Markus Andrews

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email The former deputy chairman of Britain’s Conservative Party, who drew condemnation last month for saying the mayor of London is controlled by Islamists, has defected to the smaller right-wing Reform U.K. Party.Lee Anderson was suspended as a Conservative lawmaker in Parliament after he claimed that Islamists had “got control” of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is a Muslim, amid heightened tensions in the U.K. over the Israel-Hamas war. Speaking at a news conference Monday, Anderson accused the governing Conservatives of stifling free speech. He said he had been disciplined for speaking his mind and for “speaking up on behalf of millions of people up and down the country who agree with me.”Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned Anderson’s comments on Khan, and denied that his party had an Islamophobia problem.In defecting Anderson becomes the first lawmaker for the Reform U.K., which was founded by right-wing populist politician Nigel Farage. The party, formerly known as the Brexit Party, is seeking to attract dissatisfied Conservative voters mainly over the issue of immigration. Reform finished in third place in two recent special local elections, and is seen by some Conservatives as a challenger with growing support, polling at around 10% of support from voters. Critics say Anderson’s defection highlighted the bitter divisions within the Conservative Party, which is polling far behind the opposition Labour Party and faces a tough battle to win voters at the general election, expected some time this year. “The truth is that the prime minister is too weak to lead a party too extreme to be led,” Labour lawmaker Pat McFadden said. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMore than £100 million will be used to protect Muslim schools, community centres and mosques from a rising number of hate attacks, the home secretary has announced. The money will be spent on security measures which include alarms, fences and CCTV cameras, James Cleverly said. It follows a similar package of £70 million for Jewish groups, as rising tensions over the war in Gaza fuel divisions in the UK. In a statement, Mr Cleverly said that anti-Muslim hatred “has absolutely no place in our society”.”We will not let events in the Middle East be used as an excuse to justify abuse against British Muslims,” he said.The new money would give “reassurance and confidence to UK Muslims at a time when it is crucially needed”.Ministers have recently condemned an increase in reported anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish hatred. The government was recently accused of stoking tensions after Lee Anderson claimed the London mayor was controlled by “Islamists”.The former deputy chair of the Conservatives was suspended by the party over the remarks, but only after a delay of almost a day.And ministers have still continued to refuse to say his comments were Islamophobic, stating only that they were wrong.Ministers have also suffered a blow after the frontrunner to become a new adviser on the issue pulled out saying he “couldn’t take” the amount of abuse he had received. Fiyaz Mughal, who founded the organisation Tell MAMA, which looks at anti-Muslim hate, said the abuse he had suffered for more than 10 years escalated after his name was linked to the role. In all the government will give £117 million over the next four years. The announcement, which comes at the start of Ramadan, will cover sites across the UK.Security minister Tom Tugendhat said: “This funding demonstrates that this government stands firmly against hate crimes, abuse, threats or harassment against British Muslims.”We continue to work closely with policing and community partners to ensure the safety and security of British Muslims.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Home Office is “dysfunctional” and in desperate need of reform, the sacked borders watchdog David Neal has said in his latest broadside against the government.Mr Neal was fired from his role as chief inspector of borders and immigration last month after claiming that Border Force had allowed “high-risk” aircraft to land in the UK without security checks, which the Home Office denied.He continues to be an outspoken critic of the department and says he “paid the price” for voicing his concerns and that his conscience remains “absolutely clear”.James Cleverly, the home secretary, said Mr Neal had breached the terms of his appointment and he had lost confidence in him.In a BBC interview, Mr Neal said failings in the immigration system go “right to the top” of the Home Office. He told The Today Podcast: “The Home Office is dysfunctional, the Home Office needs reform.”After his dismissal, the Home Office published 13 of Mr Neal’s reports on the same day as damning findings from an inquiry into Sarah Everard’s murder by serving police officer Wayne Couzens, leading to claims the government was trying to bury bad news.Mr Neal appeared before the Home Affair Committee In one of the reports, Mr Neal said protections at UK airports were neither “effective nor efficient” because ePassport gates were sometimes left unmanned.Roving officers were sometimes distracted by having to manage queues and deal with passenger queries, and that “basic stuff is not being done well”, he said.“Inspectors saw border posts left unmanned while officers signalled for attention from their managers. This is unacceptable and needs to be addressed urgently,” the report said.Mr Neal suggested that his sacking and the lack of a replacement meant there would be less scrutiny of border-related issues, including the Rwanda asylum scheme.“I’ve been sacked. So there will be no scrutiny of small boats, there will be no scrutiny of adults at risk in detention which is a controversial area, there will be no publishing of the Rwanda material.”A Home Office spokesman said: “It is the job of the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration to identify challenges in our system, including those proposed by Border Force, so we can take action to address them.“But by their nature, each of the ICIBI reports will only be a snapshot of what is going on and will not reflect the changes we make as a result of their findings.Protections at UK airports were neither ‘effective nor efficient’ because ePassport gates were sometimes left unmanned, Mr Neal says “A programme of work is already well under way to reform and strengthen Border Force’s capabilities. This is delivering on the prime minister’s pledge to make our structures and resources as strong as possible.“The work the Home Office, Border Force and the NCA is doing with international partners to stop the boats is another part of our Border Force reform, and is already having a return with small boat arrivals down by a third when Mr Neal was sacked for leaking sensitive information he was told was inaccurate.”In the incident that led to his dismissal,  Mr Neal accused the Home Office of “dangerous failings” on border security.He said that checks were not being carried out on hundreds of private jets arriving at London City Airport.He said that the lapse in security risked organised criminals being able to bring gang members and contraband into the country. Foreign nationals with no right to enter the UK may also have been smuggled in, he said.The Home Office had “categorically rejected” the claims, saying that Mr Neal “has chosen to put misleading data into the public domain”.Mr Neal appeared before Home Affairs Committee at the end of February, telling MPs that he was sacked for “speaking truth to power”.He said that he would tell the future chief inspector that they should “have the moral courage to do what’s right” and “hold on to your principles”.He told MPs: “I think I’ve been sacked for doing what the law asks of me and I’ve breached, I’ve fallen down over a clause in my employment contract, which I think is a crying shame.”A Home Office spokesperson responded to Mr Neal’s testimony saying his appointment “was terminated after he leaked confidential and misleading information, and lost the confidence of the home secretary”. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailTV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has become embroiled in a public clash with the health secretary after he accused the government of doing “next to nothing” to tackle obesity.The River Cottage star warned Victoria Atkins there was a “crisis” in Britain and that ministers had ignored a “raft of policies” that could fight the problem. But Ms Atkins insisted she was working on a prevention strategy, as she said the NHS app could help people take responsibility for their own health.She told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “We make the mistake, I think, of siloing obesity by itself. We know that it can have many, many other conditions, including causing type two diabetes.”So, over the coming weeks you will see the Government set out our plans.”I want to take a strategic approach to prevention and, in fact, the biggest public health intervention we can make, we are making, which is creating the first smoke-free generation.”But Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall, a panellist on the show, responded to her interview by saying: “I didn’t hear any obesity strategy.”He told the minister: “I’ve worked with many amazing agencies, with the Food Foundation, with the Obesity Health Alliance, with Jamie Oliver and his team, with Henry Dimbleby, they have all put a raft of policies, of levers that you could be pulling to address the obesity crisis. You’re not pulling any of them. You’ve done next to nothing to help this ailing, struggling, sick citizens of the UK to find healthier food. Next to nothing about it.”Earlier, Ms Atkins had been pushed on controversial delays to measures campaigners say could trim the nation’s waistlines. These include bans on pre-watershed adverts for junk food and multi-buy deals. Ms Atkins defended the lack of action saying that ministers had to “reflect the society in which we serve, in which the NHS serves”. More