Ex-Minister Nusrat Ghani’s claim she was sacked for being a Muslim exposes Boris Johnson – The Yorkshire Post says

The first female Muslim MP to hold ministerial office, Ms Ghani’s dismissal surprised many because she was a well-regarded politician appointed to her transport role on merit.

Revealed: How Boris Johnson lied to David Davis and MPs over Churchill’s ally after being told ‘In the name of God, go’ – Tom Richmond

And Downing Street’s statement that the PM subsequently met the ex-minister, and urged her to lodge a complaint, is no defence if Ms Ghani felt that she would be “ostracised by colleagues” and her career “destroyed”.

The fact that so many MPs have expressed support for her suggests they view her as a woman of repute with a legitimate grievance over Islamophobia.

It follows alarming reports of Government whips abusing their authority amid claims, from senior Tory MP William Wragg, that some of his colleagues have been subjected to “blackmail” and bullying to deter them from backing a vote of no confidence in the PM.

This, in turn, coincides with “red wall” MP Christian Wakeford’s claim, after defecting to Labour, that Gavin Williamson, the then Education Secretary, threatened to pull the plug on funding for a new school if he rebelled. It leaves chief whip Mark Spencer and his deputy Stuart Andrew, the Pudsey MP, with their reputations in ruins.

And then reports that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Selby MP Nigel Adams, the Cabinet Office Minister, are among those co-ordinating a “shadow” operation to shore up the PM’s position over Downing Street’s parties in lockdown.

All this while the country awaits Sue Gray’s inquiry into “partygate” as war looms over Ukraine. As such, it’s even more reason for a fresh start as the Tory parliamentary party finds itself bereft of moral authority.

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