London: In wake of ongoing socio-religious issues, the Conservative Party has announced the appointment of Professor Swaran Singh to lead an independent review into improving party handling of complaints of discrimination and prejudice, including Islamophobia.
Professor Swaran Singh, who was a Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, will lead the probe and examine how the party can improve its processes to ensure "any instances are isolated, and that there are robust processes in place to stamp them out as and when they occur".
Upon his appoitment, Swaran Singh said, "I am privileged to have been appointed to chair the independent review into improving handling of complaints of prejudice and discrimination in the Conservative Party." The ruling Conservative Party took the bold step of appointment of Professor Swaran Singh amidst reports that the Muslims felt insecure in the Tory government and the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) had urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to reassure British Muslims of their place in the country. It is pertinent to mention here that Swaran Singh is the Professor of Social and Community Psychiatry at the University of Warwick.
Furthermore, Swaran Singh was appointed as a Commissioner to the Equality and Human Rights Commission board in 2013.
Commenting, James Cleverly, Chairman of the Conservative Party, said: "I am pleased to announce Professor Swaran Singh as the Chair of the independent review into prejudice and discrimination in the Conservative Party.
"The Conservative Party has always worked to act swiftly when allegations have been put to us and there are a wide range of sanctions to challenge and change behaviour. The Conservative Party will never stand by when it comes to prejudice and discrimination of any kind and it is right to hold an independent review, so we can stamp out unacceptable abuse that is not fit for public life," he supplemented.
The timetable of the review will be determined by the independent chair.
Harun Khan, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, asserted that there is a palpable sense of fear "amongst Muslim communities" around the country.
"Johnson commands a majority, but there is a palpable sense of fear amongst Muslim communities around the country. We entered the election campaign period with long standing concerns about bigotry in our politics and our governing party. Now we worry that Islamophobia is "oven-ready" for government. Johnson has been entrusted with huge power, and we pray it is exercised responsibly for all Britons," Khan said.
He added: "We understand that the Prime Minister insists that he is a One Nation Tory. We earnestly hope that is the case and urge him to lead from the centre and engage with all communities." A former Tory co-chair and cabinet minister, Baroness Warsi, highlighted that the party 'must start healing its relationship with British Muslims'.
In a tweet, she said: "Endorsements from Tommy Robinson and Katie Hopkins and colleagues retweeting both is deeply disturbing. Independent Inquiry into Islamophobia is a must first step. The battle to root out racism must now intensify".
The senior Tory peer has previously criticised Johnson for failing to call an inquiry into Islamophobia within the Tory ranks, instead opting for a more general investigation into 'all forms of prejudice'. During the general election campaign the PM apologised for hurt caused to the Muslim community by his party, but stopped short of saying sorry for offensive comments.
In his acceptance speech, Johnson urged the nation to 'let the healing begin' and said he will work to 'unite and level up' the whole of the UK under his 'one nation Conservative government'.
