Claims of Islamophobia spell another crisis for the government

Editorial: Whatever Sue Gray’s report now does or doesn’t say, the chaos that has been unleashed in the meantime may well prove to have been dangerous enough all on its own

(Brian Adcock)

It is not only the country that has become bored and irritated by being made to wait for the already notorious yet still unpublished Sue Gray report. The Conservative Party has filled the void by ripping itself apart, to the extent that it may be too late for Boris Johnson, whatever is in the report.

When the Bury South MP Christian Wakeford defected to Labour 15 minutes before Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, the timing was intended to do the prime minister maximum damage. Instead, it appeared to bring him a temporary stay of execution. Even the many Conservatives who want rid of Mr Johnson immediately do not wish to do so in a way that hands the opposition any more advantage than is necessary.

But as the waiting goes on, the damage has become far worse. Former junior minister Nusrat Ghani has publicly claimed that she was sacked because she was Muslim, claiming she was told by the whips’ office that her “Muslimness” had become a problem for her colleagues.