MP, Labour's Shadow Women and
Equalities Secretary, responding
to comments made by government advisor
Roger Scruton, said:
“These comments by Roger Scruton are despicable and invoke the
language of white supremacists.
"His claim that Islamophobia does not exist, a few weeks after
the devastating attack in Christchurch, is extremely dangerous,
and his defence of the prejudice stoked by Viktor Orban’s
government in Hungary is appalling.
“He should never have been appointed but the Government should
have sacked him when his horrific comments about rape,
homosexuality, Islamophobia and antisemitism came to light, and
when his association with far-right, neo-fascist organisations
was exposed. Instead, they defended him, with the Secretary of
State for Housing, Communities and Local Government praising him
as 'a very brave defender of free speech'.
“ must sack Roger Scruton
immediately. If she doesn't, it will be further evidence that she
is turning a blind eye to the deep-rooted prejudices and racist
views in the Conservative Party, and will again signal that her
government endorses these disgusting views.”
Ends
Notes to editors:
• In a debate in the
House of Commons in November 2018, Housing Minister and other Tory MPs
defended the appointment of Roger Scruton https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2018-11-12/debates/0D489462-AA34-46B8-B30A-4A3ED4369039/AppointmentOfSirRogerScruton
• Roger Scruton has
previously called National Front An ‘Egalitarian'
Movement https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/may-urged-to-sack-housing-adviser-sir-roger-scruton-for-calling-neo-fascist-national-front-an-egalitarian-movement_uk_5be9924ee4b0dbe871adbf49?utm_hp_ref=uk-politics
• From November 2018:
urged to ‘show some leadership’
and sack housing guru over rants about Islam and
homosexualityhttps://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7677553/theresa-may-dismiss-housing-guru-islam-homosexuality/
