks as "Islamophobic, anti-Muslim, and racist" and expressed disapproval of the prime minister and his Cabinet for their alleged "Deafening silence" about the matter.

Simon Hart, the chief whip of the Tory party, said an hour later that Mr Anderson had lost his whip "following his refusal to apologise" for his remarks.

Mr Anderson, a presenter for GB News, has been suspended from his party in Parliament due to the removal of the whip, which prevents him from serving as a Conservative Member of Parliament.

After being suspended, Mr Anderson declared that he would "Continue to support the government's efforts to call out extremism in all its forms, be that anti-Semitism or Islamophobia," adding that he "understood the difficult position" he had placed the prime minister in.

However, Mr Khan referred to the Conservative Party's decision as "Belated". He attempted to keep the prime minister under pressure by claiming that his lack of comment on the subject amounted to "tacit endorsement".

Mr Anderson was one of the Conservative Party's deputy chairs until January when he resigned to take up arms against the government over the Rwanda vote.

Sir Keir, the leader of Labour, questioned the prime minister's decision to appoint him to the position on Saturday night.

He claimed that Mr Sunak was obligated to "Stop this slide into ever more toxic rhetoric" and that he should "take on the extremists in his party".

In a statement released on Saturday night, Mr Sunak raised concerns about a potential "Explosion in prejudice and anti-semitism" following the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel without directly addressing Mr Anderson's remarks.

The prime minister said, "The events of the past few weeks are but the latest in an emerging pattern which should not be tolerated."

He claimed that "Extremists had hijacked" lawful protests and that "Verbal threats and physical, violent targeting" had been directed at elected officials.

"And in Parliament this week a very dangerous signal was sent that this sort of intimidation works," he stated.

Mr Sunak was speaking after a week of increased tension in Westminster due to a dispute over a vote by MPs on a ceasefire in Gaza and worried about the safety of MPs.

The government's Independent Adviser on Political Violence and Disruption, Lord Walney, stated that MPs needed to be protected from "intimidation." At the same time, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle justified his contentious management of a discussion on Gaza by claiming it was necessary to safeguard the lawmakers.

According to The Sunday Times, the protection of three female MPs has led to providing bodyguards and chauffeur-driven vehicles.