General election: Tory candidate 'suspended for anti-Muslim language'

Move comes after prime minister was accused on live television for of inflaming racism over notorious newspaper columns

A Conservative general election candidate has been suspended for alleged “anti-Muslim language”, in a further embarrassment to Boris Johnson.

Flora Scarabello, who is running for the Glasgow Central seat, will be “thoroughly investigated” over a complaint, the Scottish Conservatives said.

It comes after the prime minister was accused on live television for of inflaming racism over his notorious newspaper columns, which he defended as free speech.

The Conservatives did not reveal the nature of the complaint, but a statement said: “We take allegations like this extremely seriously.

“There is no place in the Scottish Conservatives for anti-Muslim language, or any other form of racial or religious discrimination.”

However, because the deadline for removing Ms Scarabello as a candidate has passed, for her name will still appear on the ballot paper on 12 December.

It is thought that the details emerged in a private phone call, which was recorded and sent to party officials.

Earlier, Mr Johnson apologised for the “hurt and offence” that has been caused by Islamophobia within the Conservative Party ranks.

He repeated his promise to begin a long-delayed inquiry into “every manner of prejudice and discrimination” in his party before Christmas – but not, as originally pledged, into anti-Muslim prejudice only.

However, strikingly, during last Friday’s BBC Question Time, he refused to apologise for his own comment that Muslim looking like “letterboxes” and “bank robbers”, saying: “I defend my right to speak out.”

Baroness Warsi, the former Tory party chairwoman, said her party had had, “dragging and screaming”, finally started to acknowledge its problem with Islamophobia.

“We saw when Boris made those crass comments around Muslim women wearing the niqab, that many Muslim women – visibly Muslim women – were subsequently attacked on our streets,” she told the BBC.

“In fact, a government funded organisation reported the increase in hate crime towards visibly Muslim women as a result of those comments.”

Asked about Mr Johnson, Baroness Warsi added: “I don't believe that he is an Islamophobe, but I do believe that there is a space of privilege within which he exists where he feels sadly that there are no consequences to the words that he uses, even when those words are crass, offensive and racist.”

She added: “I think what I would be saying to the prime minister is to think again.

“Think about the words that your views, not just in relation to Muslim communities but in terms of describing gay communities and black communities and other communities.

“Think about those words that you use because those words have consequences and not the kind of words which really are fitting for a prime minister of this country.”